[By NBC-1TV H. J Yook]Deutsche Bank today releases its twelfth annual Alternative Investor Survey, which stands as one of the largest and longest standing hedge fund investor surveys available. This year over 400 investor entities participated, representing over $1.8 trillion in hedge fund assets and over two thirds of the entire market by assets under management (AuM).

Barry Bausano, Co-head of Global Prime Finance at Deutsche Bank, said: “Hedge funds continue to establish their growing position within the broader asset management industry, alongside some of the more mainstream asset managers. The hedge fund industry is predicted to reach a record $3 trillion by 2014 year end driven by significant inflows, most notably from institutional investors.”

Anita Nemes, Global Head of the Hedge Fund Capital Group at Deutsche Bank, said: “With the majority of investors happy with hedge fund performance, we expect institutional investors to further strengthen their commitment to hedge funds. Last year’s respondents targeted 9.2% for their hedge fund portfolios, and hedge funds delivered - the weighted average return for respondents’ hedge fund portfolios this year was 9.3%. Looking forward, respondents are targeting 9.4% for 2014.”