Market-neutral strategy.
In plain English
A market-neutral strategy sets long and short exposure close to equal, usually measured by beta rather than by dollars, so broad market moves largely cancel out. What remains is the manager's security selection: the longs have to outperform the shorts. Because the market's own return is removed, expected returns are lower than an equity fund's in a rising market, and the strategy often uses borrowed money to make the remaining spread meaningful. It is built as a diversifier, not as a growth engine.
01Why it matters
Neutral means neutral to the market, not free of risk, and the combination of borrowed money and short positions can produce sharp losses when the manager's picks move the wrong way.
02The math, step by step
A fund holds $10 million long and $10 million short. The market falls 8 percent, hurting the longs and helping the shorts. If the longs fall 6 percent and the shorts fall 11 percent, the net is roughly a 5 percent gain before costs.
Illustrative example. The amounts here are hypothetical, chosen to show how the math works, not real quoted rates or figures.
03What this is NOT
Removing market exposure removes one risk and adds others: borrowing costs, forced buy-ins on hard-to-borrow shares, and leverage that magnifies selection errors. A market-neutral fund can lose money in a year the market rises and in a year it falls.
04Receipts
Every figure on this page is sourced to a primary document. Tap to open the original.
Plain-English answers from our glossary. Receipts included. Never advice.
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