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8-K - FORM 8-K - GRANT PARK FUTURES FUND LIMITED PARTNERSHIPf8k_042914.htm
 
EXHIBIT 99.1
 

Grant Park Fund Weekly Commentary
For the Week Ended April 25, 2014
 
Current Month
 
Rolling Performance*
 
Rolling Risk Metrics* (May 2009 – Apr 2014)
Class
 
Week ROR
MTD
ROR
YTD
ROR
 
1 yr
Ann
ROR
3 yr
Ann
ROR
5 yr
Ann
ROR
10 yr
Ann
ROR
 
Annualized
ROR
Annualized Standard Deviation
Maximum
Drawdown
Sharpe
 Ratio
Sortino Ratio
A
-0.9%
-0.7%
-7.0%
 
-11.3%
-10.8%
-5.8%
-0.3%
 
-5.8%
10.4%
-29.0%
-0.5
-0.7
B**
-0.9%
-0.7%
-7.2%
 
-11.8%
-11.4%
-6.4%
-1.0%
 
-6.4%
10.4%
-30.4%
-0.6
-0.8
Legacy 1***
-0.8%
-0.5%
-6.3%
 
 -9.3%
 -8.8%
-3.9%
N/A
 
-3.9%
10.2%
-24.1%
-0.3
-0.5
Legacy 2***
-0.8%
-0.5%
-6.4%
 
 -9.5%
-9.1%
-4.2%
N/A
 
-4.2%
10.2%
-24.8%
-0.4
-0.5
Global 1***
-0.8%
-0.5%
-6.3%
 
 -8.9%
-8.0%
-4.7%
N/A
 
-4.7%
9.8%
-23.0%
-0.4
-0.6
Global 2***
-0.8%
-0.5%
-6.3%
 
 -9.2%
-8.3%
-5.0%
N/A
 
-5.0%
9.7%
-24.1%
-0.5
-0.7
Global 3***
-0.8%
-0.6%
-6.9%
 
-10.6%
-9.8%
-6.7%
N/A
 
-6.7%
9.8%
-30.5%
-0.7
-0.8
                             
S&P 500 Total Return Index****
-0.1%
-0.4%
1.4%
 
19.1%
13.4%
18.9%
7.5%
 
18.9%
13.6%
-16.3%
1.4
2.3
Barclays Capital U.S. Long Gov Index****
1.2%
2.2%
9.4%
 
-5.7%
8.3%
6.5%
7.0%
 
6.5%
11.3%
-15.5%
0.6
1.0
*
Performance metrics are calculated using month-to-date performance estimates. All performance data is subject to verification.
**
Units began trading in August 2003.
***
Units began trading in April 2009.
****
Index is unmanaged & is not available for direct investment. Please see Indices Overview (below) for more information. Weekly RORs are calculated
using data acquired through Bloomberg.
 
 
Portfolio Positions by Sectors and Markets (Two largest positions within each sector)
 
 
Portfolio for A, B and Legacy units
 
Portfolio for Global units
Sector
Sector
      Market
 
Sector
     Market
Exposure
Position
Contract
Exposure
  Position
 
Exposure
Position
Contract
Exposure
Position
COMMODITIES
32%
         
32%
       
Energy
17%
Long
Crude Oil
3.8%
Long
 
17%
Long
Crude Oil
3.8%
Long
Brent Crude Oil
3.5%
Long
 
Brent Crude Oil
3.5%
Long
Grains/Foods
10%
Long
Soybeans
3.0%
Long
 
10%
Long
Soybeans
3.0%
Long
Corn
1.8%
Long
 
Corn
1.8%
Long
Metals
5%
Long
Aluminum
1.1%
Long
 
5%
Long
Aluminum
1.1%
Long
Silver
0.8%
Short
 
Silver
0.8%
Short
FINANCIALS
68%
         
68%
       
Currencies
34%
Short $
Euro
4.9%
Long
 
34%
Short $
Euro
4.9%
Long
Japanese Yen
4.8%
Short
 
Japanese Yen
4.9%
Short
Equities
15%
Long
S&P 500 Index
3.1%
Long
 
15%
Long
S&P 500 Index
3.1%
Long
DJ Eurostoxx 50 Index
2.0%
Long
 
DJ Eurostoxx 50 Index
2.0%
Long
Fixed Income
19%
Long
Bunds
4.0%
Long
 
19%
Long
Bunds
3.9%
Long
U.S. Treasury Bonds
2.9%
Long
 
U.S. Treasury Bonds
2.9%
Long

 
Market Commentary (Largest price movements within each sector)
 
Sector/Market
Energy
Crude oil prices declined by more than 3% due to reduced industrial demand.  Natural gas prices fell as demand fell and a larger-than-expected increase in domestic inventories accumulated.
Grains/Foods
Sugar prices increased in excess of 3% after a large decrease in expected output from Brazilian farmers was reported.  Cotton prices advanced by more than 3% as Chinese demand remained elevated despite rising prices.
Metals
Precious metal markets rallied as the instability in Ukraine increased the demand for safe-haven assets.  Copper prices rose by more than 2% because of strong seasonal demand from Chinese buyers.
Currencies
The Australian dollar depreciated against counterparts after the Reserve Bank of Australia reported a lower-than-expected inflation rate, a condition which reduced the likelihood of interest rate hikes from the nation’s central bank.  The Canadian dollar weakened as a result of weaker-than-expected Chinese factory data and intraweek strength in the U.S. dollar.
Equities
The Hang Seng Index fell by more than 2% as concerns regarding the future of the Chinese economy weighed on investor sentiment.  Australian equity markets rallied by more than 1%, driven by weaker than expected inflation data and by beliefs the Reserve Bank of Australia will keep interest rates unchanged.
Fixed Income
Prices for U.S. Treasury bonds and German Bunds increased as demand for safe-haven assets increased due to the uncertainty in Ukraine and late-week equity market declines.
 
 
 
 
 
ALL PERFORMANCE REPORTED IS NET OF FEES AND EXPENSES.  PAST PERFORMANCE IS NOT NECESSARILY INDICATIVE OF FUTURE RESULTS. FUTURES TRADING INVOLVES A HIGH DEGREE OF RISK AND IS NOT SUITABLE FOR ALL INVESTORS. FUTURES TRADING INVOLVES A HIGH DEGREE OF RISK, INCLUDING LIQUIDITY RISKS, NO SECONDARY MARKET EXISTS, RESTRICTIONS ON REDEMPTIONS, AND THE RISK OF FOREIGN SECURITIES.  THIS DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN OFFER OF ANY SECURITY FOR SALE.  OFFERING BY PROSPECTUS ONLY.  INFORMATION IN THIS COMMENTARY IS DRAWN FROM VARIOUS SOURCES THAT ARE DEEMED TO BE RELIABLE. HOWEVER, THE INFORMATION IS NOT AUDITED BY DEARBORN CAPITAL.  IN ADDITION, DEARBORN CAPITAL DRAWS UPON THIS INFORMATION TO MAKE ITS OWN ASSUMPTIONS WHICH COULD BE CONSIDERED DEARBORN CAPITAL’S OPINION.  DEARBORN CAPITAL BELIEVES THAT ANY SUCH STATEMENTS OF OPINION HAVE A REASONABLE BASIS IN FACT.
 

 
 

 

Performance Chart
 
Barclays Capital U.S. Long Government Index (formerly Lehman Brothers U.S. Government Index:  Long Subset): A benchmark comprised of the Barclays Capital U.S. Treasury and U.S. Agency indices.  The U.S. Long Government Index includes Treasuries (public obligations of the U.S. Treasury that have remaining maturities of more than ten years) and U.S. agency debentures (publicly issued debt of U.S. Government agencies, quasi-federal corporations, and corporate or foreign debt guaranteed by the U.S. Government). The U.S. Government Index is a component of the Barclays Capital U.S. Government Index.

Compounded Annualized Rate of Return (ROR): This is the geometric 12-month mean that assumes the same rate of return for each 12-month period to arrive at the equivalent compound growth rate reflected in the actual return data.

Standard and Poor’s 500 Total Return Index (S&P 500 Index): A weighted index of the 500 stocks in the S&P 500 Index, which are chosen by Standard and Poor’s based on industry representation, liquidity, and stability.  The stocks in the S&P 500 Index are not the 500 largest companies; rather the index is designed to capture the returns of many different sectors of the U.S. economy.  The total return calculation includes the price-plus-gross cash dividend return.


 
Risk Metrics Chart
 
Drawdown: A drawdown is any losing period during an investment’s performance history. It is defined as the percent retrenchment from an equity peak to an equity valley. Maximum drawdown is simply the largest percentage drawdown that has occurred during the specified time frame. Grant Park’s drawdowns are computed based on month-end equity values.

Sharpe Ratio: A return/risk measure defined as the average incremental return of an investment over the risk free rate.

Sortino Ratio: A ratio developed to differentiate between good and bad volatility. The calculation provides a risk-adjusted measure of performance without penalizing for upward price changes.

Standard Deviation: Measures the dispersal or uncertainty in a random variable (in this case, investment returns). It measures the degree of variation of returns around the mean, or average, return. The higher the volatility of the investment returns, the higher the standard deviation will be. For this reason, standard deviation is often used as a measure of investment risk.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
ALL PERFORMANCE REPORTED IS NET OF FEES AND EXPENSES.  PAST PERFORMANCE IS NOT NECESSARILY INDICATIVE OF FUTURE RESULTS. FUTURES TRADING INVOLVES A HIGH DEGREE OF RISK AND IS NOT SUITABLE FOR ALL INVESTORS. FUTURES TRADING INVOLVES A HIGH DEGREE OF RISK, INCLUDING LIQUIDITY RISKS, NO SECONDARY MARKET EXISTS, RESTRICTIONS ON REDEMPTIONS, AND THE RISK OF FOREIGN SECURITIES.  THIS DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN OFFER OF ANY SECURITY FOR SALE.  OFFERING BY PROSPECTUS ONLY.  INFORMATION IN THIS COMMENTARY IS DRAWN FROM VARIOUS SOURCES THAT ARE DEEMED TO BE RELIABLE. HOWEVER, THE INFORMATION IS NOT AUDITED BY DEARBORN CAPITAL.  IN ADDITION, DEARBORN CAPITAL DRAWS UPON THIS INFORMATION TO MAKE ITS OWN ASSUMPTIONS WHICH COULD BE CONSIDERED DEARBORN CAPITAL’S OPINION.  DEARBORN CAPITAL BELIEVES THAT ANY SUCH STATEMENTS OF OPINION HAVE A REASONABLE BASIS IN FACT.