FAIRFIELD, Iowa, June 18, 2013 – Managed futures lost 1.31% in May according to the Barclay CTA Index compiled by BarclayHedge. The Index remains up 0.61% year to date.
“May’s trend reversal in global interest rates coupled with a 12 percent mid-month decline in the Nikkei fueled losses for roughly two-thirds of the CTAs in the BarclayHedge database,” says Sol Waksman, founder and president of BarclayHedge.
Six of Barclay’s eight CTA indices had losses in May. The Diversified Traders Index was down 1.43%, Systematic Traders lost 1.21%, and Financial & Metal Traders gave up 1.02%.
“A stronger USD and reduced demand from China weighed on commodity prices and drove the DJ UBS Commodity Index down 2.2 percent in May,” says Waksman.
Only two Barclay CTA indices had gains in May. The Currency Traders Index was up 0.60% and Agricultural Traders added 0.06% for the month.
“As the USD strengthened against commodity-based and emerging markets currencies, currency traders were provided with ample profit opportunities,” says Waksman.
The Barclay BTOP50 Index, which measures performance of the largest CTAs, lost 1.37% in May.
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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.