Are hedge funds worth your money? Hedge funds have developed from investment funds that were designed to lower the risk of your portfolio to a multitude of different investment styles with different goals. Their heyday was probably during the 90s and early 2000s when several star hedge fund managers rose to prominence and their assets under management grew significantly. However, since then hedge funds have been under scrutiny as their investment returns have been lacking and their ability to function as a diversification to a traditional stock and bond portfolio was put into question. As hedge funds have their own set of leverage and investment rules it is no wonder they have been accused of being greedy, unsuccessful and secretive. However, with this dataset you can make your own analysis.

Content This dataset covers monthly hedge fund returns starting from 1997. The date column refers to the last day of the month - the end date of the return period, if I understand correctly. There are 12 different hedge fund strategies covered and the return index series are formed as an aggregate of other hedge fund index providers.

The strategy explanations are in EDHEC website:

Convertible Arbitrage - https://risk.edhec.edu/conv-arb/ CTA Global - https://risk.edhec.edu/cta-global/ Distressed Securities - https://risk.edhec.edu/dist-sec/ Emerging Markets - https://risk.edhec.edu/emg-mkts/ Equity Market Neutral - https://risk.edhec.edu/equity-market-neutral/ Event Driven - https://risk.edhec.edu/event-driven/ Fixed Income Arbitrage - https://risk.edhec.edu/fix-inc-arb/ Global Macro - https://risk.edhec.edu/global-macro/ Long/Short Equity - https://risk.edhec.edu/ls-equity/ Merger Arbitrage - https://risk.edhec.edu/merger-arb/ Relative Value - https://risk.edhec.edu/relative-value/ Short Selling - https://risk.edhec.edu/short-selling/ Funds of Funds - https://risk.edhec.edu/fof/ Acknowledgements All credit for the maintenance and upload of the data goes to EDHEC. You should check their website for additional resources:

https://risk.edhec.edu/all-downloads-hedge-funds-indices

Inspiration The EDHEC hedge fund data is the data used in examples/vignettes of PortfolioAnalytics - a package for optimizing, testing and analyzing portfolio returns. You should be easily able to expand the analysis from the vignettes just by using the larger dataset available here:

https://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/PortfolioAnalytics/index.html

Are hedge funds worth your money?

Hedge funds have developed from investment funds that were designed to lower the risk of your portfolio to a multitude of different investment styles with different goals. Their heyday was probably during the 90s and early 2000s when several star hedge fund managers rose to prominence and their assets under management grew significantly. However, since then hedge funds have been under scrutiny as their investment returns have been lacking and their ability to function as a diversification to a traditional stock and bond portfolio was put into question. As hedge funds have their own set of leverage and investment rules it is no wonder they have been accused of being greedy, unsuccessful and secretive. However, with this dataset you can make your own analysis.

Content

This dataset covers monthly hedge fund returns starting from 1997. The date column refers to the last day of the month - the end date of the return period, if I understand correctly. There are 12 different hedge fund strategies covered and the return index series are formed as an aggregate of other hedge fund index providers.

The strategy explanations are in EDHEC website:

• Convertible Arbitrage - https://risk.edhec.edu/conv-arb/
• CTA Global - https://risk.edhec.edu/cta-global/
• Distressed Securities - https://risk.edhec.edu/dist-sec/
• Emerging Markets - https://risk.edhec.edu/emg-mkts/
• Equity Market Neutral - https://risk.edhec.edu/equity-market-neutral/
• Event Driven - https://risk.edhec.edu/event-driven/
• Fixed Income Arbitrage - https://risk.edhec.edu/fix-inc-arb/
• Global Macro - https://risk.edhec.edu/global-macro/
• Long/Short Equity - https://risk.edhec.edu/ls-equity/
• Merger Arbitrage - https://risk.edhec.edu/merger-arb/
• Relative Value - https://risk.edhec.edu/relative-value/
• Short Selling - https://risk.edhec.edu/short-selling/
• Funds of Funds - https://risk.edhec.edu/fof/

Acknowledgements

All credit for the maintenance and upload of the data goes to EDHEC. You should check their website for additional resources:

https://risk.edhec.edu/all-downloads-hedge-funds-indices

Inspiration

The EDHEC hedge fund data is the data used in examples/vignettes of PortfolioAnalytics - a package for optimizing, testing and analyzing portfolio returns. You should be easily able to expand the analysis from the vignettes just by using the larger dataset available here:

https://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/PortfolioAnalytics/index.html

Hedge funds are private, unregulated investment funds that use sophisticated instruments or strategies, such as derivative securities, short positions or leveraging, to generate alpha. Hedge funds cover a wide range of strategies with different risk and return profiles.

About This Dataset

Data Date: 1997/1 - 2021/6 Columns : 13 Different Investing Style Index Value : Monthly Return

Description

Convertible Arbitrage : https://risk.edhec.edu/sites/risk/files/indices/Indices/Edhec%20Alternative%20Indices/Web/report/conv_arb.pdf CTA Global : https://risk.edhec.edu/sites/risk/files/indices/Indices/Edhec%20Alternative%20Indices/Web/report/cta.pdf Distressed Securities : https://risk.edhec.edu/sites/risk/files/indices/Indices/Edhec%20Alternative%20Indices/Web/report/distressed.pdf Emerging Markets : https://risk.edhec.edu/sites/risk/files/indices/Indices/Edhec%20Alternative%20Indices/Web/report/emerging.pdf Equity Market Neutral : https://risk.edhec.edu/sites/risk/files/indices/Indices/Edhec%20Alternative%20Indices/Web/report/market_ntl.pdf Event Driven : https://risk.edhec.edu/sites/risk/files/indices/Indices/Edhec%20Alternative%20Indices/Web/report/event_driven.pdf Fixed Income Arbitrage : https://risk.edhec.edu/sites/risk/files/indices/Indices/Edhec%20Alternative%20Indices/Web/report/fix_inc.pdf Global Macro : https://risk.edhec.edu/sites/risk/files/indices/Indices/Edhec%20Alternative%20Indices/Web/report/global_macro.pdf Long/Short Equity : https://risk.edhec.edu/sites/risk/files/indices/Indices/Edhec%20Alternative%20Indices/Web/report/long_short.pdf Merger Arbitrage : https://risk.edhec.edu/sites/risk/files/indices/Indices/Edhec%20Alternative%20Indices/Web/report/merger.pdf Relative Value : https://risk.edhec.edu/sites/risk/files/indices/Indices/Edhec%20Alternative%20Indices/Web/report/value.pdf Short Selling : https://risk.edhec.edu/sites/risk/files/indices/Indices/Edhec%20Alternative%20Indices/Web/report/short.pdf Funds of Funds : https://risk.edhec.edu/sites/risk/files/indices/Indices/Edhec%20Alternative%20Indices/Web/report/fof.pdf

Credit To

Data Source :EDHEC-Risk Institute Since 2003, EDHEC-Risk Institute has been publishing the EDHEC-Risk Alternative Indices, which aggregate and synthesise information from different index providers, so as to provide investors with representative benchmarks. These indices are computed for thirteen investment styles that represent typical hedge fund strategies. https://risk.edhec.edu/all-downloads-hedge-funds-indices

Short Interest Analytics Market Outlook

According to our latest research, the global short interest analytics market size reached USD 1.21 billion in 2024 and is projected to grow at a robust CAGR of 17.4% from 2025 to 2033. By the end of the forecast period, the market is expected to achieve a value of USD 5.13 billion. This remarkable growth is primarily driven by increasing demand for advanced analytics tools among institutional investors and the expanding role of data-driven decision-making in the financial sector.

One of the primary growth factors for the short interest analytics market is the escalating complexity and volume of global financial transactions. As financial markets become more intricate, the need for sophisticated analytics solutions that can process vast datasets and provide actionable insights has intensified. Short interest analytics, which provides crucial information on the number of shares that have been sold short but not yet covered or closed out, is increasingly seen as a vital tool for risk assessment and market sentiment analysis. This demand is further amplified by the proliferation of algorithmic trading strategies and the rising adoption of quantitative investment approaches, both of which rely heavily on real-time analytics and accurate market intelligence.

The surge in regulatory scrutiny and compliance requirements has also propelled the adoption of short interest analytics across financial institutions. Regulatory bodies globally are mandating greater transparency in trading activities, including short selling, to prevent market manipulation and ensure fair trading practices. As a result, banks, hedge funds, and asset management firms are investing in advanced analytics platforms to monitor and report short interest positions more effectively. The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) into these analytics solutions has further enhanced their capability to detect market anomalies, forecast price movements, and generate predictive insights, thus providing a competitive edge to market participants.

Another significant growth driver is the democratization of financial data and the increasing participation of retail investors in global markets. The rise of online trading platforms and the availability of sophisticated analytics tools to individual investors have fueled the demand for short interest analytics beyond traditional institutional users. Retail investors are leveraging these insights to make informed trading decisions, manage portfolio risks, and capitalize on market opportunities. This trend is expected to continue as technology adoption accelerates, further expanding the addressable market for short interest analytics solutions.

From a regional perspective, North America currently dominates the short interest analytics market, accounting for the largest revenue share in 2024. The region’s leadership is underpinned by the presence of major financial hubs such as New York and Toronto, a high concentration of institutional investors, and early adoption of advanced analytics technologies. Europe follows closely, driven by stringent regulatory frameworks and a growing focus on transparency in financial markets. Meanwhile, the Asia Pacific region is witnessing the fastest growth, fueled by rapid digitalization, increasing foreign investment, and the emergence of new trading platforms. Latin America and the Middle East & Africa are also experiencing steady growth, albeit from a smaller base, as financial markets in these regions mature and regulatory environments evolve.

Component Analysis

The short interest analytics market is segmented by component into software and services, each playing a pivotal role in the overall ecosystem. Software solutions form the backbone of the market, offering robust platforms that aggregate, process, and visualize short interest data from multiple sources. These platforms are designed to handle high-frequency data streams and deliver real-time insights to users, enabling the

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