DEAN WITTER PORTFOLIO STRATEGY FUND LP - 10-Q Quarterly Report

Back to GetFilings.com

UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-Q

[X] Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934
For the quarterly period ended March 31, 2004

[ ] Transition report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934
For the transition period from to__________________

Commission File Number 0-19046

DEAN WITTER PORTFOLIO STRATEGY FUND L.P.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Delaware 13-3589337
(State or other jurisdiction of (I.R.S. Employer
incorporation or organization) Identification No.)

Demeter Management Corporation
825 Third Avenue, 9th Floor
New York, NY 10022
(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)

Registrant's telephone number, including area code (212) 310-6444

(Former name, former address, and former fiscal year, if changed
since last report)

Indicate by check-mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all
reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or
for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file
such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing
requirements for the past 90 days.

Yes X No___________

Indicate by check-mark whether the registrant is an accelerated
filer (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).

Yes No X

DEAN WITTER PORTFOLIO STRATEGY FUND L.P.

INDEX TO QUARTERLY REPORT ON FORM 10-Q

March 31, 2004

PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Item 1. Financial Statements

DEAN WITTER PORTFOLIO STRATEGY FUND L.P.
STATEMENTS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION

DEAN WITTER PORTFOLIO STRATEGY FUND L.P.
STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(Unaudited)

DEAN WITTER PORTFOLIO STRATEGY FUND L.P.
STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN PARTNERS' CAPITAL
For the Quarters Ended March 31, 2004 and 2003
(Unaudited)

DEAN WITTER PORTFOLIO STRATEGY FUND L.P.
STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(Unaudited)

DEAN WITTER PORTFOLIO STRATEGY FUND L.P.

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

March 31, 2004

(Unaudited)

The unaudited financial statements contained herein include, in
the opinion of management, all adjustments necessary for a fair
presentation of the results of operations and financial condition
of Dean Witter Portfolio Strategy Fund L.P. (the "Partnership").
The financial statements and condensed notes herein should be read
in conjunction with the Partnership's December 31, 2003 Annual
Report on Form 10-K.

1. Organization
Dean Witter Portfolio Strategy Fund L.P. is a Delaware limited
partnership organized to engage primarily in the speculative
trading of futures contracts and forward contracts on physical
commodities and other commodity interests, including, but not
limited to, foreign currencies, financial instruments, metals,
energy and agricultural products.

The Partnership's general partner is Demeter Management
Corporation ("Demeter"). The non-clearing commodity broker is
Morgan Stanley DW Inc. ("Morgan Stanley DW"). The clearing
commodity brokers are Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated ("MS &

DEAN WITTER PORTFOLIO STRATEGY FUND L.P.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED_

Co.") and Morgan Stanley & Co. International Limited ("MSIL").
Demeter, Morgan Stanley DW, MS & Co. and MSIL are wholly-owned
subsidiaries of Morgan Stanley. John W. Henry & Company, Inc.
(the "Trading Manager") is the trading manager to the Partnership.

2. Related Party Transactions
The Partnership's cash is on deposit with Morgan Stanley DW, MS &
Co. and MSIL in futures and forwards trading accounts to meet
margin requirements as needed. Morgan Stanley DW pays interest on
these funds based on the prevailing rate on U.S. Treasury bills.
The Partnership pays brokerage commissions to Morgan Stanley DW.

3. Financial Instruments
The Partnership trades futures contracts and forward contracts on
physical commodities and other commodity interests, including, but
not limited to, foreign currencies, financial instruments, metals,
energy and agricultural products. Futures and forwards represent
contracts for delayed delivery of an instrument at a specified
date and price. Risk arises from changes in the value of these
contracts and the potential inability of counterparties to perform
under the terms of the contracts. There are numerous factors
which may significantly influence the market value of these
contracts, including interest rate volatility.
DEAN WITTER PORTFOLIO STRATEGY FUND L.P.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED_
The market value of contracts is based on closing prices quoted
by the exchange, bank or clearing firm through which the
contracts are traded.

The Partnership's contracts are accounted for on a trade-date
basis and marked to market on a daily basis. The Partnership
accounts for its derivative investments in accordance with the
provisions of Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No.
133, "Accounting for Derivative Instruments and Hedging
Activities" ("SFAS No. 133"). SFAS No. 133 defines a derivative
as a financial instrument or other contract that has all three of
the following characteristics:

1) One or more underlying notional amounts or payment
provisions;
2) Requires no initial net investment or a smaller initial net
investment than would be required relative to changes in
market factors;
3) Terms require or permit net settlement.

Generally, derivatives include futures, forward, swaps or options
contracts and other financial instruments with similar
characteristics such as caps, floors and collars.

The net unrealized gains (losses) on open contracts, reported as a
component of "Equity in futures interests trading accounts" on the
statements of financial condition, and their longest contract
maturities were as follows:

Net Unrealized Gains (Losses)
on Open Contracts Longest Maturities
Off- Off-
Exchange- Exchange- Exchange- Exchange-
Date Traded Traded Total Traded Traded
$ $ $
Mar. 31, 2004 7,254,094 (6,575,407) 678,687 Mar. 2005 Jun. 2004
Dec. 31, 2003 2,105,317 4,121,006 6,226,323 Dec. 2004 Mar. 2004

The Partnership has credit risk associated with counterparty non-
performance. The credit risk associated with the instruments in
which the Partnership is involved is limited to the amounts
reflected in the Partnership's statements of financial condition.

The Partnership also has credit risk because Morgan Stanley DW, MS
& Co. and MSIL act as the futures commission merchants or the
counterparties, with respect to most of the Partnership's assets.
Exchange-traded futures contracts are marked to market on a daily
basis, with variations in value settled on a daily basis. Morgan
Stanley DW, MS & Co. and MSIL, each as a futures commission
merchant for the Partnership's exchange-traded futures contracts,
are required, pursuant to regulations of the Commodity Futures
Trading Commission ("CFTC"), to segregate from their own assets,
DEAN WITTER PORTFOLIO STRATEGY FUND L.P.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONCLUDED)

and for the sole benefit of their commodity customers, all funds
held by them with respect to exchange-traded futures contracts,
including an amount equal to the net unrealized gains (losses) on
all open futures contracts, which funds, in the aggregate, totaled
$95,124,066 and $80,869,636 at March 31, 2004 and December 31,
2003, respectively. With respect to the Partnership's off-
exchange-traded forward currency contracts, there are no daily
exchange-required settlements of variations in value nor is there
any requirement that an amount equal to the net unrealized gains
(losses) on open forward contracts be segregated, however, MS &
Co. and Morgan Stanley DW will make daily settlements of losses as
needed. With respect to those off-exchange-traded forward
currency contracts, the Partnership is at risk to the ability of
MS & Co., the sole counterparty on all such contracts, to perform.
The Partnership has a netting agreement with MS & Co. This
agreement, which seeks to reduce both the Partnership's and MS &
Co.'s exposure on off-exchange-traded forward currency contracts,
should materially decrease the Partnership's credit risk in the
event of MS & Co.'s bankruptcy or insolvency.

Item 2. MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL
CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

Liquidity. The Partnership deposits its assets with Morgan
Stanley DW as non-clearing broker, and MS & Co. and MSIL as
clearing brokers in separate futures and forwards trading accounts
established for the Trading Manager, which assets are used as
margin to engage in trading and may be used as margin solely for
the Partnership's trading. The assets are held in either non-
interest bearing bank accounts or in securities and instruments
permitted by the CFTC for investment of customer segregated or
secured funds. Since the Partnership's sole purpose is to trade
in futures and forwards, it is expected that the Partnership will
continue to own such liquid assets for margin purposes.

The Partnership's investment in futures and forwards may, from
time to time, be illiquid. Most U.S. futures exchanges limit
fluctuations in prices during a single day by regulations referred
to as "daily price fluctuations limits" or "daily limits". Trades
may not be executed at prices beyond the daily limit. If the
price for a particular futures contract has increased or decreased
by an amount equal to the daily limit, positions in that futures
contract can neither be taken nor liquidated unless traders are
willing to effect trades at or within the limit. Futures prices
have occasionally moved the daily limit for several consecutive
days with little or no trading. These market conditions could
prevent the Partnership from promptly liquidating its
futures contracts and result in restrictions on redemptions.

There is no limitation on daily price moves in trading forward
contracts on foreign currencies. The markets for some world
currencies have low trading volume and are illiquid, which may
prevent the Partnership from trading in potentially profitable
markets or prevent the Partnership from promptly liquidating
unfavorable positions in such markets, subjecting it to
substantial losses. Either of these market conditions could
result in restrictions on redemptions. For the periods covered by
this report, illiquidity has not materially affected the
Partnership's assets.

There are no known material trends, demands, commitments, events
or uncertainties at the present time that will result in, or that
are reasonably likely to result in, the Partnership's liquidity
increasing or decreasing in any material way.

Capital Resources. The Partnership does not have, nor expect to
have, any capital assets. Redemptions of additional units of
limited partnership interest ("Unit(s)") in the future will affect
the amount of funds available for investment in futures and
forwards in subsequent periods. It is not possible to estimate
the amount, and therefore the impact, of future redemptions of
Units.
There are no known material trends, favorable or
unfavorable, that would affect, nor any expected material changes
to, the Partnership's capital resource arrangements at the present
time. The Partnership does not have any off-balance sheet
arrangements, nor does it have contractual obligations or
commercial commitments to make future payments that would affect
its liquidity or capital resources.

Results of Operations
General. The Partnership's results depend on the Trading Manager
and the ability of the Trading Manager's trading programs to take
advantage of price movements or other profit opportunities in the
futures and forwards markets. The following presents a summary of
the Partnership's operations for the three month periods ended
March 31, 2004 and 2003 and a general discussion of its trading
activities during each period. It is important to note, however,
that the Trading Manager trades in various markets at different
times and that prior activity in a particular market does not mean
that such market will be actively traded by the Trading Manager or
will be profitable in the future. Consequently, the results of
operations of the Partnership are difficult to discuss other than
in the context of the Trading Manager's trading activities on
behalf of the Partnership and how the Partnership has performed in
the past. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of
future results.

The Partnership's results of operations set forth in the
financial statements on pages 2 through 10 of this report were
prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally
accepted in the United States of America, which require the use
of certain accounting policies that affect the amounts reported
in these financial statements, including the following: The
contracts the Partnership trades are accounted for on a trade-
date basis and marked to market on a daily basis. The difference
between their cost and market value is recorded on the Statements
of Operations as "Net change in unrealized profit/loss" for open
(unrealized) contracts, and recorded as "Realized profit/loss"
when open positions are closed out, and the sum of these amounts
constitutes the Partnership's trading revenues. The market value
of a futures contract is the settlement price on the exchange on
which that futures contract is traded on a particular day. The
value of foreign currency forward contracts is based on the spot
rate as of the close of business, New York City time, on a given
day. Interest income revenue, as well as management fees,
incentive fees and brokerage commissions expenses of the
Partnership are recorded on an accrual basis.

Demeter believes that, based on the nature of the operations of
the Partnership, no assumptions relating to the application of
critical accounting policies other than those presently used
could reasonably affect reported amounts.

For the Quarter Ended March 31, 2004
The Partnership recorded revenues including interest income
totaling $7,845,193 and expenses totaling $1,919,354, resulting
in net income of $5,925,839 for the quarter ended March 31, 2004.
The Partnership's net asset value per Unit increased from
$3,283.04 at December 31, 2003 to $3,513.48 at March 31, 2004.

The most significant trading gains of approximately 8.2% were
recorded in the global interest rate futures markets from long
positions in European and U.S. interest rate futures, primarily
during January and February. Unimpressive economic data and
comments from central banks, such as the European Central Bank
and U.S. Federal Reserve, regarding a weak global inflationary
environment that did not warrant an increase in interest rates
caused bond prices to rally. Additional gains of approximately
4.8% were recorded in the energy markets during February and
March from long futures positions in crude oil and its related
products. Low market supply, falling inventory levels and a
production cut announcement from OPEC caused prices to increase
during February. During March, long positions continued to profit
as energy prices moved higher amid lower U.S. inventories, heavy
demand from China and fears of supply disruptions following the
Madrid train bombings. In the agricultural markets, gains of
approximately 2.7% were produced from long futures positions in
corn, soybeans and soybean-related products. Prices for these
commodities finished higher due to increased exports abroad and
greater demand from Asia. Additional gains of
approximately 1.7% were recorded in the metals markets from long
futures positions in copper and silver. Base and precious metals
moved higher during the quarter, especially in February, as a
lower U.S. dollar value triggered consistent demand from abroad.
A portion of the Partnership's overall gains was offset by losses
of approximately 10.1% in the currency markets, primarily during
March. Short Japanese yen positions against the U.S. dollar
incurred the largest losses within this sector as the yen
reversed higher due to speculation that the Bank of Japan was
relaxing its efforts of intervention to weaken the yen. Other
currency sector losses resulted from short positions in the euro
versus the U.S. dollar as the euro's value reversed higher during
the final week of March amid market demand sparked by speculation
that the European Central Bank would leave interest rates
unchanged. Long positions in the Swiss franc versus the U.S.
dollar contributed to sector losses during January and February
as the dollar strengthened at various points due to expectations
for hikes in U.S. interest rates.

For the Quarter Ended March 31, 2003
The Partnership recorded revenues including interest income
totaling $16,538,538 and expenses totaling $3,052,811, resulting
in net income of $13,485,727 for the quarter ended March 31,
2003. The Partnership's net asset value per Unit increased from
$3,166.00 at December 31, 2002 to $3,643.92 at March 31, 2003.
The most significant trading gains of approximately 6.5%
were recorded in the global interest rate futures markets from
long positions in U.S., European, and Japanese interest rate
futures as prices trended higher during January and February as
investors continued to seek the safe haven of fixed income
investments in response to continued uncertainty in global equity
markets. Additional gains of approximately 6.5% were recorded in
the energy markets during January and February from long
positions in natural gas futures as prices increased sharply due
to prolonged frigid temperatures in the northeastern and
midwestern U.S. Long futures positions in crude oil and its
related products resulted in gains as prices trended higher
during January and February amid the looming threat of military
action against Iraq and an overall decline in inventories. In the
currency markets, gains of approximately 2.4% were recorded from
long positions in the euro and Australian dollar relative to the
U.S. dollar as the value of these currencies strengthened amid
weak U.S. economic data and wartime jitters. Smaller gains of
approximately 2.1% were recorded in the global stock index
markets from short positions in European and Japanese stock index
futures as global equity prices declined amid continued political
and economic uncertainty. A portion of the Partnership's overall
gains was offset by losses of approximately 0.6% in the
agricultural markets from short positions in corn futures as
prices moved higher in March on supply concerns. Additional
losses were recorded from short positions in soybean meal futures
as prices reversed higher in January amid reports of
declining inventories. Smaller losses of approximately 0.4% were
incurred in the metals markets primarily during March from long
positions in aluminum futures as prices reversed lower amid muted
industrial demand.

Item 3. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

Introduction
The Partnership is a commodity pool engaged primarily in the
speculative trading of futures and forwards. The market-sensitive
instruments held by the Partnership are acquired for speculative
trading purposes only and, as a result, all or substantially all
of the Partnership's assets are at risk of trading loss. Unlike
an operating company, the risk of market-sensitive instruments is
inherent to the primary business activity of the Partnership.

The futures and forwards traded by the Partnership involve varying
degrees of related market risk. Market risk is often dependent
upon changes in the level or volatility of interest rates,
exchange rates, and prices of financial instruments and
commodities, factors that result in frequent changes in the fair
value of the Partnership's open positions, and consequently in its
earnings, whether realized or unrealized, and cash flow. Profits
and losses on open positions of exchange-traded futures and
forwards are settled daily through variation margin.

The Partnership's total market risk may increase or decrease as
it is influenced by a wide variety of factors, including, but not
limited to, the diversification among the Partnership's open
positions, the volatility present within the markets, and the
liquidity of the markets.
The Partnership's past performance is not necessarily
indicative of its future results. Any attempt to numerically
quantify the Partnership's market risk is limited by the
uncertainty of its speculative trading. The Partnership's
speculative trading may cause future losses and volatility (i.e.,
"risk of ruin") that far exceed the Partnership's experience to
date or any reasonable expectations based upon historical changes
in market value.

Quantifying the Partnership's Trading Value at Risk
The following quantitative disclosures regarding the Partnership's
market risk exposures contain "forward-looking statements" within
the meaning of the safe harbor from civil liability provided for
such statements by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of
1995 (set forth in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and
Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934). All
quantitative disclosures in this section are deemed to be forward-
looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor, except for
statements of historical fact.

The Partnership accounts for open positions on the basis of mark
to market accounting principles. Any loss in the market value of
the Partnership's open positions is directly reflected in the
Partnership's earnings and cash flow.

The Partnership's risk exposure in the market sectors
traded by the Trading Manager is estimated below in terms of Value
at Risk ("VaR"). The Partnership estimates VaR using a model based
upon historical simulation (with a confidence level of 99%) which
involves constructing a distribution of hypothetical daily changes
in the value of a trading portfolio. The VaR model takes into
account linear exposures to risk including equity and commodity
prices, interest rates, foreign exchange rates, and correlation
among these variables. The hypothetical changes in portfolio
value are based on daily percentage changes observed in key market
indices or other market factors ("market risk factors") to which
the portfolio is sensitive. The one-day 99% confidence level of
the Partnership's VaR corresponds to the negative change in
portfolio value that, based on observed market risk factors, would
have been exceeded once in 100 trading days, or one day in 100.
VaR typically does not represent the worst case outcome. Demeter
uses approximately four years of daily market data (1,000
observations) and revalues its portfolio (using delta-gamma
approximations) for each of the historical market moves that
occurred over this time period. This generates a probability
distribution of daily "simulated profit and loss" outcomes. The
VaR is the appropriate percentile of this distribution. For
example, the 99% one-day VaR would represent the 10th worst
outcome from Demeter's simulated profit and loss series.

The Partnership's VaR computations are based on the risk
representation of the underlying benchmark for each instrument or
contract and do not distinguish between exchange and non-exchange
dealer-based instruments. They are also not based on exchange
and/or dealer-based maintenance margin requirements.

VaR models, including the Partnership's, are continually evolving
as trading portfolios become more diverse and modeling techniques
and systems capabilities improve. Please note that the VaR model
is used to numerically quantify market risk for historic
reporting purposes only and is not utilized by either Demeter or
the Trading Manager in their daily risk management activities.
Please further note that VaR as described above may not be
comparable to similarly titled measures used by other entities.

The Partnership's Value at Risk in Different Market Sectors
The following table indicates the VaR associated with the
Partnership's open positions as a percentage of total net assets
by primary market risk category at March 31, 2004 and 2003. At
March 31, 2004 and 2003, the Partnership's total capitalization
was approximately $88 million and $100 million, respectively.

Primary Market March 31, 2004 March 31, 2003
Risk Category Value at Risk Value at Risk

Interest Rate (2.98)% (0.89)%
Currency (2.20) (0.82)
Equity (1.24) (0.43)
Commodity (3.32) (0.75)
Aggregate Value at Risk (5.06)% (1.53)%

The VaR for a market category represents the one-day downside
risk for the aggregate exposures associated with this market
category. The Aggregate Value at Risk listed above represents
the VaR of the Partnership's open positions across all the market
categories, and is less than the sum of the VaRs for all such
market categories due to the diversification benefit across asset
classes.

Because the business of the Partnership is the speculative trading
of futures and forwards, the composition of its trading portfolio
can change significantly over any given time period, or even
within a single trading day, which could positively or negatively
materially impact market risk as measured by VaR.

The table below supplements the quarter-end VaR set forth above
by presenting the Partnership's high, low and average VaR, as a
percentage of total net assets for the four quarter-end reporting
periods from April 1, 2003 through March 31, 2004.

Primary Market Risk Category High Low Average
Interest Rate (2.98)% (1.70)% (2.14)%

Currency (4.24) (1.77) (2.91)

Equity (1.24) (0.67) (0.90)

Commodity (3.32) (2.05) (2.46)

Aggregate Value at Risk (5.21)% (3.49)% (4.57)%

Limitations on Value at Risk as an Assessment of Market Risk
The face value of the market sector instruments held by the
Partnership is typically many times the applicable margin
requirements. Margin requirements generally range between 2% and
15% of contract face value. Additionally, the use of leverage
causes the face value of the market sector instruments held by the
Partnership to typically be many times the total capitalization of
the Partnership. The value of the Partnership's open positions
thus creates a "risk of ruin" not typically found in other
investments. The relative size of the positions held may cause
the Partnership to incur losses greatly in excess of VaR within a
short period of time, given the effects of the leverage employed
and market volatility. The VaR tables above, as well as the past
performance of the Partnership, give no indication of such "risk
of ruin". In addition, VaR risk measures should be viewed in light
of the methodology's limitations, which include the following:

? past changes in market risk factors will not always result in
accurate predictions of the distributions and correlations of
future market movements;
? changes in portfolio value caused by market movements may
differ from those of the VaR model;
? VaR results reflect past trading positions while future risk
depends on future positions;
? VaR using a one-day time horizon does not fully capture the
market risk of positions that cannot be liquidated or hedged
within one day; and
? the historical market risk factor data used for VaR estimation
may provide only limited insight into losses that could be
incurred under certain unusual market movements.

The VaR tables provided present the results of the Partnership's
VaR for each of the Partnership's market risk exposures and on an
aggregate basis at March 31, 2004 and 2003, and for the four
quarter-end reporting periods from April 1, 2003 through March 31,
2004. VaR is not necessarily representative of the Partnership's
historic risk, nor should it be used to predict the Partnership's
future financial performance or its ability to manage or monitor
risk. There can be no assurance that the Partnership's actual
losses on a particular day will not exceed the VaR amounts
indicated above or that such losses will not occur more than once
in 100 trading days.

Non-Trading Risk
The Partnership has non-trading market risk on its foreign cash
balances not needed for margin. These balances and any market
risk they may represent are immaterial.

The Partnership also maintains a substantial portion
(approximately 90% as of March 31, 2004) of its available assets
in cash at Morgan Stanley DW. A decline in short-term interest
rates would result in a decline in the Partnership's cash
management income. This cash flow risk is not considered to be
material.

Materiality, as used throughout this section, is based on an
assessment of reasonably possible market movements and any
associated potential losses, taking into account the leverage,
optionality and multiplier features of the Partnership's market-
sensitive instruments, in relation to the Partnership's net
assets.

Qualitative Disclosures Regarding Primary Trading Risk Exposures
The following qualitative disclosures regarding the Partnership's
market risk exposures - except for (A) those disclosures that are
statements of historical fact and (B) the descriptions of how the
Partnership manages its primary market risk exposures - constitute
forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section
27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Securities
Exchange Act.
The Partnership's primary market risk exposures, as well as the
strategies used and to be used by Demeter and the Trading Manager
for managing such exposures, are subject to numerous
uncertainties, contingencies and risks, any one of which could
cause the actual results of the Partnership's risk controls to
differ materially from the objectives of such strategies.
Government interventions, defaults and expropriations, illiquid
markets, the emergence of dominant fundamental factors, political
upheavals, changes in historical price relationships, an influx of
new market participants, increased regulation and many other
factors could result in material losses, as well as in material
changes to the risk exposures and the risk management strategies
of the Partnership. Investors must be prepared to lose all or
substantially all of their investment in the Partnership.

The following were the primary trading risk exposures of the
Partnership at March 31, 2004, by market sector. It may be
anticipated, however, that these market exposures will vary
materially over time.

Interest Rate. The primary market exposure of the Partnership at
March 31, 2004 was to the global interest rate complex. Exposure
was primarily spread across the U.S., European and Japanese
interest rate sectors. Interest rate movements directly affect
the price of the sovereign bond futures positions held by
the Partnership and indirectly affect the value of its stock
index and currency positions. Interest rate movements in one
country, as well as relative interest rate movements between
countries, materially impact the Partnership's profitability. The
Partnership's primary interest rate exposure is generally to
interest rate fluctuations in the U.S. and the other G-7
countries. The G-7 countries consist of France, the U.S.,
Britain, Germany, Japan, Italy and Canada. However, the
Partnership also takes futures positions in the government debt
of smaller nations - e.g., Australia. Demeter anticipates that
the G-7 countries and Australian interest rates will remain the
primary interest rate exposure of the Partnership for the
foreseeable future. The speculative futures positions held by
the Partnership may range from short to long-term instruments.
Consequently, changes in short, medium, or long-term interest
rates may have an effect on the Partnership.

Currency. The second largest market exposure of the Partnership
at March 31, 2004 was to the currency complex. The Partnership's
currency exposure is to exchange rate fluctuations, primarily
fluctuations which disrupt the historical pricing relationships
between different currencies and currency pairs. Interest rate
changes, as well as political and general economic conditions
influence these fluctuations. At March 31, 2004, the
Partnership's exposure was mostly to outright U.S. dollar
positions. Outright positions consist of the U.S. dollar vs.
other currencies. These other currencies include major and minor
currencies. Demeter does not anticipate that the risk profile of
the Partnership's currency sector will change significantly in
the future. The currency trading VaR figure includes foreign
margin amounts converted into U.S. dollars with an incremental
adjustment to reflect the exchange rate risk inherent to the
U.S.-based Partnership in expressing VaR in a functional currency
other than U.S. dollars.

Equity. The third largest market exposure of the Partnership at
March 31, 2004 was primarily to equity price risk in the G-7
countries. The stock index futures traded by the Partnership are
by law limited to futures on broadly-based indices. At March 31,
2004, the Partnership's primary exposures were to the Euro Stoxx
50 (Europe) and NASDAQ (U.S.) stock indices. The Partnership is
exposed to the risk of adverse price trends or static markets in
the U.S., European and Japanese stock indices. Static markets
would not cause major market changes, but would make it difficult
for the Partnership to avoid trendless price movements resulting
in numerous small losses.

Commodity.
Energy. At March 31, 2004, the Partnership's energy
exposure was primarily to futures contracts in crude oil and
its related products, and natural gas. Price movements in
these markets result from geopolitical developments,
particularly in the Middle East, as well as weather patterns
and other economic fundamentals. Significant profits and
losses, which have been experienced in the past, are
expected to continue to be experienced in the future.
Natural gas has exhibited volatility in prices resulting
from weather patterns and supply and demand factors and will
likely continue in this choppy pattern.

Metals. The Partnership's metals exposure at March 31, 2004
was to fluctuations in the price of precious metals, such as
gold and silver, and base metals, such as copper, aluminum,
nickel and zinc. Economic forces, supply and demand
inequalities, geopolitical factors and market expectations
influence price movements in these markets. The Trading
Manager, from time to time, takes positions when market
opportunities develop and Demeter anticipates that the
Partnership will continue to do so.

Soft Commodities and Agriculturals. At March 31, 2004, the
Partnership had exposure to the markets that comprise these
sectors. Most of the exposure was to the cotton, coffee and
corn markets. Supply and demand inequalities, severe
weather disruptions and market expectations affect price
movements in these markets.

Qualitative Disclosures Regarding Non-Trading Risk Exposure
The following was the only non-trading risk exposure of the
Partnership at March 31, 2004:

Foreign Currency Balances. The Partnership's primary foreign
currency balances at March 31, 2004 were in euros,
Australian dollars and Japanese yen. The Partnership
controls the non-trading risk of foreign currency balances
by regularly converting them back into U.S. dollars upon
liquidation of their respective positions.

Qualitative Disclosures Regarding Means of Managing Risk Exposure
The Partnership and the Trading Manager, separately, attempt to
manage the risk of the Partnership's open positions in essentially
the same manner in all market categories traded. Demeter attempts
to manage market exposure by diversifying the Partnership's assets
among different market sectors and trading approaches, and by
monitoring the performance of the Trading Manager daily. In
addition, the Trading Manager establishes diversification
guidelines, often set in terms of the maximum margin to be
committed to positions in any one market sector or market-
sensitive instrument.

Demeter monitors and controls the risk of the Partnership's non-
trading instrument, cash. Cash is the only Partnership investment
directed by Demeter, rather than the Trading Manager.

Item 4. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
(a) As of the end of the period covered by this quarterly
report, the President and Chief Financial Officer of
the general partner, Demeter, have evaluated the
effectiveness of the Partnership's disclosure controls
and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-
15(e) of the Exchange Act), and have judged such
controls and procedures to be effective.

(b) There have been no significant changes in the
Partnership's internal controls or in other factors
that could significantly affect these controls
subsequent to the date of their evaluation.

PART II. OTHER INFORMATION

Item 1. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
None.

Item 5. OTHER INFORMATION
Management. The following changes have been made to the Board of
Directors and Officers of Demeter:

Mr. Jeffrey S. Swartz resigned his position as a Director of
Demeter.

Ms. Louise M. Wasso-Jonikas, age 50, will become a Director of
Demeter once she has registered with the National Futures
Association as an associated person, which registration is
currently pending. Ms. Wasso-Jonikas is a Managing Director of
Morgan Stanley and Director of Alternative Investments for the
Individual Investor Group (IIG) of Morgan Stanley. Ms. Wasso-
Jonikas rejoined Morgan Stanley in 1999. Ms. Wasso-Jonikas was
Co-Founder and President/Chief Operating Officer of Graystone
Partners, an objective consulting firm, from 1993 to 1999, when
Graystone was acquired by Morgan Stanley. Prior to founding
Graystone, Ms. Wasso-Jonikas was a Senior Vice President at
Bessemer Trust and opened their Chicago office. She also was a
Vice President at the Northern Trust in their Wealth Management
Services Group where she worked exclusively with their largest
private clients and family offices throughout the U.S and abroad
serving their broad investment and custody needs. Ms.
Wasso-Jonikas also worked as an Equity Block Trader with Goldman
Sachs and with Morgan Stanley advising and managing money for
private clients. Ms. Wasso-Jonikas' focus is on developing a
robust external manager platform utilizing alternative managers
for IIG clients, as well as overseeing some of the firm's largest
client relationships. Ms. Wasso-Jonikas holds a BA in Economics
from Mount Holyoke College and an MBA in Finance from the
University of Chicago Graduate School of Business.

Item 6. EXHIBITS AND REPORTS ON FORM 8-K

(A) Exhibits

3.01 Amended and Restated Limited Partnership Agreement of the
Partnership, is incorporated by reference to Exhibit A of
the Partnership's prospectus, dated May 12, 1997, filed
with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to
Rule 424(b)(3) under the Securities Act of 1933 on May
13, 1997.
10.01 Amended and Restated Management Agreement among the
Partnership, Demeter and John W. Henry and Company, Inc.,
dated as of May 12, 1997, is incorporated by reference to
Exhibit 10.01 of the Partnership's Form 10-Q for the
quarter ended June 30, 2002 (File No. 0-19046) filed with
the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 12,
2002.
10.01(a) Amendment to Amended and Restated Management Agreement
between the Partnership and John Henry & Company, dated
November 30, 2000, is incorporated by reference to
Exhibit 10.01 of the Partnership's Form 8-K (file No. 0-
19046) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission
on January 31, 2001.
10.02 Amended and Restated Customer Agreement between the
Partnership and Morgan Stanley DW Inc., dated as of June 22,
2000, is incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.01 of the
Partnership's Form 8-K (File No. 0-19046) filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission on November 13, 2001.

10.03 Commodity Futures Customer Agreement between Morgan
Stanley & Co. Incorporated and the Partnership, and
acknowledged and agreed to by Morgan Stanley DW Inc.,
dated as of May 1, 2000, is incorporated by reference to
Exhibit 10.02 of the Partnership's Form 8-K (File No.
0-19046) filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission on November 13, 2001.
10.04 Customer Agreement between the Partnership and Morgan
Stanley & Co. International Limited, dated as of May
1, 2000, is incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.04 of
the Partnership's Form 8-K (File No. 0-19046) filed with
the Securities and Exchange Commission on November
13, 2001.
10.05 Foreign Exchange and Options Master Agreement between
Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated and the Partnership,
dated as of April 30, 2000, is incorporated by reference
to Exhibit 10.05 of the Partnership's Form 8-K (File No.
0-19046) filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission on November 13, 2001.
10.06 Amendment to Amended and Restated Management Agreement
between the Partnership and John W. Henry & Company,
Inc., dated as of November 30, 2000, is incorporated by
reference to Exhibit 10.01 of the Partnership's Form 8-K
(File No. 0-19046) filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission on January 3, 2001.
10.07 Securities Account Control Agreement among the
Partnership, Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated, and
Morgan Stanley DW Inc., dated as of May 1, 2000, is
incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.03 of the
Partnership's Form 8-K (File No. 0-19046) filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission on November 13, 2001.
31.01 Certification of President of Demeter Management
Corporation, the general partner of the Partnership,
pursuant to rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e), as adopted
pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of
2002.
31.02 Certification of Chief Financial Officer of Demeter
Management Corporation, the general partner of the
Partnership, pursuant to rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e),
as adopted pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley
Act of 2002.
32.01 Certification of President of Demeter Management
Corporation, the general partner of the Partnership,
pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted
pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of
2002.
32.02 Certification of Chief Financial Officer of Demeter
Management Corporation, the general partner of the
Partnership, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as
adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act
of 2002.

(B) Reports on Form 8-K - None.

SIGNATURE

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on
its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

Dean Witter Portfolio Strategy Fund L.P.
(Registrant)

By: Demeter Management Corporation
(General Partner)

May 10, 2004 By:/s/Jeffrey D. Hahn
Jeffrey D. Hahn
Chief Financial Officer

The General Partner which signed the above is the only party
authorized to act for the Registrant. The Registrant has no
principal executive officer, principal financial officer,
controller, or principal accounting officer and has no Board of
Directors.

EXHIBIT 31.01

CERTIFICATIONS

I, Jeffrey A. Rothman, President of Demeter Management Corporation
("Demeter"), the general partner of the registrant, certify that:

1. I have reviewed this quarterly report on Form 10-Q of the
registrant;

2. Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue
statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact
necessary to make the statements made, in light of the
circumstances under which such statements were made, not
misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;

3. Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other
financial information included in this report, fairly present
in all material respects the financial condition, results of
operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the
periods presented in this report;

4. The registrant's other certifying officer and I are responsible
for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and
procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-
15(e)) for the registrant and have:

a) Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused
such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under
our supervision, to ensure that material information relating
to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries,
is made known to us by others within those entities,
particularly during the period in which this report is being
prepared;

b) Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant's disclosure
controls and procedures and presented in this report our
conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure
controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered
by this report based on such evaluation; and

c) Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant's
internal control over financial reporting that occurred
during the registrant's most recent fiscal quarter (the
registrant's fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual
report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely
to materially affect, the registrant's internal control over
financial reporting; and

5. The registrant's other certifying officer and I have disclosed,
based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over
financial reporting, to the registrant's auditors and the audit
committee of Demeter's board of directors (or persons
performing the equivalent functions):

a) All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the
design or operation of internal control over financial
reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the
registrant's ability to record, process, summarize and report
financial information; and

b) Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management
or other employees who have a significant role in the
registrant's internal control over financial reporting.

Date: May 10, 2004 /s/Jeffrey A. Rothman
Jeffrey A. Rothman
President,
Demeter Management Corporation,
general partner of the registrant

EXHIBIT 31.02

CERTIFICATIONS
I, Jeffrey D. Hahn, Chief Financial Officer of Demeter Management
Corporation ("Demeter"), the general partner of the registrant,
certify that:

1. I have reviewed this quarterly report on Form 10-Q of the
registrant;

2. Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue
statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact
necessary to make the statements made, in light of the
circumstances under which such statements were made, not
misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;

3. Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other
financial information included in this report, fairly present
in all material respects the financial condition, results of
operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the
periods presented in this report;

4. The registrant's other certifying officer and I are responsible
for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and
procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-
15(e)) for the registrant and have:

a) Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused
such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under
our supervision, to ensure that material information relating
to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries,
is made known to us by others within those entities,
particularly during the period in which this report is being
prepared;

b) Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant's disclosure
controls and procedures and presented in this report our
conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure
controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered
by this report based on such evaluation; and

c) Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant's
internal control over financial reporting that occurred
during the registrant's most recent fiscal quarter (the
registrant's fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual
report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely
to materially affect, the registrant's internal
control over financial reporting; and

5. The registrant's other certifying officer and I have disclosed,
based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over
financial reporting, to the registrant's auditors and the audit
committee of Demeter's board of directors (or persons
performing the equivalent functions):

a) All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the
design or operation of internal control over financial
reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the
registrant's ability to record, process, summarize and report
financial information; and

b) Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management
or other employees who have a significant role in the
registrant's internal control over financial reporting.

Date: May 10, 2004 /s/Jeffrey D. Hahn
Jeffrey D. Hahn
Chief Financial Officer,
Demeter Management Corporation,
general partner of the registrant

EXHIBIT 32.01

CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO
18 U.S.C. SECTION 1350,
AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO
SECTION 906 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

In connection with the Quarterly Report of Dean Witter Portfolio
Strategy Fund L.P. (the "Partnership") on Form 10-Q for the period
ended March 31, 2004 as filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission on the date hereof (the "Report"), I, Jeffrey A.
Rothman, President, Demeter Management Corporation, the general
partner of the Partnership, certify, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section
1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act
of 2002, that, to the best of my knowledge:
(1) The Report fully complies with the requirements of Section
13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; and

(2) The information contained in the Report fairly presents,
in all material respects, the financial condition and
results of operations of the Partnership.

By: /s/ Jeffrey A. Rothman

Name: Jeffrey A. Rothman
Title: President

Date: May 10, 2004

EXHIBIT 32.02

CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO
18 U.S.C. SECTION 1350,
AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO
SECTION 906 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

In connection with the Quarterly Report of Dean Witter Portfolio
Strategy Fund L.P. (the "Partnership") on Form 10-Q for the period
ended March 31, 2004 as filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission on the date hereof (the "Report"), I, Jeffrey D. Hahn,
Chief Financial Officer, Demeter Management Corporation, the
general partner of the Partnership, certify, pursuant to 18 U.S.C.
Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-
Oxley Act of 2002, that, to the best of my knowledge:
(1) The Report fully complies with the requirements of Section
13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; and
(2) The information contained in the Report fairly presents,
in all material respects, the financial condition and
results of operations of the Partnership.

By: /s/ Jeffrey D. Hahn

Name: Jeffrey D. Hahn
Title: Chief Financial Officer

Date: May 10, 2004

DEAN WITTER PORTFOLIO STRATEGY FUND L.P.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONCLUDED)