Just days after the stock market hit its March 2009 bottom, IndexIQ, a tiny index provider, launched its first exchange-traded fund, the IQ Hedge Multi-Strategy Tracker ETF (NYSE Arca: QAI). As far as attracting investors, the timing proved inauspicious. Most investors were shellshocked after witnessing the stock market plummet more than 50 percent in 18 months. However, inside the ETF industry, the fund’s hedge fund replication strategy drew much interest. In April, the ETF won Most Innovative ETF and its eponymous index won Most Innovative Index at the 9th Annual Closed-End Funds & Global ETFs Forum, the first time a single firm won awards in both categories.