What is the main goal of a Market Neutral Hedge Fund Strategy?

The main goal of a Market Neutral Hedge Fund Strategy is to eliminate market risk through strategic positioning. This strategy aims to create a portfolio where the effect of overall market movements is minimized or neutralized. By taking long and short positions in a balanced manner, a market neutral hedge fund can theoretically offset market risks, allowing it to focus on the performance of the individual assets rather than the broader market conditions.

This strategy often employs various techniques, including pairs trading, where the fund may buy an undervalued stock while simultaneously shorting an overvalued one within the same sector, leveraging relative value opportunities while maintaining a market-neutral stance. As a result, this approach allows investors to seek returns that are uncorrelated with the wider market fluctuations, providing a hedge against systemic risk.

The other options present strategies that either involve increasing market exposure or engaging in practices that could add to market risk rather than minimizing it, which is in direct contrast to the essence of a market neutral strategy.