Multiple crypto hedge funds achieve double-digit returns in 2024, VisionTrack Composite Index rises 40%

According to data provided by Galaxy's VisionTrack, in 2024, multiple crypto hedge funds achieved double-digit returns, and the VisionTrack Composite Index, which tracks the performance of 130 crypto-specific hedge funds, rose 40%. But it is still not as good as Bitcoin: BTC rose 120% last year and broke through $100,000 for the first time. "2024 is a challenging year for many cryptocurrency funds because it is the year of Bitcoin and Memecoin - they are the best assets, and everything else lags behind," said David Kalk, founder and chief investment officer of Reflexive Capital, which runs its own hedge fund that invests in assets such as Bitcoin. For cryptocurrency hedge funds, outperforming Bitcoin is a challenge because “timing is hard,” said David Jeong, CEO of Tread.fi, an algorithmic cryptocurrency trading platform for institutional traders. “In the hedge fund space, drawdowns are very sensitive, so you can’t always be fully long. There are other ways for investors to invest in crypto.” However, hedge funds focused on digital asset industry directional and quantitative strategies had the best average performance last year, according to VisionTrack data. The VisionTrack Quantitative Directional Index rose 53.7%, while the VisionTrack Fundamental Index rose 40.4% over the same period. The VisionTrack Market Neutral Index rose about 18.5%. Galaxy Digital’s Alpha Liquid Fund rose 76.6% in 2024, according to a person familiar with the matter. A Galaxy representative declined to comment on the returns because the information is not yet public. David Tawil's ProChain Master Fund, a multi-strategy cryptocurrency investment vehicle launched in 2018, rose about 70% last year, thanks to large positions in larger tokens such as Bitcoin, and rose 80% in 2023. Fundamental research and macro funds, which have high confidence in crypto assets based on fundamental research on tokens or blockchains, have generally performed well. Reflexive Capital, which operates a long-leaning fundamental crypto hedge fund, saw a 106% increase in net returns in 2024, according to a person familiar with the matter. (Bloomberg)