How to access the benefits of hedge funds

Fuelled by the realisation that hedge funds can deliver attractive returns across most market conditions, their assets under management are growing rapidly. The first acknowledged hedge fund was launched in 1949. By the end of September 2002, $599bn was invested such vehicles. Hedge funds have historically been the domain of the very wealthy but, recently, this situation has changed dramatically. The term 'hedge' is something of a misnomer. A better name is 'absolute return' funds. This reflects the intention of these managers to perform as well as they can under most market conditions r...