Man Group shares surge to 16-year high after strong results (updated)

Man

28/07/2026 07:58

Updates headline, recasts with share move, adds detail throughout
By Nell Mackenzie
LONDON, July 28 (Reuters) - Hedge fund manager Man Group EMG.L shares jumped 5.1% to their highest since 2010 in early London trade after the company posted a better than expected 11% half-yearly rise in assets under management (AUMs). 
     Firmwide AUMs reached a record $253.6 billion as of June 30, beating analyst expectations, amid market volatility fanned by the on-off conflict between the U.S., Israel and Iran -- increasing the appeal of hedge funds engineered to make money in more unpredictable environments. 
The London-listed company, which makes money from management fees, posted a six-month core net management fee profit of $186 million before taxes and after costs, up around 40% from $130 million in June 2025. 
New client money soared in the first half of the year, with inflows of $7.1 billion -- beating Jefferies analyst expectations of $1.3 billion of net inflows. 
Investor interest in Man Group's "long only" funds which solely bet on rising assets amid volatile equity and credit markets came down to picking quality investments that would perform well despite broader market behaviour, Antoine Forterre, chief financial officer and chief operating officer told Reuters. 
"In an environment where people might be worried about volatility they still need to be invested because that is their mandate so they look for partners who can provide high-quality returns," Forterre said.
The hedge fund's long-only strategies, including its long-only credit funds, saw the bulk of this new client money. 
The strong first half was the fruits of change at Man Group, CEO Robyn Grew said in a statement, adding that the inflows and record AUMs were the "direct result of deliberate, multi-year investments in the diversification of our business."
Global hedge funds have delivered their strongest first-half performance since 2013, data from hedge fund data firm PivotalPath showed, as healthcare, tech and energy trades lifted returns in volatile markets.
In particular, in April -- when hedge funds returned 3.7% in one month -- proved to be the strongest April on record, according to PivotalPath.
     

 (Reporting by Nell Mackenzie; Editing by Dhara Ranasinghe and David Holmes)
 ((Nell.Mackenzie@thomsonreuters.com;;))