Managed Accounts
Some clients prefer to leave the trading to the professionals. With a Managed Account, the client authorizes a licensed commodity trading advisor (CTA) to manage client assets on a discretionary basis. Global Futures works with our clients to provide research on select CTAs, including past performance and returns, to assist them in making an educated decision when selecting a CTA to manage their account. The following is an introduction to Managed Futures provided by CME Group.
What are Managed Futures?
The term managed futures describes an industry comprised of professional money managers known as commodity trading advisors (CTAs). These trading advisors manage client assets on a discretionary basis using global futures markets as an investment medium. Trading advisors take positions based on expected profit potential.
Managed futures have been used successfully by investment management professionals for more than 30 years. Institutional investors looking to maximize portfolio exposure continue to increase their use of managed futures as an integral component of a well diversified portfolio. With the ability to go both long and short, managed futures are highly flexible financial instruments with the potential to profit from rising and falling markets. Moreover, managed future funds have virtually no correlation to traditional asset classes, enabling them to enhance returns as well as lower overall volatility.
Benefits of Managed Futures
By their very nature, managed futures provide a diversified investment opportunity. Trading advisors can participate in more than 150 global markets; from grains and gold to currencies and stock indices. Many funds further diversify by using several trading advisors with different trading approaches. The following are considered to be some of the main Benefits of Managed Futures:
- Potential to lower overall portfolio risk
- Opportunity to enhance overall portfolio returns
- Broad diversification opportunities
- Opportunity to profit in a variety of economic environments
Please be advised that there is a substantial risk of loss involved trading. Managed futures or investing in managed futures is not suitable for everyone. While managed futures can help enhance returns and reduce risks, they can also do just the opposite and, in fact, result in further losses in a portfolio.
To learn more about Managed Accounts, visit the CME Managed Futures Resource Center.
The CME Managed Futures Resource Center website may contain materials that are not current. Investors should be aware that the results of studies conducted in the past may not be indicative of current time periods. Further studies conducted of managed futures as a whole may not be indicative of the performance of any individual CTAs.
THE RISK OF TRADING COMMODITY FUTURES, OPTIONS AND FOREIGN EXCHANGE ("FOREX") IS SUBSTANTIAL. THE HIGH DEGREE OF LEVERAGE ASSOCIATED WITH COMMODITY FUTURES, OPTIONS AND FOREX CAN WORK AGAINST YOU AS WELL AS FOR YOU. THIS HIGH DEGREE OF LEVERAGE CAN HAVE THE EFFECT OF SUBSTANTIALLY MAGNIFYING POTENTIAL LOSSES AS WELL AS GAINS. YOU SHOULD CAREFULLY CONSIDER WHETHER COMMODITY FUTURES, OPTIONS AND FOREX ARE SUITABLE FOR YOU IN LIGHT OF YOUR FINANCIAL CONDITION. IF YOU ARE UNSURE YOU SHOULD SEEK PROFESSIONAL ADVICE. PAST PERFORMANCE DOES NOT GUARANTEE FUTURE SUCCESS. IN SOME CASES MANAGED ACCOUNTS ARE CHARGED SUBSTANTIAL COMMISSIONS AND ADVISORY FEES. THOSE ACCOUNTS SUBJECT TO THESE CHARGES MAY NEED TO MAKE SUBSTANTIAL TRADING PROFITS JUST TO AVOID DEPLETION OF THEIR ASSETS. EACH COMMODITY TRADING ADVISOR ("CTA") IS REQUIRED BY THE COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION ("CFTC") TO ISSUE TO PROSPECTIVE CLIENTS A RISK DISCLOSURE DOCUMENT OUTLINING THESE FEES, CONFLICTS OF INTEREST AND OTHER ASSOCIATED RISKS. THE FULL RISK OF COMMODITY FUTURES, OPTIONS AND FOREX TRADING CAN NOT BE ADDRESSED IN THIS RISK DISCLOSURE STATEMENT. NO CONSIDERATION TO INVEST SHOULD BE MADE WITHOUT THOROUGHLY READING THE DISCLOSURE DOCUMENT OF EACH OF THE CTAS IN WHICH YOU MAY HAVE AN INTEREST. REQUESTING A DISCLOSURE DOCUMENT PLACES YOU UNDER NO OBLIGATION. THE CFTC HAS NOT PASSED UPON THE MERITS OF PARTICIPATING IN ANY OF THE FOLLOWING PROGRAMS NOR ON THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THE DISCLOSURE DOCUMENTS. OTHER DISCLOSURE STATEMENTS ARE REQUIRED TO BE PROVIDED TO YOU BEFORE AN ACCOUNT MAY BE OPENED FOR YOU.
PAST PERFORMANCE IS NOT NECESSARILY INDICATIVE OF FUTURE RESULTS. PROSPECTIVE CLIENTS SHOULD NOT BASE THEIR DECISION TO INVEST IN THESE TRADING PROGRAMS SOLELY ON THE PAST PERFORMANCE PRESENTED. ADDITIONALLY, IN MAKING AN INVESTMENT DECISION, PROSPECTIVE CLIENTS MUST ALSO RELY ON THEIR OWN EXAMINATION OF THE PERSON OR ENTITY MAKING THE TRADING DECISIONS AND THE TERMS OF THE ADVISORY AGREEMENT INCLUDING THE MERITS AND RISKS INVOLVED.