The pandemic continued to affect the economy throughout 2021, hedge funds proved to be a flexible and adaptive industry. New investment strategies and strong earnings also yielded an improved opinion of hedge funds in general, according to the 2021 EY Global Alternative Fund Survey.
210 managers and 54 investors participated in the survey and showed that the industry is taking on new prospects for investment including digital assets and special-purpose acquisition companies (SPAC).
The survey also showed that hedge funds are focusing more on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) standards in the investment decisions process. Similarly, attention is being given to considerations of diversity and inclusion at the managerial level. But even while fund managers indicated substantial diversity in the back offices, fewer than one in 10 hedge funds can claim 30% or more females in the front office. The representation of minorities is even lower.