Deutsche Bank Global Prime Finance (DB) has released the results of its 15th annual Alternative Investment Survey. The study is compiled from the responses of 460 global allocators representing nearly $2 trillion in hedge fund assets. This article, the first in a two-part series, covers the portions of the study concerning trends in asset flows, including impediments and preferences among allocators. The second article will detail the survey’s results concerning hedge fund fees and fee negotiations, as well as investor allocation preferences. For coverage of previous editions of DB’s annual survey, see our two-part coverage of the 2016 Survey: Part One (Mar. 17, 2016); and Part Two (Mar. 24, 2016); our two-part coverage of the 2015 Survey: Part One (May 21, 2015); and Part Two (Jun. 4, 2015); and our coverage of the 2013 Survey: “Deutsche Bank Survey Describes the Contours of the Nontraditional Hedge Fund Product Market: Investor Appetite, Performance, Marketing, Fees and More” (Jan. 23, 2014).