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FAIRFIELD, Iowa, October 19, 2009– Managed futures gained 0.93% in September according to the Barclay CTA Index compiled by BarclayHedge.
“The Barclay CTA Index edged into positive territory for the year aided by September’s gain,” says Sol Waksman, founder and president of BarclayHedge. “The Index is now up 0.05 percent year-to-date.”
“Investor sentiment remained positive in September and equities extended their rally that began last March.”
“Interest rates continued to decline as the G-20 meeting and pronouncements from the Fed reassured market participants that there were no plans to raise interest rates in the immediate future.”
All of Barclay’s eight managed futures indices gained ground in September. The Diversified Traders Index was up 1.13%, Systematic Traders gained 0.87%, Currency Traders were up 0.60%, and Financial and Metals Traders rose 0.26%.
“The US dollar continued its slide against most major currencies,” says Waksman.
“This downward trend in the greenback helped drive prices for precious metals and crude oil higher, as traders sought markets that could provide some hedge against possible inflation.”
Through September, Agricultural Traders have gained 1.39% and Discretionary Traders are up 0.91%. On the other hand, Diversified Traders have lost 2.68% year-to-date, and Systematic Traders are down 2.21%.
“2009 has been a fairly quiet year for managed futures traders, with the CTA Index just sneaking past zero after nine months,” says Waksman.
“No single strategy has delivered great gains, but no strategy has had major losses either.”
The Barclay BTOP50 Index, which monitors performance of the largest traders, gained 1.44% in September. The BTOP50 is still down 2.01% in 2009.
Click here to view 28 years of Barclay CTA Index data.
Sol Waksman is an experienced media source, providing perspectives on hedge fund and managed futures trends. For quotes, commentary or background, call 641-472-3456 or email swaksman@barclayhedge.com.
BarclayHedge (formerly The Barclay Group) was founded in 1985 and actively tracks more than 6,000 hedge funds, funds of hedge funds, and managed futures programs. Barclay has created and regularly updates 18 proprietary hedge fund indexes and eight managed futures indexes.
Institutional investors, brokerage firms and private banks worldwide utilize BarclayHedge data as performance benchmarks for the hedge fund and managed futures industries.
