The long-short strategy - the top performer - returned 3.2 percent in the first quarter on an asset-weighted basis New York: Equity hedge funds are getting a pick-me-up after a harsh 2016, when they suffered almost a third of the industry’s withdrawals, amid a global stock rally.The long-short strategy — the top performer — returned 3.2 per cent in the first quarter on an asset-weighted basis, marking the best start to a year since 2013, according to Hedge Fund Research Inc. Emerging markets had some of the most robust gains, with an average 5.5 per cent return led by wagers...