We half-jokingly asked in our Managed Futures/Global Macro 2019 Outlook, “Is this asset class working for you?” following a year in which managed futures didn’t deliver the crisis period performance they’ve become known for. But a recent piece in the hedge fund journal shows it wasn’t just trend following type CTAs that under performed in […]
Category: Alternative Investments
01
Apr
2019
Q1 Asset Class Scoreboard
Bounce. Bounce. 2019 continued to be the year of the bounce – with everyone now in on the act once managed futures finally decided to get in the game with its largest gains since January of 2018. Add it all up and you have everyone solidly in the black in what has become quite the […]
27
Mar
2019
Semi-Annual Managed Futures Rankings (Updated March 2019)
Now that the 1st two rounds of March Madness are out of the way, we’re ready to share our Semi-Annual Managed Futures Rankings. We’ve been analyzing and testing a rankings system that would best reflect what we believe to be the important metrics for measuring skill in this investment space for the better part of […]
20
Mar
2019
March Madness Shows Just How Little We Understand Probabilities
March madness is baaaaacccckkk. And so is FiveThiryEight and others like them running boatloads of statistical analysis to arrive at probabilities for each team advancing through each round. Duke with a 91% chance to reach the Sweet 16 and 52% chance to reach the Final Four. Sign me up, those are some pretty good […]
14
Mar
2019
Here’s how 33 markets performed since the 2009 low
For long-time CNBC watchers, you no doubt remember the now deceased Mark Haynes saying 10 years ago, on the morning of March 10th 2009, that it felt like a bottom and that he thought this rally had legs. It didn’t hurt that the S&P 500 put in a devilish low of 666 the day before. […]
04
Mar
2019
Asset Class Scoreboard: February 2019
We’re trying not to be too optimistic here, but we’re feeling pretty good about how Feb ended up. The dead cat bounce that was January has turned into the mirror image of 2018 – with all asset classes now sitting positive on the year after all finished in the red in 2018. Compared to the […]
28
Feb
2019
Decoding: Myths in Alternative Investments
We love this quote by Blackrock, “A lot of misunderstanding surrounds alternative investments. Some investors still think of them as high-risk, exotic funds reserved for ultra-high-net-worth individuals and institutions. However, the reality is that alternatives had a place in nearly every portfolio.” There’s a certain cloud of “unknown” that shrouds alternative investments, perpetrated by the […]
15
Feb
2019
A review of 2018 predictions, and a look into 2019
We’re out with our annual Managed Futures/Global Macro Outlook, reviewing what went down on a macro level in 2018, while peering into what the market environment may look like for this asset class in 2019. For a sneak peek, check out our attempt at boiling down the last 10 years of experience in the asset class […]
11
Feb
2019
John Cummings talks Context, AI, and Portfolios
We felt a little guilty being down in Miami at the beginning of the month while Chicago was clocking in at -20 degrees, but the MFA and Context conferences down there each year are the places to be for a group like ours given our roles as allocators, cap intro partner for managers, and as […]
07
Feb
2019
Asset Class Scoreboard: January 2019
Wow! That was a bounce. In the words of Mr. Castanza “I’m back…baby!“. Or if you want something a bit more modern….”Chewie…we’re home!”. Either way, investors rushed to remember what a positive month looks like after basically every asset class was down in 2018, with stocks flirting with a rare double digit gain while real […]
