Introduction
The Latin American hedge fund industry has continued to provide remarkable performance and growth for hedge fund investors over the years and the Eurekahedge Latin American Hedge Fund Index has delivered impressive annualised returns of 15.62% since December 1999. Since the financial crisis of 2008, the industry has also posted a remarkable recovery in terms of assets and the total number of funds in the region.
At the start of 2000 there were just over 100 hedge funds in the region managing US$2.3 billion. Over the next seven years the industry witnessed tremendous growth as investors poured capital into hedge funds and emerging markets. By mid-2008 Latin American hedge funds managed assets of US$58.4 billion while the fund population had grown to more than 450 funds.
Figure 1: Industry growth over the years
During the global financial crisis, Latin American hedge funds also witnessed some negative returns and redemptions, although not on the same scale as global hedge funds. The average Latin American hedge fund lost 5.88% in 2008, while the average global hedge fund was down 10.13%.
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