Markets

  • The Impending Pig Paucity

    We’ve watched all summer as the drought has sent grain prices skyward, and even setting some new records for those…

  • Gold vs. Stocks: Battle Royale

    A recent piece comparing stocks to gold during the recovery caught our eye. Its argument is pretty simple: even with…

  • Platinum Goes Cliff Diving

    Yesterday the news broke that striking miners in South Africa would be returning to work. Supply concerns had been driving…

  • Crude Projections

    Violence is erupting all over the Middle East. The U.S. government said that it will not make a release from…

  • The Future of Natural Gas

    Natural gas has bounced back from the lows we witnessed earlier in the year, but it remains a shadow of…

  • Buy the Rumor, Buy the Fact?

    The decision to move ahead with QE3 was no surprise to many, yet stocks still bounced higher on the news.…

  • When Gas Goes Wild

    Oil futures may be flat today, but if you find yourself at the wrong gas station in the northeast, you…

  • Risk on/Risk Off Market Snapshot- August 2012

    Part of staying diversified is trading in markets that are non-correlated; this can help reduce risk and volatility. Unfortunately, when…

  • Long-only Commodity ETFs vs. Futures- August 2012

    It’s time for our monthly look at how the long-only commodity ETFs are performing versus simply holding the December futures…

  • A Golden Ruse

    Gold is back in the headlines – mainly due to the GOP platform calling for a commission to investigate bringing…

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DISCLAIMER INFO

The entries on this blog are intended to further subscribers understanding, education, and – at times – enjoyment of the world of alternative investments. Unless distinctly noted otherwise, the data and graphs included herein are intended to be mere examples and exhibits of the topic discussed, are for educational and illustrative purposes only, and do not represent trading in actual accounts. Opinions expressed are that of the author.


The mention of specific asset class performance (i.e. +3.2%, -4.6%) is based on the noted source index (i.e. Newedge CTA Index, S&P 500 Index, etc.), and investors should take care to understand that any index performance is for the constituents of that index only, and does not represent the entire universe of possible investments within that asset class. And further, that there can be limitations and biases to indices such as survivorship, self reporting, and instant history.


The performance data for various Hedge Funds, Commodity Trading Advisor (“CTA”) and Commodity Pools are compiled from various sources, including Barclay Hedge, RCM’s own estimates of performance based on account managed by advisors on its books, and reports directly from the advisors. These performance figures should not be relied on independent of the individual advisor’s disclosure document, which has important information regarding the method of calculation used, whether or not the performance includes proprietary results, and other important footnotes on the advisor’s track record. Past Performance is Not Necessarily Indicative of Future Results. The regulations of the CFTC require that prospective clients of a managed futures program (CTA) receive a disclosure document when they are solicited to enter into an agreement whereby the CTA will direct or guide the client’s commodity interest trading and that certain risk factors be highlighted. The disclosure document contains a complete description of the principal risk factors and each fee to be charged to your account by the CTA.


The mention of general asset class performance (i.e. managed futures did well, stocks were down, bonds were up) is based on RCM’s direct experience in those asset classes, estimates of performance of dozens of CTAs followed by RCM, and averaging of various indices designed to track said asset classes.


The mention of market based performance (i.e. Corn was up 5% today) reflects all available information as of the time and date of the publication.


The owner of this blog, RCM Alternatives, may receive various forms of compensation from certain investment managers highlighted and/or mentioned within the blog, including but not limited to retaining: a portion of trade commissions, a portion of the fees charged to investors by the investment managers, a portion of the fees for operating a fund for the investment managers via affiliate Attain Portfolio Advisors, or via direct payment for marketing services.

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