Facts behind the figures

In three short years, absolute return funds have ballooned into a market worth an estimated e200bn. The majority of demand has come from continental European investors, ranging from small private clients through big banks to major insurance companies. UK investors have so far shown less appetite for these products. A few absolute return funds now have three-year track records but most have been launched in the last two years and have a history of one complete calendar year at best. Some of the early results from an important group of funds - and the inferences we draw - may well startle i...