While the East Coast was just waking up from a long nights slumber and the West Coast was still dreaming of Oscar nominations, the supposedly neutral Swiss detonated the biggest bomb the financial markets have seen in quite some time, depegging from the Euro.
Category: Managed Futures
15
Jan
2015
14
Jan
2015
Alternative Links: Record Volume and Performance
“CTAs are computer driven hedge funds, also known as managed futures funds, that use algorithms designed to take advantage of trends in global markets.” Commodity Trading Advisors (CTAs) End Three-Year Losing Streak – (The Wall Street Journal) How To Educate Your Clients on Managed Futures – (Top Traders Unplugged) Managed futures as an anti-fragile strategy – […]
13
Jan
2015
2014 Commodity Exposure: Futures vs ETFs
Throughout the year, we track a simple strategy of buying the 12 month out Futures contract against the commodity ETFs that supposedly track those very same futures, to see just how the performance lines up; knowing that ETFs typically are the ones that underperform because of the contract roll. For more on how this looks long term, see our recent deeper look into the $USO Oil ETF.
12
Jan
2015
2014 – Best/Worst Performing Asset Classes
What “sport” has 1000s of teams, no rules, gets played night and day across the world with a scoreboard updated minute by minute, day by day, year by year, and decade by decade. It’s none other than the “game” of investing, where a new year is a great time to see where different assets finished in relation to each other.
09
Jan
2015
Attain Funds 2014 Performance
What a first year for the Attain Family of Alternative Funds, with three of four funds hitting all time highs to close the year.
08
Jan
2015
Managed Futures Post Best Yearly Performance since 2008
That’s right, the wait is finally over. After losses in four of the past five years, managed futures finally shook off the rust and posted strong gains in 2014. Strong enough gains, it turns out – to erase the aforementioned losses and push most managed futures indices to new all time highs. If only someone had been saying managed futures was a great buying opportunity back at the end of 2013.
07
Jan
2015
Alternative Links: Crude Cruder Crudiest Edition
“Barclays estimates US oil ETFs attracted $600m of new investment in December as investors bet on a recovery in prices. To put that number in perspective, it is equivalent to 25 per cent of the total AUM in global energy ETFs at the end of November.” Commodity price falls trigger big drop in assets – […]
06
Jan
2015
How to Play a Bounce in Oil (Hint: Not $USO)
It’s the first (real) week back from holiday break, but the story is the same as it was before Christmas, and before Thanksgiving for that matter…. Crude Oil continues to fall like a lead oil filled balloon, falling below the $50 mark on Monday for the first time since 2009. It’s even gotten to the point of family and friends asking where we think Crude Oil will bottom at parties and dinners, getting our contrarian antennas perked up.
05
Jan
2015
Managed Futures 2014 Strategy Review
What a difference a year makes… After three lackluster years of investors treading water with Managed Futures – 2014 finally saw some of the outlier moves needed for the asset class to thrive. We’re talking likely gains of around 15.57% for the Newedge CTA Index, in a year where stocks continued to climb, proving once again that the asset class is non-correlated to the stock market, not negatively correlated.
31
Dec
2014
The (Chicago) Year in Pictures (as we saw it)
Bears re-sign Cutler… RT @zoegalland: On bright side, 7 more yrs Smokin’ Jay Cutler https://t.co/tc8c0Aa7F0 #bears pic.twitter.com/bNYNFhZVnT — Attain Capital (@AttainCapital) January 2, 2014 We’re still here! RT @ReformedBroker @jlakely: River doesn’t commonly freeze over. It’s 3/4 ice this morning pic.twitter.com/ZNscEyBT9l — Attain Capital (@AttainCapital) January 6, 2014 RT @chicagosean: #AntarcDitka. Hilarious. RT @BLL141CBOT: pic.twitter.com/ZckQOuDaxO […]
