HedgeCo.Net (New York) – Hedge funds, which control about $1.3 trillion in assets worldwide, have attracted $44.5 billion in the third quarter, the most since at least 2003, Hedge Fund Research said last month. Hedge funds are becoming more institutionalised and have begun to build organisations with often hundreds of employees.”

Union Bancaire Privee, the world’s second-largest manager of funds that invest in hedge funds believes that hedge funds will continue to attract superior investment talent in 2007, making more money in stocks than in bonds, with bets on rising markets likely to be more profitable than those on declining prices, the hedge fund manager said returns will be “significantly equity-driven” while opportunities to profit from falling prices will be “less numerous” next year, said Jan-Erik Frogg, head of alternative investments at UBP, which manages more than $33 billion in hedge-fund assets.

Event driven hedge funds in the Credit Suisse Tremont Index are up an average of 12% in the 10 months through October. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index, which is a common indicator of US stocks, has added 11% in the period, while Lehman Brothers Aggregate Bond Index has climbed 4.6%.

Fund managers such as Union Bancaire Privee have benefited from well established hedge funds re opening to new investments from their biggest clients as they see more opportunities. Hedge funds that take new capital are “not announcing to the whole world they’re re-opening, they like to take money from sources they trust and work well with,” Mr Frogg said.

Alex Akesson
Contributing Writer
HedgeCo.Net
Email: Editor@hedgeco.net