Managed Futures Gain 2.55% in April; Diversified Traders Advance 3.46%

FAIRFIELD, Iowa, May 17, 2011– Managed futures gained 2.55% in April according to the Barclay CTA Index compiled by BarclayHedge. Year-to-date, the Barclay CTA Index is up 2.07%.

“Investor zeal for risk was demonstrated again in April as prices for equities, non-US currencies, and commodities moved higher,” says Sol Waksman, founder and president of BarclayHedge. “A weakening US dollar and demand from Asia were driving factors.”

All eight of Barclay’s CTA indices made gains in April. The Barclay Diversified Traders Index advanced 3.46%, Systematic Traders added 3.20%, Currency Traders gained 1.64%, and the Agricultural Traders Index was up 1.07%.

“Although the Reuters-CRB Index increased by more than three percent, the gains resulted primarily from outsized price increases in inflation-linked commodities such as precious metals and energy,” says Waksman. “Industrial commodities turned in mixed performance for the month with copper losing three percent.”

The Barclay BTOP50 Index, which measures performance of the largest CTAs, gained 2.21% in April.

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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 6,000 hedge funds, funds of hedge funds, and managed futures programs. Each month Barclay provides updated performance rankings for 38 Hedge Fund categories and 16 CTA categories.

Institutional investors, brokerage firms and private banks worldwide utilize Barclay’s data as performance benchmarks for the hedge fund and managed futures industries.