A couple of weeks ago, we published a newsletter called “Is Trend Following Dead?” We don’t believe it is, but the piece has generated a great deal of conversation in investing circles. There are a lot of folks out there who are buying into the obituary of trend following, but we’re hopeful that they are a contrarian indicator.
Category: Managed Futures
30
Nov
2012
29
Nov
2012
Is the Size of the Managed Futures Industry Inflated by 56%?
About that $300 billion+ of managed futures assets under management (AUM) we see reported here and there (and in turn report here on our blog)… Turns out that total AUM number from the BarclayHedge database includes Ray Dalio’s Bridgewater Associates – also known as the largest hedge fund in the world – in their managed futures AUM figures. So where does Bridgewater belong? Should they be in the managed futures number? Or should they only be counted toward the total AUM of hedge funds?
26
Nov
2012
Managed Futures Mutual Funds Exposed… Again?
For most of this year we’ve been keeping tabs on the world of managed futures mutual funds. If you’ve seen any of our coverage, you’ll know that we’re not exactly fans. But a recent article criticizing a managed futures mutual fund seems to have missed the point of an ongoing development in the regulation of the industry.
14
Nov
2012
Managed Futures and the Fiscal Cliff
The fiscal cliff has already started dominating the headlines even though the end of the year is still over six weeks away. The looming budget negotiations will have an impact on just about everyone, but for managed futures, the story is a little bit different.
14
Nov
2012
Investment Research: The Importance of the Secret Sauce
Managers often like to keep their “tricks of the trade” a closely-guarded secret. It’s not difficult to understand why, especially in light of new research that suggests that broad understanding of an investing strategy can actually make that strategy less effective.
09
Nov
2012
Is Trend Following Dead: John W. Henry edition
We asked the question of whether trend following is dead in our newsletter this week, coming to the conclusion that it is most certainly NOT dead. But news today that trend follower extraordinaire John Henry is shutting down his famous trend following managed futures programs is likely to reignite some of those questions.
08
Nov
2012
Managed Futures Mutual Funds October Update
With the books closed on October, it’s time to update our look at so-called managed futures mutual funds. Once again, the results aren’t pretty (for the mutual funds). We don’t think mutual funds are the best vehicle to access the managed futures asset class if you have the capital to stand on your own and invest in individually managed accounts, and the numbers continue to back us up.
01
Nov
2012
Managed Futures end October down -3.11%
The summer swings for managed futures were stressful – with the indices up one month, back down the next, and back up the next, we were starting to feel motion-sick. But those swings were certainly preferable to the Fall… fall. For the third month in a row, the Newedge CTA Index posted a loss. We take a look at what happened this month.
29
Oct
2012
The When and How Much of Managed Futures
Having the right idea is a great start, but when it comes to investing, there are two more questions that are just as important: when, and how much? While they may not be as exciting as breaking market news, time frame and position sizing are key to any investors’ experience with managed futures.
24
Oct
2012
Diminishing Market Diversification Resulting in Diminishing Returns?
In managed futures, people like to tout exposure to commodities. Now, at least one firm is betting that excluding all commodities could be the recipe for success. We’re not so sure that recipe is the solution it’s cracked up to be.
