Tag: trading system
IASG May 2015 Performance Results
We have now reached the end of June 2015 and have compiled nearly 100% of the manager data for May 2014. With five months of performance on record, the IASG CTA Index has turned negative YTD (Past Performance not indicative of future results). We anticipate this trend to hold for the remainder of the month as investors […]
What are Carrying Charges and how do they influence hedging decisions?
In order to fully get the “error” in selling grain at harvest and then buying calls to replace that grain, so as to still participate in possible higher prices you need to understand how carrying charges work in the grain markets. The definition of “carrying charges” is: an expense or effective cost arising from unproductive […]
Measuring the Edge of Entry Signals in Trading
When a CTA or Money Manager is testing or back-testing their entry signals, one of the most important aspects they look at is if the technique’s they are using have a distinct “edge” for the time frame they are trading (short-term, swing, long-term, etc.). Positive price movement is when the market goes in the direction […]
Nat Gas: Summer Weather and Hurricane Season Begins
Written by: Bryen Deutsch The time has come for natural gas traders to refocus on US weather outlooks. June 1st marks the official start of hurricane season. While we did see an early season storm on the Atlantic seaboard a few weeks ago, the bulk of cyclone activity occurs during the next 6 months. The […]
Are You Interested in Becoming a Commodity Trading Advisor?
Services for CTAs Grow Your Business With Us You’re busy honing and perfecting your trades and strategies; you don’t have a lot of time for client acquisition or back office management. IASG can help. List your programs FREE on IASG.com and you’ll be introducing yourself to thousands of potential new customers and partnering with an […]
Start of Something Bigger in the S&P 500?
S&P Index futures fell by 1.11% today currently trading at 2105.50 lower by 19.00 points for the session, hitting a fresh 7 day low. The main talk amongst the trade were concerns about Greece and some positive economic data which again fueled expectations that a U.S. rate hike is coming sooner than later. How many times […]
Don’t Be Fooled by Oil Bull Talk
Written by: Bryen Deutsch The 200-day moving average is a widely held long-term trend indicator. Markets trading above the 200-day moving average have a tendency to be in longer term uptrends. Markets trading below the 200-day moving average tend to be in longer term downtrends. Last July, the US Dollar Index crossed above the 200 […]
Soybeans: Will the Free Fall Continue?
Soybean values traded lower across the board today, with July 15’ settling at 9.22 ½ off 1 ¾ cents (New contract lows). Corn also showed weakness today, closing down 5 cents at 3.55, with Wheat values plummeting 21 ¾ cents, closing at 4.93 ¼, pegging in a new seven-day low. Rains continue to fall, which […]
Oil’s Inside Week Suggests Imminent Breakout/Breakdown
Written by: Bryen Deutsch Last week both WTI crude and ICE Brent crude traded within the previous week’s range. This inside week was choppy and fairly uneventful as a second consecutive inventory draw reported by the EIA failed to drive the market to new highs. The chop fest continued Monday as the market closed slightly lower […]
The Advantages of Professional Traders in the Futures Market
I know a lot about grains. In fact, I know much more than the average person about energies, metals, currencies, softs, and financials. I would never try to trade any of them for customers for a simple reason. I know others who have done nothing for most of their careers except focus on each area. […]
Corn Values Remain Stable after Report
Corn: (July Corn Futures) – Values managed to edge higher by ½ cent on today’s session, settling at $3.61 even after the USDA analysts chose not to upwardly adjust new crop yield estimates leaving them at 166.8 bu/acre. This is the second-highest yield now on the books, however, the trade may see this as a […]
How do you use Basis to Hedge?
Cash Price – Futures Price = Basis (at a specific point in time) A producer’s decision as to when and how to market their crops or livestock can have as significant an impact on their net bottom line profit as any production decision they may make throughout the year. Farmers today have more marketing alternatives […]
Overcoming Mental Blocks to Investing: Part 2
In my previous article, we reviewed the first seven of 13 “mental blocks” to investing an average CTA or investor may butt up against throughout trading or investing. To continue from where we ended off in the previous commentary, we will cover the final six biases and blocks that may affect how a CTA tests […]