(Reuters) - The average hedge fund underperformed the wider stock market in 2020 but saw less volatility while stock-picking funds got a lift from technology and stay-at-home shares in a year beset by a pandemic and uncertainty around the U.S. election. Hedge funds, which aim to protect assets in market downturns and have faced criticism for many years for high fees and lacklustre returns, in 2020 showed a divergence in performance. The average hedge fund made 7.3% in the first 11 months of the year.