Australian hedge funds rose by 1.11 per cent in December taking their return for the year to 17.41 per cent, according to Australian Fund Monitors.

Equity based funds rose by 2.08 per cent in December, up 24.66 per cent for the year, while non-equity based funds fell 0.69 per cent, returning 7.94 per cent in 2009.

The ASX lost more than 20 per cent over the past two years, in spite of climbing around 50 per cent in 2009.

Absolute Return funds finished 2009 on a positive note, up 17.41 per cent for the year, and cementing 2009 as one of the strongest on record.

However, there was a marked variance in performance between the various strategies and underlying asset classes, reflecting another strong performance by the ASX.