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Barclay CTA Index gains 0.23 per cent in April

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The flash estimate for the Barclay CTA Index, compiled by BarclayHedge, indicates a 0.23 per cent gain in April. Year to date, the Index is down 1.42 per cent.

“New US sanctions targeting Russian oligarchs pushed aluminium prices to six-year highs, while crude oil prices rose to their highest level in four years after threats of US withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal stoked fears of increasing Middle East instability,” says Sol Waksman (pictured), founder and president of BarclayHedge.
 
The Currency Traders Index gained 0.71 per cent in April, Discretionary Traders were up 0.63 per cent, Diversified Traders added 0.24 per cent, and the Systematic Traders Index rose 0.07 per cent.
 
“In spite of a profitable outcome for the month, it wasn’t all smooth sailing,” says Waksman.
 
“April’s turbulence in the grain complex was highlighted by mid-month price reversals, which created a challenging environment for momentum traders.
 
“Bullish positions in the British pound were profitable until mid-month, but once prices started to decline it quickly turned into a rout.”
 
The Financials and Metals Traders Index lost 0.34 per cent in April, and Agricultural Traders gave up 0.15 per cent.
 
After four months in 2018, the Discretionary Traders Index has gained 2.93 per cent, Agricultural Traders are up 1.96 per cent, and Currency Traders have gained 1.43 per cent.
 
The Diversified Traders Index is down 1.80 per cent year to date, Systematic Traders have lost 1.90 per cent, and Financials/Metals Traders are down 1.46 per cent.
 
The new Cryptocurrency Traders Index created by BarclayHedge jumped 44.04 per cent in April, following a 30.62 per cent drop in March. After starting the year with three months of losses, this volatile index is down 19.81 per cent for the year.
 
The BTOP50 Index, which is composed of the largest CTAs open to new investment, gained 0.34 per cent in April, but has lost 1.53 per cent year to date through 15 May, 2018.
 

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