West Palm Beach (HedgeCo.net) – Companiesandmarkets.com has released a report presenting views on the market for hedge fund investment based on a survey of 100 leading asset managers across Europe.

The report, which covers mass market, high net worth and institutional customer groups, forms part of a series looking at the market for alternative investments in Europe. Looking at the onshore hedge fund market in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK, the report provides forecasts to 2012, analysing legislative developments and their implications for growth in the European hedge fund market. The report also identifies the primary client segments and appropriate marketing and distribution strategies for individual countries.

There will be strong growth in funds of hedge funds over the next year, the report states, with less demand for single hedge funds according to 65% of asset managers in Europe. Asset managers in Spain and Italy believe most strongly that the demand for funds of hedge funds will outstrip that for single hedge funds, followed by France, Germany and finally the UK.

Across the five core economies in Western Europe – France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK – institutional investors now dominate the market for hedge funds. On average, slightly more than two-thirds of asset managers confirmed that this group represents their biggest customer segment for hedge funds today. In Italy, mass market investors may also be put off by the price of hedge fund investment, according to 40% of asset managers there. In Spain, on the other hand, demand from mass market clients is being limited by competition from capital-protected and structured products and inadequate promotion of hedge fund products by banks and advisors.