Alternative

Risk assets have continued to edge higher over the recent weeks, with the MSCI World reaching new highs last week. Yet, equities in developed markets have been essentially fuelled by the U.S. market...

Markets have gone back and forth while assessing the prospects for Trump’s economic plans and the timing of U.S. rate hikes. Last week, risk assets in DM and EM progressed, stirred by supportive data and Trump’s plans to unveil a “phenomenal” tax policy. Most hedge funds headed north.

Value stocks have lost steam in early 2017 as market exuberance faded and investors reappraised the risks of trade wars. The renewed underperformance of value stocks has taken many investors by surprise as it follows a sharp rebound in the last quarter of 2016...

Bond yields continued to edge higher over the recent weeks on the back of stronger economic data and higher inflationary pressures. The rise in bond yields was more pronounced in Europe than in the U.S. across the curve, which contributed to the appreciation of the Euro vs. USD in January. This environment has proved supportive for risk assets in the U.S. and emerging markets.

The Preqin All-Strategies Hedge Fund benchmark posted returns of 7.40% in 2016, marking the best performance year for the industry since 2013 and more than tripling the gains made through 2015 (+2.03%). Despite a volatile start to the year which caused some performance difficulties, hedge funds rebounded to post positive returns in nine of the final 10 months of the year.