In 2012, it seemed like every trend in the markets that took hold reversed at the worst possible time – giving trend followers a month or so of good returns before wiping out their open trade profits (and then taking some extra skin off, for good measure). We’ll have more on that next week with our 2012 performance review, but suffice it to say it many trend followers struggled during the snapbacks of the last year.

Thus, we were a little nervous this week when one of the bigger trends of the moment – the falling Yen – looked like it was getting ready for just such a bounce. After multiple trend followers we watch getting short the Yen, this week started off with a bounce up 1.74% from Monday’s low to Wednesday’s high (Disclaimer: past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results). If this bounce stuck, as so many did in 2012, it could have left several trend followers with a disappointing start to 2013.

Fortunately, that bounce hasn’t stuck, and the Yen has resumed the downward course begun in October:

Disclaimer: past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results.

Several CTAs we follow, including Mark Walsh, Covenant, and Briarwood, are all enjoying this short trend in the Yen. And the longer the Yen stays low – even if it doesn’t go any lower – the better for trend followers. As we put it in our newsletter following the big multi-market downturn last May:

Every day that goes by and puts more time between managed futures short entries and the current date, systematic programs are moving their exit points down, reducing the risk from entry on the trade, and – if they are lucky enough – locking in profits.

Here’s hoping the Yen downtrend continues to cooperate, and starts 2013 off on the right foot.