Reuters – More hedge funds have called it quits worldwide in the first half of 2008 than a year ago, as tumbling markets and finicky investors take a heavy toll on the $1.9 trillion industry, new data show.
Liquidations rose by 15 percent during the first six months of 2008 when 350 funds closed their doors compared with 303 a year earlier, according to numbers released by Hedge Fund Research (HFR) on Thursday.
"This year, the industry will likely see more funds shut down than start up," said Phil Duff, who runs Duff Capital Advisors.
In the first eight months of the year, hedge funds lost an average 4.83 percent, making for the worst returns in a decade.
