Hedge Funds Increase Bets on Equities

Hedge funds continued to ramp up their bets on equities in the third quarter. And they’re doing it with more risk and more leverage, according to new research from the Bank of America/Merrill Lynch.

The industry’s gross equity exposure rose 14% last quarter, and net exposure soared 130%. Average leverage, meanwhile, reached 1.2x, near their levels from the second quarter of last year.

Hedge funds are betting more on large-caps than on small- or mid-cap names, according to the quarterly hedge fund report from BofA/Merrill Lynch. The industry poured money into technology and financial companies while fleeing industrials; health-care also remains a popular destination.

Bofa Merrill Lynch Quarterly Hedge Fund Report