Some of the CTAs that Attain’s Juan Carlos Herrera has caught up with at the London CTA Expo show just how diverse strategies within managed futures can be. James River, Emil Van Essen and Dominion Capital are all there, and all three do very different things.

How so? Emil Van Essen focuses on the spread trade (and more specifically capturing roll yield), and has expanded their program to include the yield curve and small exposure to non-commodities in an effort to hedge against significant price shifts in commodities (like in the beginning of 2010). The James River Navigator program, on the other hand, is 100% systematic, and operates on both a long and short term level after seeking out a way to protect against 2008-like volatility in the markets. Dominion Capital started out in the world of financials and expanded into a wide variety of markets, looking for market price acceleration to determine early entrance points. Their program stands out because of its short term nature, holding onto trades for days instead of weeks, as most managers do.

Each of these programs have something unique to offer, and a specific value they can add to a managed futures portfolio. In speaking with Juan Carlos, the opportunity to learn more about each made the trip to London more than worth it.