Fund managers, whether they be equity or bond traders, know all too well that returns are not simply a result of their asset selection prowess. Many external factors come into play. But what are the issues facing the professional money manager.

What exactly is the role of today’s Commodity Trading Advisor. Certainly trading of derivative products for a managed futures fund continues to be as important as before. A CTA has also become more involved with derivative analytics. This role is essentially focused upon becoming an analyst to structure and analyze the more multi-faceted requirements demanded by hedge funds, pension funds and structured products.

Entering your trades either for speculation or hedging is done through your broker. Commodity Trading Advisor, Genuine Trading Solutions President Dwayne Strocen, states that “Commodity and Futures exchanges are distinct from Stock Exchanges, although they operate using the same principals. They are regulated by different agencies such as the Commodity Futures Trading Commission who are responsible for regulation of retail brokers in the USA as well as Commodity Trading Advisors such as us.”