Hedge funds should play a more central role in institutional portfolios as rising market dispersion and AI-driven disruption create new opportunities for active managers, according to BlackRock's Fall 2026 Hedge Fund Outlook.

The report argues that traditional stock-bond diversification has become less reliable amid persistent inflation, rising government borrowing and increased corporate debt issuance. BlackRock expects these conditions to create greater pricing disparities across markets, strengthening opportunities for macro, relative value and systematic hedge fund strategies.

BlackRock Systematic highlighted the growing importance of differentiated investment signals as AI accelerates the speed at which market information is processed and trading strategies become crowded. Momentum strategies experienced their third-worst drawdown since 2000 between March and August 2026, underscoring the risks of concentrated positioning and the need for more diversified sources of alpha.

Event-driven strategies are also benefiting from a resurgence in corporate activity, with global M&A volumes reaching approximately $2.7tn in the first half of 2026, including $1.7tn in North America, up 56% year-on-year. BlackRock expects acquisitions, divestitures, spin-offs and restructurings to provide an expanding pipeline of investment opportunities as companies adapt to technological disruption.

The report also highlights emerging hedge fund managers as a potential source of outperformance. According to Preqin data, managers with track records of three years or less generated average net returns of 17.5% over the 12 months to June 2026, compared with 14.1% for established managers, albeit with higher volatility.

BlackRock argues that institutional allocators should prioritise differentiated return streams and early engagement with emerging investment talent, positioning hedge funds as a core component of portfolio construction rather than a supplementary allocation.