Hedge fund investors pulled $28.2 billion from the industry in the third quarter, the most since the aftermath of the global financial crisis, according to Hedge Fund Research Inc., Bloomberg News reported yesterday. The net outflows, which amount to 0.9 percent of the industry, are the largest since the second quarter of 2009, the firm said yesterday. Investors redeemed $51.5 billion in the first nine months of the year, even as industry assets rose to a record $2.97 trillion, it said. Hedge funds have been under pressure from investors critical of high fees and uninspired performance. The Kentucky Retirement Systems’ investment committee voted Oct. 14 to exit hedge funds over a three-year period. Marc Levine, chairman of the Illinois State Board of Investment, said yesterday that the plan had moved two-thirds of its assets to passive management to reduce fees, causing it to withdraw about $1 billion from hedge funds.
