FAIRFIELD, Iowa, January 16, 2013 — Managed futures gained 0.52% in December according to the Barclay CTA Index compiled by BarclayHedge. The Index ended the year with a loss of 1.42%.
The Barclay CTA Index was down 3.14% at the end of September. Managed futures performance turned around beginning in October, gaining 1.72% in the last three months of the year.
“Aided by the positive fundamentals driving the on-going recovery of G-7 equity markets, the volatility of rapid risk-on/risk-off transitions diminished in the fourth quarter,” says Sol Waksman, founder and president of BarclayHedge.
“CTAs have been profitable for the past three months, and the improvement in the trading environment was a welcome factor."
Six of the eight Barclay CTA indices enjoyed positive returns in December. The Diversified Traders Index was up 0.58%, Systematic Traders gained 0.48%, Financial & Metals Traders were up 0.41%, and Discretionary Traders added 0.29%.
The Agricultural Traders Index lost 0.15% in December, and Currency Traders were down 0.09%.
“In December, long fixed income positions contributed to losses while long positions in G-7 equity markets and short positions in selected grains and precious metals were profitable,” says Waksman.
This year the largest investable trading advisor programs outperformed the managed futures industry as a whole. The Barclay BTOP50 Index, which measures performance of the largest CTAs, gained 0.79% in December. The BTOP50 was up 0.72% in 2013, in contrast to the 1.42% loss for the Barclay CTA Index.
The Agricultural Traders Index was the strongest performer in 2013, gaining 2.89% for the year. Currency Traders were up 0.94%, and Financial & Metals Traders gained 0.41%.
The Diversified Traders Index lost 2.86% in 2013, Systematic Traders were down 1.13%, and Discretionary Traders slipped 0.10%.
Click here to view 33 years of Barclay CTA Index data.
Sol Waksman is an experienced media source, providing perspectives on hedge fund and managed futures trends. For more commentary or background, call 641-472-3456 or email swaksman@barclayhedge.com.
BarclayHedge was founded in 1985 and actively tracks more than 6,200 hedge funds, funds of hedge funds, and managed futures programs. Each month Barclay provides updated performance rankings for 38 Hedge Fund categories, 16 CTA categories, and 7 UCITS categories.
Institutional investors, brokerage firms, and private banks worldwide utilize BarclayHedge indices as performance benchmarks for the hedge fund and managed futures industries.