As financial markets suffered this past year, one strategy in particular continued to stand out as leading the pack with good returns. Historically, managed futures have been a more under recognized asset class among global investors. In a year that was mainly marked with investment losses, the Barclay CTA Index was up nearly 14 percent in 2008. Benefiting from clear price trends, managed futures handily beat the overall markets, with the average hedge fund losing nearly 22 percent, according to BarclayHedge. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index and the tech‐laden Nasdaq Composite Index lost nearly 40% in 2008, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 33.8%. The sector, with nearly $206 billion in assets under management, is expected to receive substantial inflows as investors seek strategies away from the traditional markets and hedge funds that performed so poorly in 2008.

Managed Futures - The Future of Alternative Asset Management