FAIRFIELD, IOWA SEPTEMBER 13, 2022

The managed futures industry returned to a monthly gain in August, advancing +0.48%, according to the Barclay CTA Index, compiled by BarclayHedge, a division of Backstop Solutions. The CTA industry has now posted gains in seven of the last nine months.

CTAs also added to their year-to-date gains, returning +7.94% through August.

Most managed futures subsectors were in positive territory for August. The month’s gainers were headed up by the MPI Barclay Elite Systematic Traders Index, which booked gains of +2.86%. The Systematic Traders Index and Diversified Traders Index were next up, celebrating returns of +0.75% and +0.74% respectively. Not far behind, the Currency Traders Index banked +0.69% for August. The Discretionary Traders Index was essentially flat on the month, eking out a three basis-point positive return.

Lean times continued for Digital Assets traders, as the Cryptocurrency Traders Index lost another -7.31% in August. Among the more traditional corners of the CTA industry, only the Agricultural Traders Index and the Financials & Metal Traders Index booked losses in August, and they were modest losses at that: -0.50% and -0.17%, respectively.

Remarkably, all of the traditional CTA subsectors have managed to make money thus far in 2022. The MPI Barclay Elite Systematic Traders Index has fared best, enjoying combined returns of +17.58% through August 2022. The Diversified Traders Index has done next best, sitting comfortably above water with a +11.59% result. The segment containing all systematic traders, the BarclayHedge Systematic Traders Index, is up +9.03% and the Discretionary Traders Index is right on its heels with +8.82%. The Currency Traders Index enjoyed a historically strong start to 2022 and is sitting on a gain of +6.31% two months into the second half. Elsewhere, the Financials & Metal Traders Index is ahead +1.35% and the Agricultural Traders Index is up nearly a percent with a return of +0.98%.

The lone CTA subsector losing ground for the year to date remained the Cryptocurrency Traders Index, which is in the hole -36.49%.

“Managed futures regained their footing in August. Trend followers enjoyed some success while currency markets offered return opportunities as well,” remarked Ben Crawford, Head of Research at BarclayHedge. “CTAs and Managed Futures vehicles continue to shine in 2022 relative to broad swaths of the investing universe. Each subsector (excepting Crypto) has been profitable and the elite traders among them have consistently achieved gains of between 1.75% and 2.20% per month, on average.”

The Barclay BTOP50 Index, which tracks the performance of the largest CTAs open for new investment, was up +1.73% in August and has gained +14.14% year-to-date.

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 6,900 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: 

Malea Lydon
BackBay Communications
PR@backstopsolutions.com