Private Clients Return to Man Investments

Stephen Harris

8 March 2006

Private clients are returning to Man Investments’ hedge funds after a fall in new money in 2004 and 2005, according to Antoine Massad, chief executive of Man Investments in the Middle East, who was talking at a recent hedge fund conference. “We have already seen more interest from private clients in 2006. The stock market and real estate boom was a negative for us, at least with private clients,” he told the conference. In 2004 and 2005 the balance of numbers of investors was 50 per cent private clients and 50 per cent institutions, according to Mr Massad, although the holdings were 68 per cent private and 32 per cent institutional. "Two thousand and four was a difficult year with a 2-6 per cent return, but 2005 was a good year, especially in the second half, and our Flagship fund returned 17 per cent year-on-year, or 26 per cent if you take the 12 months to the end of February," he told the conference. And Man’s flagship fund rose 26 per cent in the 12 months to the end of February 2006, according to Mr Massad.