Barclay CTA Index Gaines 2.62% in November; Long-Term Traders Profit from Current Trends

FAIRFIELD, Iowa, December 17, 2014 — Managed futures gained 2.62% in November according to the Barclay CTA Index compiled by BarclayHedge. The Index is now up 6.63% for the year.

“November was an excellent month for trend-followers,” says Sol Waksman, founder and president of BarclayHedge. “Equity markets, bonds, and the US Dollar all continued to strengthen, while commodity prices continued to decline."

Seven of Barclay’s eight CTA indices gained ground in November. The Diversified Traders Index was up 3.45%, Systematic Traders gained 3.34%, Financial & Metal Traders were up 1.80%, and Currency Traders gained 1.09%.

“Crude oil, which has been trending down since mid-June, dropped 18 percent in November,” say Waksman.

The Barclay BTOP50 Index, which measures performance of the largest CTAs, jumped 5.19% in November, and is now up 11.31% in 2014.

“Many of the largest firms have incorporated longer-term time horizons into the trade selection process,” says Waksman. “These firms were particularly well-positioned to profit from the ongoing trends over the past four months.”

Year to date, all of Barclay’s eight CTA indices are in positive territory. The Diversified Traders Index is up 8.99%, Systematic Traders have gained 8.76%, Agricultural Traders are up 3.01%, Currency Traders have gained 2.15%, and Financial & Metal Traders are up 2.14%.

Click here to view 35 years of Barclay CTA Index data.

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.