Managed futures funds produced a third straight positive month in April returning 1.43%, according to the Barclay CTA Index, compiled by BarclayHedge, a division of Backstop Solutions. For the year to date, CTAs returned 3.80% through April.

“Strong performance in commodity and equity markets were enough to overcome losses in currency and fixed income sectors,” said Sol Waksman, president of BarclayHedge.

All but one of the sectors tracked in the Barclay CTA Indices were in the black for March. The Cryptocurrency Traders Index set the pace gaining 9.75%, while the MPI Barclay Elite Systematic Traders Index returned 2.64% and the Discretionary Traders Index advanced 2.28%. Other gainers included the Diversified Traders Index, up 2.24% for the month, and the Systematic Traders Index with a 1.42% return.

The lone CTA sector losing ground in April was the Currency Traders Index, down 0.44%. “The Japanese yen reversed its downward trend against the U.S. dollar in early April and traders on the wrong side of the market paid the price,” said Waksman.

For the year to date, the Cryptocurrency Traders Index gained 121.65% through April, the Diversified Traders Index returned 6.05%, the MPI Barclay Elite Systematic Traders Index was up 5.65%, the Discretionary Traders Index advanced 4.97% and the Agricultural Traders Index gained 3.88%.

Again, the Currency Traders Index was the lone sector in the red for the year to date, down 0.58%.

The Barclay BTOP50 Index, which tracks the performance of the largest CTAs that are open for new investment, advanced 2.84% in April. For the year to date, the BTOP50 was up 5.58%.

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