FAIRFIELD, Iowa, June 22, 2015 — Managed futures traders lost 0.17% in May according to the Barclay CTA Index compiled by BarclayHedge. The Index is up 1.83% year to date.
“Global interest rates pushed higher and created losses for managers that were positioned for lower rates, particularly in the European and Japanese markets,” says Sol Waksman, founder and president of BarclayHedge.
Four of Barclay’s eight CTA indices lost ground in May. The Diversified Traders Index was down 0.62%, and Systematic Traders gave up 0.42%.
“Most managers continued to profit from the strength of the US Dollar against the Yen, Euro, and Australian Dollar. But some managers, after a six week rally in the Brazilian Real, went long the Real versus the US Dollar just as it dropped more than five percent, taking their portfolios down with it,” says Waksman.
On the positive side, Agricultural Traders gained 0.81% in May, Discretionary Traders and Financial/Metals Traders both added 0.20%, and Currency Traders gained 0.15%.
After five months, the Financial/Metals Traders Index is up 3.26%, Currency Traders have gained 2.89%, Systematic Traders are up 1.23%, Diversified Traders have added 0.72%, and Discretionary Traders are up 0.70%.
The Barclay BTOP50 Index, which measures performance of the largest CTAs, lost 0.71% in May. The BTOP50 is up 1.23% through the end of 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 is the global leader in providing independent, research-based information services to the alternative investment industry. Founded in 1985, Barclay currently maintains data on more than 6,100 hedge funds, fund of funds, and CTAs. No one has been in the business of collecting alternative investment data longer than BarclayHedge.
Institutional investors, brokerage firms, and private banks worldwide utilize BarclayHedge indices as performance benchmarks for the hedge fund and managed futures industries.