Credit Suisse Announces the Launch of Three New Liquid Alternative Beta (LAB) Indices Designed to Track the Performance of Hedge Funds

NEW YORK, March 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Credit Suisse announced today that it has launched three new indices on their Liquid Alternative Beta ("LAB") platform in its Asset Management business. The indices are designed to replicate the performance of major hedge fund strategies as well as the overall hedge fund universe.

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LAB is a series of indices that seek to replicate the aggregate return profiles of alternative investment strategies using liquid, tradable instruments that are selected and weighted using an objective and transparent rules-based methodology. An algorithm determines the appropriate factors and weightings employed in seeking to replicate the returns of specific hedge fund strategies.

The three new indices, which are the Liquid Alternative Beta Index, the Event Driven Liquid Index and the Merger Arbitrage Liquid Index, join the existing LAB Global Macro and Long/Short Liquid Indices to provide insight into the performance of the overall hedge fund industry as well as the largest and most popular hedge fund sectors in the current market environment.

Dr. Jordan Drachman, Head of Research for Credit Suisse Alternative Beta Strategies within Asset Management, said "There has been a resurgence of interest in the hedge fund space following the industry's performance last year when hedge funds produced their highest returns in a decade. However, investors today are seeking more liquid, transparent and cost effective solutions for gaining access to the asset class."

Drachman continued, "In the wake of current investor sentiment, liquid alternative beta strategies are gaining in popularity due to their ability to provide risk/return characteristics similar to those of hedge funds. These strategies can provide portfolio diversification benefits and can also be used as a transition management tool, a hedging tool or as a liquidity buffer for institutional investors and fund of hedge funds."

About Liquid Alternative Beta ("LAB") Indices

Performance for the LAB indices is calculated daily. Performance, descriptions, statistics and downloadable price history can be found on the Credit Suisse Alternative Beta website, www.credit-suisse.com/alternativebeta or on Bloomberg at < ILAB >.  

The LAB family of indices includes five separate indices which are valued daily and returns listed on Bloomberg:

1. The Liquid Alternative Beta Index (the "LAB Broad Index") seeks to reflect the return of the overall hedge fund industry as represented by the Credit Suisse/Tremont Hedge Fund Index. Bloomberg ticker, CSLAB;
2. The Long/Short Liquid Index seeks to reflect the return of hedge funds as represented by the Long/Short Equity sector of the Credit Suisse/Tremont Hedge Fund Index, Bloomberg ticker, CSLABLS;
3. The Global Macro Liquid Index seeks to reflect the return of hedge funds as represented by the Global Macro sector of the Credit Suisse/Tremont Hedge Fund Index, Bloomberg ticker, CSLABGM;
4. The Event Driven Liquid Index seeks to reflect the return of hedge funds as represented by the Event Driven sector of the Credit Suisse/Tremont Hedge Fund Index, Bloomberg ticker, CSLABED and
5. The Credit Suisse Merger Arbitrage Liquid Index aims to gain broad exposure to the Merger Arbitrage strategy using a pre-defined quantitative methodology to invest in a liquid, diversified and broadly representative set of announced merger deals, Bloomberg ticker, CSLABMA.

Credit Suisse Alternative Capital, Inc. is a subsidiary of Credit Suisse and is headquartered at 11 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10010-3629.

Credit Suisse

As one of the world's leading banks, Credit Suisse provides its clients with investment banking, private banking and asset management services worldwide. Credit Suisse offers advisory services, comprehensive solutions and innovative products to companies, institutional clients and high-net-worth private clients globally, as well as retail clients in Switzerland. Credit Suisse is active in over 50 countries and employs approximately 48,000 people. Credit Suisse's parent company, Credit Suisse Group, is a leading global financial services company headquartered in Zurich. Credit Suisse Group's registered shares (CSGN) are listed in Switzerland and, in the form of American Depositary Shares (CS), in New York. Further information about Credit Suisse can be found at www.credit-suisse.com.

In its Asset Management business, Credit Suisse offers products across the full spectrum of investment classes and multiple-asset class products. Credit Suisse's Asset Management business manages assets for a broad spectrum of clients ranging from governments, institutions and corporations to private individuals. With offices focused on asset management in 23 countries, Credit Suisse's Asset Management business is operated as a globally integrated network to deliver the bank's best investment ideas and capabilities to clients around the world.

The Asset Management business of Credit Suisse is comprised of a number of legal entities around the world that are subject to distinct regulatory requirements; certain asset management products and services may not be available in all jurisdictions or to all client types.

Certain statements in this Press Release constitute "forward looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.  Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the companies to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward looking statements. The Companies assume no obligation to update these forward looking statements to reflect actual results, changes in assumption or changes in other factors affecting such forward looking statements.

The above should not be viewed as a current or past recommendation or a solicitation of an offer to buy or sell any securities or investment products or to adopt any investment strategy. This material is for informational purposes only and is intended solely for the information of those to whom it is distributed by Credit Suisse AG. This material is not research and is not suitable for any investment purpose.  The market opinions and analyses may not reflect those of Credit Suisse Group AG as a whole and different views may be expressed based on different investment styles, objectives, views or philosophies of the participants. To the extent that these materials contain statements about future performance, such statements are forward looking and subject to a number of risks and uncertainties. All opinions and views about to be expressed are subject to change at any time.

SOURCE Credit Suisse AG