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FAIRFIELD, Iowa, July 17, 2007– Managed futures gained 1.66% in June, according to the Barclay CTA Index. The Index is up 2.26% through June 2007.
“Managed futures rose for the third consecutive month, reversing losses during the first quarter of 2007,” says Sol Waksman, founder and president of The Barclay Group.
“Although the Dollar continued to be weak against most currencies, it gained strength against the Yen based on BOJ indications that interest rates would remain steady, providing profitable trading opportunities for many CTAs.”
All of Barclay’s eight CTA indexes were up in June. The Agricultural Index gained 2.27%, Diversified Traders was up 1.93%, Systematic Traders rose 1.77%, and the Financial and Metals Traders Index gained 1.24%.
“Bond traders were able to profit as weakness in the sub-prime market drove U.S. bond prices down for much of the month," says Waksman.
Barclay's CTA indexes reflect modest gains for all strategies after the first six months of 2007. The Diversified Traders Index is up 3.17%, Systematic Traders rose 2.91%, and Financial/Metal Traders have gained 2.08%.
“Long energy positions earned profits resulting from a rally in crude oil prices based on low gasoline stocks in the U.S. and concerns over Nigeria,” says Waksman.
“The USDA planting report rallied prices for wheat and soybeans, but drove corn prices lower.”
Larger CTAs have outperformed smaller players over the first two quarters of 2007. The Barclay BTOP50 Index, which monitors the largest CTAs, rose 1.50% in June, and is now up 6.22% for the year.
Click here to view 27 years of Barclay CTA Index data.
View 21 years of monthly returns for the Barclay BTOP50 Index.
Sol Waksman is an experienced media source, providing perspectives on hedge fund and managed futures trends.
Call 641-472-3456 or email sol@barclaygrp.com for more commentary or background.
The Barclay Group, founded in 1985, actively tracks more than 6,300 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 Barclay’s indexes as performance benchmarks for the hedge fund and managed futures industries.
