Key Takeaways
- • The Hedge Fund Journal has published its Performance Awards 2026, recognizing top-performing hedge funds across more than a dozen strategy and AUM categories.
- • Melanion Capital won two awards, with Melanion Volatility named best performing multi-strategy volatility arbitrage fund over seven years and Melanion Alpha named best multi-asset class volatility arbitrage fund in 2025.
- • Awards span equity long/short, fixed income, convertible and merger arbitrage, distressed debt, market neutral, and fund-of-hedge-funds strategies, with winners reflecting performance over 2025 and multi-year periods.
- • Winners include managers across the UK, Nordics, Asia, Canada, Australia, and the US, indicating broad geographic representation.
Summary
The Hedge Fund Journal has released its Performance Awards 2026, according to the publication's listing of winners, which recognizes hedge funds for returns in 2025 and over multi-year periods. The awards are organized by strategy and, in several categories, by AUM band.
Melanion Capital was the most prominent winner, taking two awards. Melanion Volatility was named the best performing fund in the Multi-Strategy Volatility Arbitrage (Hybrid Systematic/Discretionary) category over seven years, while Melanion Alpha was named the best performing Multi-Asset Class Volatility Arbitrage fund in 2025.
Other equity-focused winners included BlueBay Multi-Strategy Fund from RBC BlueBay Asset Management, which was recognized in Fund of Hedge Funds – Structured Credit over five years; YFS Kernow Equity Navigator Fund from Kernow Asset Management, which won UK Equity Long/Short for 2025 and over two years; and Kopernik Global All-Cap Master Fund from Kopernik Global Investors, which was named best in Global Equity Long/Short (AUM $5-10bn) for 2025 and three years. LAV Public Equity Master Fund from LAV Asset Management (Hong Kong) was recognized in Asia and US Equity Long/Short for funds under $100m.
Income and credit strategies were also represented. Ridge Capital Northern Yield from Ridge Capital won Nordic High Yield over two and three years, A3E EM High Yield Fund from A3E Capital won Fixed Income Arbitrage – Emerging Markets, and Phorcys Opportunities I from Phorcys Capital Partners was named best US Distressed Debt fund (AUM under $500m) over three years.
Arbitrage and market-neutral winners included Maxam Arbitrage Fund from Maxam Capital Management in Canadian Merger Arbitrage, SinoPac Asia Convertible Bond Fund from SinoPac Asset Management (Asia) in Asian Convertible Arbitrage over five years, Firetrail Absolute Return Fund from Firetrail Investments in Australian Equity Market Neutral, and WVP Emerging Manager Onshore Fund – Arbitrage Series from Worth Venture Partners in the Emerging Managers arbitrage category. River Delta Global Frontier Fund from River Delta Wealth Management and Ferrum Fund Equity Hedge from FERI were recognized in fund-of-hedge-funds categories.
Melanion Capital was the most prominent winner, taking two awards. Melanion Volatility was named the best performing fund in the Multi-Strategy Volatility Arbitrage (Hybrid Systematic/Discretionary) category over seven years, while Melanion Alpha was named the best performing Multi-Asset Class Volatility Arbitrage fund in 2025.
Other equity-focused winners included BlueBay Multi-Strategy Fund from RBC BlueBay Asset Management, which was recognized in Fund of Hedge Funds – Structured Credit over five years; YFS Kernow Equity Navigator Fund from Kernow Asset Management, which won UK Equity Long/Short for 2025 and over two years; and Kopernik Global All-Cap Master Fund from Kopernik Global Investors, which was named best in Global Equity Long/Short (AUM $5-10bn) for 2025 and three years. LAV Public Equity Master Fund from LAV Asset Management (Hong Kong) was recognized in Asia and US Equity Long/Short for funds under $100m.
Income and credit strategies were also represented. Ridge Capital Northern Yield from Ridge Capital won Nordic High Yield over two and three years, A3E EM High Yield Fund from A3E Capital won Fixed Income Arbitrage – Emerging Markets, and Phorcys Opportunities I from Phorcys Capital Partners was named best US Distressed Debt fund (AUM under $500m) over three years.
Arbitrage and market-neutral winners included Maxam Arbitrage Fund from Maxam Capital Management in Canadian Merger Arbitrage, SinoPac Asia Convertible Bond Fund from SinoPac Asset Management (Asia) in Asian Convertible Arbitrage over five years, Firetrail Absolute Return Fund from Firetrail Investments in Australian Equity Market Neutral, and WVP Emerging Manager Onshore Fund – Arbitrage Series from Worth Venture Partners in the Emerging Managers arbitrage category. River Delta Global Frontier Fund from River Delta Wealth Management and Ferrum Fund Equity Hedge from FERI were recognized in fund-of-hedge-funds categories.
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