The Appian Fund returned –1.29% in April as quantitative strategies struggled during the month. Low volatility and the stalling of the U.S. Dollar rally were the primary culprits. As a reminder, we substantially reallocated the Fund’s portfolio as of May 1st, exiting two managers and replacing them with two managers new to the Wilshire Managed […]
The Appian Fund returned –0.07% in March as markets reacted not to worldwide economic news, but rather to speculation as to how the Federal Reserve would interpret and react to such news. U.S. equities sold off early in the month on fears that positive economic news would cause the Fed to consider a change in […]
The Appian Fund returned 0.43% in February as the Fund’s fundamental managers produced strong performance. Solid earnings reports in the U.S., stabilizing oil prices and improved news out of Europe led the S&P 500 to another record high, while bond markets were mostly negative for the month. Domestic equity markets were positive in February, with […]
The Appian Fund returned –0.77% in January as markets sold off worldwide. The Fund’s loss was caused entirely by the negative performance of the Fund’s Tactical Currency manager, which was caught off guard by the Swiss National Bank’s surprise removal of its currency peg against the Euro. Two of the Fund’s defensive strategies performed well […]
The Appian Fund returned 0.62% in December as four of the Fund’s six managers took advantage of increased volatility in equities, interest rates and commodities to produce gains. Broad markets finished roughly flat for the month, although the S&P 500 swung by 5% during December. Economic and Financial Market Overview Stocks closed out a strong […]
The Appian Fund returned –0.25% in November as four of the six underlying funds turned in positive months. Monday, November 3rd marked the onset of the Fund’s substantially reallocated portfolio, which we have positioned to better weather a potential increase in market volatility. Economic and Financial Market Overview Domestic equity markets were positive again in […]
The Appian Fund struggled during an eventful October returning –2.91%. Manager performance across the Wilshire Platform was challenged, and the Fund’s lone positive performer was Long/Short Equity, which outperformed the broader equity markets. Significant drawdowns by the Fund’s two Event Driven (“ED”) managers combined with similar performance from the Relative Value Arbitrage manager produced a […]
The Appian Fund returned –1.67% in September as the market pulled back from its August rally. U.S. and International Equities and U.S. High Yield indices were negative for the month as investors sought haven in U.S. Treasuries in the face of rising geopolitical tensions. Economic and Financial Market Overview The market gave up ground in […]
The Appian Fund returned 0.22% in August as Equity and Fixed Income markets rebounded from July’s global selloff. Tactical Currency, Global Macro and Relative Value Arbitrage strategies performed well during the month, while Event Driven and U.S. Long/Short Equity were the leading detractors. The VIX averaged 13.49 over the course of the month, up 9.8% […]
The Appian Fund returned –0.85% in July as risk assets sold off worldwide, likely a reaction to geopolitical events. July witnessed the reversal of many positive beta trends as equities pulled back, high yield credit spreads widened and a sovereign defaulted. Economic and Financial Market Overview The markets reacted to the downing of a Malaysian […]
The Appian Fund returned –0.43% in June as performance was mixed across managers. The Fund’s Event Driven, Macro and Structured Credit managers contributed positively to performance in June, while the Fund’s Relative Value Arbitrage manager suffered a drawdown during a period of extremely low volatility. Economic and Financial Market Overview Investors continued to shrug off […]
The Appian Fund posted a gain in May of 0.24%, as the Fund, and hedge funds in general, rebounded from two consecutive monthly losses. Market sentiment was largely positive during the month as investors elected to reject the theory “Sell in May and Go Away.” Economic and Financial Market Overview Both the Dow Jones Industrial […]