Hedge funds focused on India and China were the strongest overall performers in the hedge fund industry in 2017, according to eVestment's December 2017 Hedge Fund Performance Report.

Overall the global hedge fund industry experienced a strong year, returning 8.83 per cent. This is a welcome return to strong performance following the 5.7 per cent hedge funds returned in 2016 and the -0.71 per cent aggregate return the industry delivered in 2015.
 
From a regional perspective, Asia outperformed the rest of the world in hedge fund returns, with Asia-focused hedge funds overall returning 21.47 per cent in 2017. 
 
India-focused funds returned 35.01 per cent for the year, compared to 4.53 per cent in 2016 and 3.87 per cent in 2015. Over the past six years, India-focused funds have returned more than 17 per cent.
 
China-focused hedge funds came in a close second for the year, returning 34.82 per cent in 2017, up strongly from the negative performance of 5.39 per cent in 2016 and the 9.49 per cent China-focused hedge funds returned in 2015.
 
For funds domiciled in Asia, there was a similar strong-return story. Asia-domiciled hedge funds returned 18.60 per cent in 2017, compared to 9.34 per cent for hedge funds domiciled in the United Kingdom, 7.87 per cent for hedge funds domiciled in the United States and 7.08 per cent for hedge funds domiciled in continental Europe.