Wade McKnight Strong Quotations

January performance was the strongest since May 2003. Unusually strong equity market volatility and narrowing credit spreads created an exceptional trading environment for many hedge fund managers. The VIX, a measure of equity market volatility, jumped more than 21% to 14.56 after the January 20 stock market close, the biggest one-day percentage jump in nine months. Most hedge fund strategies require volatility to produce meaningful returns.

Strong global equity indices propelled most hedge funds higher during the first few weeks of 2006.

Hedge Fund returns were impeded by futures managers who made strong energy commodity bets. However, preliminary results indicate emerging market managers maintained their stance as leading strategy contenders, albeit by a small margin. Approximately 60% of hedge fund managers in the Index delivered positive returns, while just over half beat the S&P 500.

Over its 18-year history, the Index generated a net compound annualized return of 15.5% versus 12.0% for the S&P 500, marking eighteen consecutive years of positive annual performance for the Greenwich-Van Global Hedge Fund Index. This strongly suggests downside protection and diversification benefits of hedge funds within a comprehensive asset allocation plan can greatly enhance a portfolio's reward/risk profile.