Managed futures funds were profitable in July as the CTA industry realized a 1.63% monthly gain, according to the Barclay CTA Index, compiled by BarclayHedge, a division of Backstop Solutions. For the year-to-date CTAs were up 2.49% through July.
“A resurgence of the COVID-19 virus and signs of slowing economic activity were not enough to derail a positive outlook based on vaccine hopes and promises of an accommodative monetary policy,” said Sol Waksman, president of BarclayHedge. “Equity prices rose, interest rates and the U.S. dollar declined while gold prices rocketed to new all-time highs.”
All sectors tracked by the Barclay CTA Indices were in the black for July. Leading the way was the Cryptocurrency Traders Index, which gained 38.16% on the month. Other July gainers included the MPI Barclay Elite Systematic Traders Index, up 2.33%, the Diversified Traders Index, returning 2.25%, the Agricultural Traders Index, gaining 1.93%, and the Discretionary Traders Index, up 1.65%.
For the year-to-date, the MPI Barclay Elite Systematic Traders Index was the lone sector in the red, down 3.16% through July.
Nine of the ten Barclay CTA Indices are in positive territory year-to-date. Leading gainers included the Cryptocurrency Traders Index, returning 66.74%, the Agricultural Traders Index, up 8.95%, the Currency Traders Index, up 5.85%, the Discretionary Traders Index, gaining 4.15%, and the Systematic Traders Index, up 3.20%.
The Barclay BTOP50 Index, which tracks the performance of the largest CTAs that are still open for new investment, returned 3.02% in July. For the year-to-date the BTOP50 was up 0.12% through July.
For a complete table of Barclay CTA Index results as well as historical data, click here.
About Backstop Solutions
Backstop’s mission is to help the institutional investment industry use time to its fullest potential. We develop technology to simplify and streamline otherwise time-consuming tasks and processes, enabling our clients to quickly and easily access, share, and manage the knowledge that’s critical to their day-to-day business success. Backstop provides its industry-leading cloud-based productivity suite to investment consultants, pensions, funds of funds, family offices, endowments, foundations, private equity, hedge funds and real estate investment firms.
BarclayHedge, a division of Backstop, currently maintains data on more than 7,100 hedge funds, funds of funds and CTAs. The BarclayHedge Indices are utilized by institutional investors, brokerage firms and private banks worldwide as performance benchmarks for the hedge fund and managed futures industries.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Sol Waksman
BarclayHedge division of Backstop Solutions Group
(641) 472-3456