A small cluster of hedge funds managed by women has outperformed those run by men through the coronavirus crisis, new data show, highlighting the industry’s long-running lack of progress in fixing its gender imbalance.
Hedge funds run by women lost 3.5 per cent in the first four months of this year, as measured by Chicago-based data group HFR’s Women Access index. That beat a 5.5 per cent fall in its HFRI 500 Fund Weighted index, a broader measure of performance that incorporates both men and women-run funds.
“In the round [female managers] appear to have a better approach to managing risk,” said Russell Barlow, global head of alternative investment strategies at investment firm Aberdeen Standard.