Quartz – New data show hedge funds averaged a 3.24% return (pdf) in the third quarter, after struggling to return 0.06% in the second quarter. “Hedge funds enjoyed a robust recovery from a subpar Q2 2013, with single-manager funds eclipsing their near-neutral second-quarter returns by more than three percentage points,” wrote analysts from Preqin Ltd., which compiles data from hedge funds.
While hedge funds’ third-quarter performance is a clear improvement, it leaves out one simple fact: a hedge fund’s investors still would have earned more if they had invested in a basic S&P 500 index. In the third quarter, the S&P rose by 4.69%. And over the last year, the S&P 500 has earned 16.72%, while hedge funds averaged 9.98% over that period.
