FAIRFIELD, Iowa, July 21, 2014 — Managed futures gained 0.63% in June according to the Barclay CTA Index compiled by BarclayHedge. The Index is now up 0.65% at mid-year.
“The US Federal Reserve and Bank of England announced that interest rates will be rising soon, while the European Central Bank reaffirmed its commitment to low interest rates, creating cross-currents in equity, fixed income, and currency markets,” says Sol Waksman, founder and president of BarclayHedge.
“Approximately two-thirds of CTAs were still able to successfully navigate their way to a profitable month.”
Seven of Barclay’s eight CTA indices had gains in June. The Agricultural Traders Index was up 1.30%, Diversified Traders gained 0.82%, Systematic Traders were up 0.81%, Financial & Metals Traders gained 0.35%, and Discretionary Traders added 0.20%.
“CTAs, on balance, were also able to squeeze out profits from divergent trends in the commodity markets. Crude oil prices increased as instability in the Middle East made the headlines, while prices for wheat and corn were sharply lower due to favorable growing conditions in the US,” says Waksman.
The Barclay BTOP50 Index, which measures performance of the largest CTAs, gained 0.15% in June.
Agricultural Traders have returned 1.61% in 2014, the Systematic Traders Index is up 0.90%, Diversified Traders have gained 0.72%, and Discretionary Traders are up 0.35%.
On the losing side, Currency Traders are down 2.05% for the year, and Financial & Metals Traders have lost 0.70%.
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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.