Hedge Funds gained 0.49 per cent in April according to the Barclay Hedge Fund Index compiled by BarclayHedge, versus a 0.38 per cent gain in the S&P 500 Total Return Index. Year to date, the Barclay Index remains up 0.30 per cent, while the S&P has lost 0.38 per cent. “Increasing tension in the middle east and White House displeasure with the Iran nuclear deal provided a lift to share prices of energy companies,” says Sol Waksman (pictured), founder and president of BarclayHedge. Overall, 13 of Barclay’s 17 hedge fund indices had gains in April.