August 2025 delivered strong performance across most asset classes, led by World Stocks with an impressive +4.12% gain. U.S. Stocks followed with a solid +2.05% return, while U.S. Real Estate posted a strong +2.91% gain for the month.Hedge Funds continued their positive momentum with a +1.51% return in August. Bonds also participated in the rally, gaining +1.15% for the month.Managed Futures posted their strongest month of 2025 with a +1.35% gain in August, marking a notable turnaround from i...| RCM Alternatives
Talk about timing! Today, FanDuel is celebrating its cheeky “Futures Day” campaign—inviting fans to bet on the upcoming football season—while also making waves for a much bigger reason: its brand-new joint venture with CME Group to launch a non-clearing Futures Commission Merchant (FCM).You couldn’t script that kind of overlap if you tried. On one hand, people are asking, “Will the 49ers finally win it all?” On the other, FanDuel and CME are setting the stage for traders to ask,...| RCM Alternatives
“Diversification Limits Returns” Some investors believe that spreading investments across various assets, a practice known as diversification, necessarily reduces potential returns. Let’s examine this belief. Reality: The core purpose of diversification is not to maximize returns but to manage risk. [1][2] However, by mitigating losses during downturns, a diversified portfolio can achieve more consistent growth […] The post Common Diversification Misconceptions appeared first on RCM A...| RCM Alternatives
June 2025 maintained the market momentum as U.S. Stocks delivered another strong month with a +5.14% gain, while World Stocks rose +3.90%. This continued strength has pushed U.S. Stocks' year-to-date return to +6.05%, while World Stocks extended their impressive lead with an +18.49% return for the year.Commodities rebounded significantly with a +4.11% gain in June, moving back into positive territory for the year at +1.23%. Hedge Funds contributed positively with a +1.53% monthly return, brin...| RCM Alternatives
Back in February, 2023 I wrote an enthusiastic plug for including managed futures funds in an investment portfolio. That was based on several observations. First, bonds have become often positively…| Economist Writing Every Day
As the final whistle blew on December 2024, the asset class scoreboard showed a tough month for most players, with only a few bright spots. Managed Futures showed some resilience, posting a solid gain of +1.27% in December, although that was mainly a bounce back from a down month in November. Elsewhere, most other asset classes struggled to stay afloat. Commodities also managed to finish in the green with a +2.98% gain, recovering from November losses. However, the rest of the field faltered,...| RCM Alternatives
In October, most asset classes experienced setbacks amid increased market volatility:Global equities faced significant headwinds, with the ACWX world stock index falling -4.65% on concerns over slowing economic growth and geopolitical tensions. U.S. stocks showed more resilience but still declined, with the S&P 500 slipping -0.89%.Real estate also encountered challenges, with the IYR index dropping -3.49% as rising borrowing costs and economic uncertainty weighed on the sector. Speaking of th...| RCM Alternatives
In September, most asset classes saw a slight upward trajectory, except for commodities, which have continued to slip since July:U.S. real estate maintained its momentum, with the IYR index gaining +3.07%, as favorable mortgage rates and sustained demand persisted. Global equities extended their advance, with the ACWX world stock index rising +2.64% and the S&P 500 climbing +2.10%, driven by positive economic data.Bonds delivered solid returns, with the BND index up +1.31%, as yields remained...| RCM Alternatives
Trend-following managed futures strategies offer a compelling opportunity for investors to diversify their portfolios beyond traditional stocks and bonds.| ReSolve Asset Management
Kicking off in the third quarter, the month of July delivered a moderately positive performance across the major asset classes. There were not exceedingly great gains, but mostly, all were above the red, with only a couple suffering from declines. Commodities retreated, with the GSG index slipping -2.89% and falling to the bottom of the chart. Though relatively strong initially, they have begun to lose their luster coming off the 2nd and starting this 3rd quarter. Managed futures strategies t...| RCM Alternatives
In June 2024, most asset classes delivered positive returns, with U.S. stocks leading the pack:U.S. equities showed strong performance, with the S&P 500 climbing +3.53%, continuing the positive momentum from May. This robust growth in the domestic market contrasts with the slight decline in World stocks, which fell by -0.43%.U.S. Real Estate maintained its upward trajectory, gaining +1.88% in June, following a strong showing in May; this suggests a continued recovery in the property market de...| RCM Alternatives
In May, most asset classes rebounded after April's pullback: U.S. stocks led the way, with the S&P 500 gaining an impressive +5.06% as corporate earnings showed resilience. Real estate also recovered, with the IYR index climbing +4.93% as lower mortgage rates renewed demand. International shares participated in the rally, rising +3.95%. Bonds stabilized, with the Barclays Aggregate index gaining +1.68% as yields pulled back from recent highs. Hedge funds captured the upside with more direct...| RCM Alternatives
April represented a step back following March's gains, aside from Managed Futures being the star of the show this month.Commodities demonstrated resilience, posting a modest +0.95% growth despite the turbulence induced by the prospects of normalizing financial conditions. This volatility led to portfolio recalibration across sectors.Managed futures strategies once more, demonstrating relative resilience, advancing +1.99% through balanced long-short exposures, and leveraging their flexible fra...| RCM Alternatives
Index and Sector Performance The KFA MLM Index, which is tracked by the KraneShares Mount Lucas Managed Futures Index Strategy ETF, finished the quarter up 4.0%. Commodity (+3.9%) and Currency (+0.3%) markets contributed to performance, while Global Fixed Income (-1.5%) markets detracted from results. Interest income added 134bps. For the twelve months ending March 2024, […]| KFA Funds
What are managed futures? Futures markets were created over 150 years ago for a single purpose, to facilitate the transfer of price risk away from producers and consumers. A managed futures portfolio acts as an important market participant, accepting that price risk and providing liquidity to commercial interests. Futures markets are traded on public exchanges and are […]| KFA Funds
Introduction KraneShares and Mount Lucas Management are pleased to announce that the KFA Mount Lucas Managed Futures Index ETF (Ticker: KMLM) achieved a three-year track record in December 2023. This anniversary marks a significant milestone for the fund, which has delivered consistent uncorrelated returns since its inception. In recent years, managed futures strategies have grown in popularity […]| KFA Funds
Index and Sector Performance The KFA MLM Index, which is tracked by the KFA Mount Lucas Managed Futures Index Strategy ETF (Ticker: KMLM), finished the quarter up 6.8%. Global Fixed Income (+3.3%) and Commodity (3.2%) markets contributed positively to performance, while Currency (-1.1%) markets detracted. Interest income added 133bps. For the twelve months ending September […]| KFA Funds
Several years ago, I started using the phrase, “It’s long/short portfolios all the way down.” I think it’s clever. Spoiler: it has not caught on. The point I was trying to make is that the distance between any two portfolios can be measured as a long/short strategy. This simple point, in my opinion, is a […]| Flirting with Models