Chicago-based HFR Group L.L.C. today announced in a press release the publication in Arabic for the first time of its benchmark Quarterly industry report on the performance and size of the global hedge fund industry.

HFR has long had a strong base of subscriber to the report in the Middle Eastern region but to date, the report has only been available in an English language version.

According to the HedgeCo story, publication of the classic industry report in Arabic reflects the surge in interest amongst Middle Eastern investors in hedge fund strategies and investment opportunities.

The amount of potential Middle Eastern capital, both private wealth and institutional funds, available for investing has been estimated at $4.1 Trillion, making the Arab World one of the most valuable sources of investment capital available in the world today. Hedge funds themselves have also enjoyed notable success in the Middle East region with the HFR Emerging Markets Index (which covers the Middle East, Asia and Latin America) rising by 19.5% in 2006 and an average of 16.4% since the index was first constituted in 1990.