Big rallies in US tech behemoths and a series of painful market jolts have disrupted many hedge funds’ attempts to lure back investors who have deserted the sector in recent years.
Hedge funds gained 8.7 per cent on average from January to November 2021, according to data provider HFR. That marks their third consecutive year of gains, but trails by some distance the US S&P 500 index’s 24 per cent total return over that period.
Managers have lagged behind the benchmark US equities index because they tend to hold relatively small positions in tech giants such as Apple, Google parent Alphabet and Tesla, heavyweights in the S&P 500 that have rallied strongly in 2021. Hedge funds have also found it difficult to make money as some bets have been disrupted by often-hostile retail investors.