Millennium Management LLC has reportedly suffered a loss of approximately $900 million this year. The loss is attributed to the ongoing volatility in the global stock market, which has adversely impacted its index rebalancing strategy.

What Happened: The losses were sustained by two teams within Millennium, both of which focus on index rebalancing. The larger team, known as SRBL, is led by Glen Scheinberg, while the other team operates under the leadership of Dubai-based Pratik Madhvani.

Index rebalancing is a strategy that involves wagering on companies that are either entering or exiting various stock indexes.

While this approach can yield substantial profits for large multimanager hedge funds like Millennium, it can also result in significant losses, particularly in times of market instability and overcrowded trades.

Jeremy Ma, a senior portfolio manager based in Hong Kong who specializes in index-rebalancing trades, has reportedly parted ways with Millennium, reports Bloomberg.

Despite the losses, the firm, which manages around $75 billion, was down less than 1% this year through February.

Why It Matters: Index rebalancing has a history of generating disappointing returns, as was the case in 2022. Over the years, the number of firms implementing this strategy has grown.

However, the deteriorating returns have led some traders to abandon this approach.

The recent losses incurred by Millennium Management highlight the risks associated with index rebalancing, particularly during periods of market volatility.