CPI Financial – Investors in the GCC have been investing in the conventional hedge fund market for a number of years. GCC institutions have, in terms of their own portfolio diversification, generally mirrored global investment thinking. Strong regional growth and the steady liberalisation of the GCC markets have attracted a wide range of conventional hedge fund managers to the Gulf.
Sophisticated investors in the GCC are attracted by the differing investment returns on the variety of alternative strategies when compared to conventional and regional stock markets, private equity, property and oil-based returns. Within the Gulf, investors are turning to hedge funds as a source of stability and security during the regional stock market volatility evident in certain Gulf states in recent years.
Investors which perceive that regional equity, property and IPO successes may not be sustainable are also looking to diversify their successful portfolios by investment in structures that may protect down-side risk.
