Inna Rosputnia’s managed futures provide investors with unique portfolio benefits:

A managed futures is a segment of the hedge fund industry. Money managers trade a range of futures to profit from price movement. Moreover, you can use MF in various qualified retirement plans, including IRAs, trusts, and pensions.

In the last 15 years, assets under management for this industry have grown approximately an unprecedented 771%. According to BarclayHedge, one of the oldest and most respected providers of alternative investment data, out of the total $1.78 trillion invested in alternative investment strategies, MF is now #1, surpassing all other investment strategies based on assets under management.

• During the five worst period declines for stocks since 1987, managed futures were positive.
• They were positive 75% of the time during the 15 worst quarters for stocks over the past 25 years.
• During the most critical events over the past 35 years, MF substantially outperformed stocks.
• Managed futures was positive 100% of the time during the very worst stock market declines in history since 1987.
• Over the past 25 years, a portfolio diversified 20% with MF performed 62% better than a portfolio with just stocks and bonds.
• Managed futures outperformed stocks by 46% and international stocks by 192% over the past 35 years.

Assuming each of these statements could be confirmed through independent studies based on the actual performance of stocks, bonds, and MFA, how would you feel about the need for managed futures in your portfolio?

While managed futures can decrease portfolio risk, they can simultaneously enhance overall portfolio performance. For example, adding MF to a traditional portfolio of stocks and bonds improved overall performance by 62%.

The potential for MF to increase performance and reduce risk in a stock and bond portfolio has been substantiated by an extensive bank of academic research, beginning with the landmark study by Dr. John Lintner of Harvard University in which he wrote: “… the combined portfolios of stocks (or stocks and bonds) after including judicious investments … in leveraged managed futures accounts show substantially less risk at every possible level of expected return than portfolios of stocks (or stocks and bonds) alone.”

Managed futures are highly flexible and traded on many regulated financial and commodity markets worldwide.

By broadly diversifying across global markets, MF can simultaneously profit from price changes in stock, bond, currency, and money markets and diverse commodity markets having a limited correlation to traditional asset classes.

The differences between managed futures and hedge funds are substantial. Managed futures are 100% transparent. With hedge funds, investors are often unaware of the fund’s holdings. At times their positions are tough to value and estimate. Hedge fund positions can be much lower than their estimated value when liquidated. On the other hand, the holdings of MF managers and the corresponding profit/loss of the positions can be viewed in real-time every day at their exact value.

Additionally, managed futures typically trade in the most liquid markets globally. Hedge funds often venture into illiquid securities (such as mortgage-backed securities or over-the-counter products), which aren’t traded on many exchanges.