Black Swans, Gray Rhinos, and Tigers..Oh My with Michele Wucker
The financial world seems to have a fascination with zoomorphism – the attribution of animal names, emotions, or intentions to non- animal occurrences like market shocks. Black Swans are the famous one, but there’s also been White Moose and Gray Rhino added to the lexicon. And in this episode of The Derivative, we’re focusing on […]
The Great Tail Risk Debate
In case you missed it this weekend, there was a big debate/mudslinging argument going on between alternative investing titans Nassim Taleb and Cliff Asness on Twitter over the long weekend. The quick summary was Asness of AQR fame essentially saying Tail Risk funds such as Taleb’s are dumb, and while work every now and then, […]
Tagging a Value to Pro Sports Teams with Bob Reif and Josh Mascot of TAG
70 days since the first sports cancellation – seems unbelievable, right? When the closest you’ve gotten to the live sports you’re used to is marble racing and anxiously waiting for Sunday night’s circa 2000’s for The Last Dance, you know it’s real. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected us all in more ways than one, and […]
Chinese Commodity Carnage
With everything from Lean Hogs (-20%) to Sugar (-21%) to WTI Crude Oil (-45%) being taken to the proverbial woodshed so far in 2020, you’d be excused for thinking US traded futures are the only game in town in terms of volatility and sell offs. But there’s a few billion people over in China who […]
PFGNextBest: More Money Released
While most of us in the futures industry would like to forget the Peregrine Financial Group (PFG) story, we believe it pays to remember past mistakes so they don’t happen again in the future. As a reminder, the PFG story was that of one Russel Wassendorf Sr. and his becoming known as the “Madoff of […]
Disclaimers
Managed futures, commodity trading, forex trading, and other alternative investments are complex and carry a risk of substantial losses. As such, they are not suitable for all investors. You should not rely on any of the information as a substitute for the exercise of your own skill and judgment in making such a decision on the appropriateness of such investments.
The entries on this blog are intended to further subscribers understanding, education, and – at times – enjoyment of the world of alternative investments. Unless distinctly noted otherwise, the data and graphs included herein are intended to be mere examples and exhibits of the topic discussed, are for educational and illustrative purposes only, and do not represent trading in actual accounts. Opinions expressed are that of the author.
The mention of specific asset class performance (i.e. +3.2%, -4.6%) is based on the noted source index (i.e. Newedge CTA Index, S&P 500 Index, etc.), and investors should take care to understand that any index performance is for the constituents of that index only, and does not represent the entire universe of possible investments within that asset class. And further, that there can be limitations and biases to indices such as survivorship, self reporting, and instant history.
The performance data for various Commodity Trading Advisor (“CTA”) and Commodity Pools are compiled from various sources, including Barclay Hedge, RCM’s own estimates of performance based on account managed by advisors on its books, and reports directly from the advisors. These performance figures should not be relied on independent of the individual advisor’s disclosure document, which has important information regarding the method of calculation used, whether or not the performance includes proprietary results, and other important footnotes on the advisor’s track record.
The mention of general asset class performance (i.e. managed futures did well, stocks were down, bonds were up) is based on RCM’s direct experience in those asset classes, estimates of performance of dozens of CTAs followed by RCM, and averaging of various indices designed to track said asset classes.
The mention of market based performance (i.e. Corn was up 5% today) reflects all available information as of the time and date of the publication.
The owner of this blog, RCM Alternatives, may receive various forms of compensation from certain investment managers highlighted and/or mentioned within the blog, including but not limited to retaining: a portion of trade commissions, a portion of the fees charged to investors by the investment managers, a portion of the fees for operating a fund for the investment managers via affiliate Attain Portfolio Advisors, or via direct payment for marketing services.
Managed Futures Disclaimer:
Past Performance is Not Necessarily Indicative of Future Results. The regulations of the CFTC require that prospective clients of a managed futures program (CTA) receive a disclosure document when they are solicited to enter into an agreement whereby the CTA will direct or guide the client’s commodity interest trading and that certain risk factors be highlighted. The disclosure document contains a complete description of the principal risk factors and each fee to be charged to your account by the CTA.
See the full terms of use and risk disclaimer here.
