Hedge funds outperform equities in May

Hedge fund returns fell last month after four straight months of positive results to start the year, but managed to outperform the broader U.S. stock market — posting much slimmer losses.

Be smart: The data from market research firm eVestment found nearly all hedge fund categories outperformed the S&P 500 in May. Equity strategies had the worst performance among primary markets hedge funds, but still outpaced the S&P by more than 400 basis points, with quantitative directional strategies delivering overall positive returns for clients during the month.

The big picture: Hedge funds have seen significant redemptions and declining popularity as they have dragged well behind the overall market's returns for more than a decade. Year-to-date, hedge funds still trail the S&P, but May's stock market swoon showed hedge funds remain a solid alternative for investors to offset risk and may help redeem the industry.

Reality check: Hedge funds were comparable to a benchmark fund of 50% global stocks and 50% global bonds in reducing losses during the month, measured by the mix of MSCI's all-world stock index and Citi's world government bond index.

• Investment in such strategies is also generally significantly less expensive than hedge funds.

Go deeper: The hedge fund moment is over