CTAs were unable to extend their two-month winning streak into the New Year as January performance dipped 0.02 per cent for the month according to the Barclay CTA Index compiled by BarclayHedge, a division of Backstop Solutions.
“Although equity prices and commodity markets such as energy, crops and base metals continued higher in January, the profits were insufficient to overcome losses generated by long positions in US Treasuries as interest rates rose,” says Sol Waksman, president of BarclayHedge.
Most sectors tracked in the Barclay CTA Indices were in the black for January. The Cryptocurrency Traders Index led the way returning 26.99 per cent while the Agricultural Traders Index was up 0.93 per cent and the Discretionary Traders Index gained 0.74 per cent. The Currency Traders Index advanced 0.41 per cent in January while the Diversified Traders Index rose 0.07 per cent.
Sectors losing ground in January included the Financial & Metal Traders Index, down 0.83 per cent, the MPI Barclay Elite Systematic Traders Index, off 0.58 per cent, and the Systematic Traders Index, losing 0.44 per cent.
The Barclay BTOP50 Index, which tracks the performance of the largest CTAs that are open for new investment, was down 1.03 per cent in January.
