As the dollar fell, real estate, ever the inflation hedge, rose.

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Energy sector hedge fund strategies rose by 2.64% in February, which annualized is an impressive figure of over 30%.

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The data collector based in Chicago has a hedge fund index that shows hedge fund returns rose by 20.4%, the best year for the index since 1999, when funds returned 31.29%.

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As foreclosures rose, banks and hedge funds that had invested big in subprime mortgages were weighed down by worthless assets.

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It rose by 14.8% while most hedge funds scrambled to preserve capital and global equities were in a free fall.

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Last year, the Pure Alpha fund rose forty-five per cent, the highest return of any big hedge fund.

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