Managed futures gained 0.93 per cent in September, according to the Barclay CTA Index compiled by BarclayHedge.

The index is now up 0.05 per cent year-to-date.

Sol Waksman, founder and president of BarclayHedge, says: “Investor sentiment remained positive in September and equities extended their rally that began last March. Interest rates continued to decline as the G20 meeting and pronouncements from the Fed reassured market participants that there were no plans to raise interest rates in the immediate future.”

All of Barclay’s eight managed futures indices gained ground in September. The Diversified Traders Index was up 1.13 per cent, systematic traders gained 0.87 per cent, currency traders were up 0.60 per cent, and financial and metals traders rose 0.26 per cent.

“The US dollar continued its slide against most major currencies,” says Waksman. “This downward trend in the greenback helped drive prices for precious metals and crude oil higher, as traders sought markets that could provide some hedge against possible inflation.”

Through September, agricultural traders have gained 1.39 per cent and discretionary traders are up 0.91 per cent. On the other hand, diversified traders have lost 2.68 per cent year-to-date, and systematic traders are down 2.21 per cent.

“2009 has been a fairly quiet year for managed futures traders, with the CTA Index just sneaking past zero after nine months,” says Waksman. “No single strategy has delivered great gains, but no strategy has had major losses either.”

The Barclay BTOP50 Index, which monitors performance of the largest traders, gained 1.44 per cent in September. The BTOP50 is still down 2.01 per cent in 2009.