Replicating hedge fund returns: A factor model approach

Growth in the Hedge Fund industry mirrors the growth in the Mutual Fund industry. This raises the possibility of creating a passive strategy that replicates Hedge Fund returns at lower cost using liquid, exchange-traded instruments. Using monthly returns for the period 1991-2005 on thirteen Hedge Fund strategies, I build a linear factor models (“clones”) that replicate Hedge Fund returns. I use six common factors to determine the amount of expected return and variation in returns that can be explained by these factors alone. I find that for certain strategies “clones” outperform their Hedge Fund counterparts on an absolute basis, and clones outperform on a risk adjusted basis for all strategies. This finding merits serious consideration by institutional investors whose goals of transparency, liquidity, and lower fees conflict with those of Hedge Funds.