AMEinfo – Gulfmena will introduce its flagship investment strategy through ‘Gulfmena Arab Opportunities Fund’ a macro-directional (market-directional) absolute return public equities fund that will be launched in the last quarter of 2009. The first MENA hedge fund of its kind, the Fund seeks to adopt Global Investment Performance Standards (GIPS) from the start.

Marc Hambach, Gulfmena’s Chief Operating Officer, said: ‘We believe we have a proposition for a unique non-traditional investment strategy and an unparalleled risk management platform that better meets the challenges and opportunities of today’s MENA markets.

‘For that purpose, we are delighted to be headquartered in DIFC which has proven to be the hub for specialist regional managers. Given that alternative investment management within regional markets remains a pioneering concept, we look forward to aligning interests with a progressive partner such as DIFC and working together to create the region’s alternative investment space,’ Hambach said.

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Tags: alternative investment, hambach, hedge fund, mena, opportunities fund, regional markets, risk management platform

Business24-7 – Six months after their worst drawdown on record, regional stock markets are outperforming the Middle East and North Africa (Mena)-focused hedge funds, suggesting markets are once again warming up to equity participation.

According to Emirates Business research, Mena markets have posted gains of 9.73 per cent on average, beating the 10 region-focused hedge funds, which have posted returns of 4.4 per cent since the beginning of this year.

Even the GCC markets, battered by their exposure to relatively lower oil prices and global economic environment, have turned in a marginally better performance, at 4.42 per cent, suggesting that risk appetite among investors in the regional markets is on the upswing.

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Tags: business research, drawdown, emirates, equity participation, gcc markets, global economic environment, hedge funds, investors, mena, middle-east, north-africa, oil prices, regional markets, regional-stock, risk appetite, six months, stock-markets, upswing