Man Group shares cimb as record AUM fuels strong results

Shares in hedge fund manager Man Group jumped 5.1% in early London trading.

The stock reached its highest level since 2010 after the company reported a stronger-than-expected rise in assets under management.

The London-listed firm said its firmwide AUM reached a record $253.6 billion as of June 30.

The figure marked an 11% increase for the first half of the year and exceeded analyst expectations.

The rise in assets came during a period of increased market volatility.

The volatility was fuelled by the on-off conflict involving the US, Israel and Iran.

Such market conditions increased the appeal of hedge funds designed to generate returns in less predictable environments.

Man Group earns revenue through management fees.

The company reported a core net management fee profit of $186 million.

This was before taxes and after costs.

The figure was around 40% higher than the $130 million reported in June 2025.

Client inflows beat analyst expectations

New client money also increased sharply during the first half of the year.

Man Group recorded inflows of $7.1 billion during the period.

The figure was significantly higher than the $1.3 billion in net inflows expected by Jefferies analysts.

The strong inflows reflected increased investor interest across the company's strategies.

The bulk of the new client money went into Man Group's long-only strategies.

These include long-only credit funds.

Long-only funds generally focus on investments expected to rise in value.

The increased interest came as investors navigated volatile equity and credit markets.

Antoine Forterre, Man Group's chief financial officer and chief operating officer, told Reuters that investors remained focused on finding high-quality investment opportunities despite concerns about volatility.

"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.

His comments highlighted the continued demand for investment managers capable of delivering returns while investors remain exposed to broader market uncertainty.

Diversification supports growth

Man Group CEO Robyn Grew attributed the company's strong first-half performance to changes made over several years.

In a statement, Grew said the company's strong inflows and record AUM were the "direct result ⁠of deliberate, ⁠multi-year investments in the diversification of our business."

The comments suggest that Man Group's recent performance has been supported by efforts to broaden its business.

The company has continued to attract client money across different investment strategies.

The strong inflows also contributed to the increase in assets under management.

The record AUM figure represents a significant milestone for the company and helped support the rise in its share price during early London trading.

Hedge Funds benefit from volatile markets

The wider hedge fund industry also recorded strong performance during the first half of the year.

Data from hedge fund data firm PivotalPath showed that global hedge funds delivered their strongest first-half performance since 2013. Healthcare, technology and energy trades contributed to returns during the period.

April was particularly strong for the industry.

Hedge funds returned 3.7% during the month, according to PivotalPath.

The firm said April was the strongest April on record for hedge fund performance.

The broader industry performance came as markets experienced periods of heightened volatility.

This environment supported demand for investment strategies designed to navigate changing market conditions.

For Man Group, the combination of record AUM, strong client inflows and higher core net management fee profit marked a strong first half.

The company's long-only strategies attracted much of the new client money, while management highlighted its multi-year diversification efforts as a key factor behind the results.