The pioneer in the hedge fund ETF space, db X-trackers launched the db x-trackers db Hedge Fund Index ETF two years ago. The fund synthetically replicates the performance of the db Hedge Fund Index, which is composed of six sub-indices that capture six core hedge fund strategies: equity hedge, market-neutral, systematic macro, global macro, event-driven, and credit and convertible (see this table for recent allocations). The index is systematically rebalanced quarterly in accordance with each strategy’s respective asset weight in the hedge fund industry. At the sub-index level, each category currently has between five and twelve component hedge funds which adhere to that particular sub-index's strategy, the funds are equally weighted within the sub-index and also rebalanced on a quarterly basis.
Cons:
While db X-trackers provides details on how the db Hedge Fund Index is constructed, it won’t give investors access to security-level information, so full transparency is lacking here.
This fund is also relatively pricey for an ETF, although not in comparison with direct hedge fund investment. The ETF carries an annual management fee (TER) of 0.90% and typical hedge fund fees built into its underlying index, including an average 1.60% annual management fee and a 20% performance fee.
Pros:
Because it tracks the performance of over 50 hedge funds, this structure provides diversification across strategies and individual managers, making the fund less susceptible to bad bets by an individual fund or within a given broad strategy.
The db x-trackers db Hedge Fund Index has shown a 5-year history of reasonable returns and low volatility. According to Deutsche Bank data, the euro-denominated index has posted an average gain of 5.5% per year with volatility of 5.3% since 2005. This compares favourably to other indices used for hedge fund ETFs (see table below). This also compares favourably to respective performances of 2.9%, 6.4%, and 5.4% for the MSCI World, MSCI Europe, and Euro STOXX 50 total return indices. Over the past eight years, the index has shown a fairly low correlation of 0.57 with the MSCI World TR EUR, making it a good diversifier in a balanced asset allocation.
In Europe, the db x-trackers db Hedge Fund Index ETF is available in USD, EUR, GBP and CHF. As the underlying index constituents are denominated in USD, the ETF will hedge the index returns into the other currencies using one-month rolling FX forwards.