Man Group's assets under management hit record $270.9 billion, volatility drives inflows

LONDON, Oct 16 (Reuters) - Hedge fund Man Group shares rose 3% on Friday after reporting its assets under management hit a record $270.9 billion at the end of September, beating expectations and marking a rise of 6.8% from three months earlier, as volatile markets drove inflows. 

• AUM at London-listed Man Group, which makes money from management fees, rose 26% year on year, and were above the company compiled consensus of $263 billion, according to Citi.

• Investors added $10.1 billion to Man Group's funds in the quarter, above expectations, $1.9 billion to its alternative funds, and $8.2 billion to its long only funds.

• $5.9 billion of the AUM increase was made up of investment performance.

• "We see Man as a key beneficiary of a more volatile market environment and growing investor demand for liquid (alternatives)," said Citi, who described the results as strong.

• The third quarter was volatile for global markets, as oil pushed back above $100 a barrel on Iran war jitters. September saw a dramatic government bond selloff, as investors processed a growing government debt burden, inflation fanned by high energy costs and competition for capital from a global data-centre boom.

• Investor attitudes towards the tech sector also waxed and waned in the quarter as they tried to assess the implications of companies' huge spending on AI for both buyers of chips and those that sell them.

(Reporting by Alun John, editing by Amanda Cooper)