Things Just Keep Getting Worse for Hedge Funds as Long Bets Sour

  • A selloff in favored stocks comes after short-squeeze losses
  • It’s a rare blunder for an industry known for picking winners
Lock
This article is for subscribers only.

In a year when mutual-fund stock pickers are shining, their hedge-fund counterparts are bleeding.

After being burned during January’s retail-driven short squeeze in stocks such as GameStop Corp., now hedge funds are feeling the pain on the long side as well. A basket of the 50 most-popular stocks has fallen this month, while a group of the 50 most-crowded shorts gained, dealing a double blow to performance, client data compiled by Morgan Stanley’s prime brokerage unit show.