New York (HedgeCo.net) – Hedge funds delivered excellent returns of nearly 3%1 in December to end the year on a high note. The Eurekahedge Hedge Fund Index finished 2010 with gains of 10.86%. Growing optimism about the US economy led to rallies in underlying markets – the MSCI World Index2 was up 5.55%, with 2010 returns of 7.83%.

Some highlights for December include:

* Hedge funds posted double-digit growth in 2010 and outperformed underlying markets – up 10.86% for the year.
* December was the 6th consecutive month of back-to-back positive returns for hedge funds.
* Japanese hedge funds posted best annual return in 5 years, up 6.79% in 2010.
* North American hedge funds witnessed the best December returns since 2000, up 3.48%.
* North America was the best performing hedge fund region in 2010 up 13.63% in the year.
* Hedge funds attracted US$70 billion through net positive asset flows in 2010 – total size of industry exceeded US$1.65 trillion for the first time since September 2008.

For a full breakdown of 2010 asset flows, performance trends and key trends in North American hedge funds, please see the upcoming January issue of The Eurekahedge Report, which will be released on the 18th of January.

Editing by Alex Akesson
For HedgeCo.net
alex@hedgeco.net
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