Definition
The term commodity trading advisor refers to an individual or organization that provides advice to a pool of investors in futures contracts and commodity options. Commodity trading advisors are regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission as well as the National Futures Association.
Explanation
A commodity pool is an enterprise in which funds are contributed by a number of investors. In doing so, they are able to gain leverage, participate in a greater number of trades and reduce risk. A commodity pool operator, or CMO, solicits funds and invests them on behalf of individuals. The CMO may provide this investment advice or they can hire a commodity trading advisor, also referred to as a CTA, to provide those services. Techniques used by CTAs fall into three broad categories:
Technical CTAs will chart patterns and use computer programs to track price trends, analyze the information and execute trades programmatically.
Fundamental CTAs try to predict prices by evaluating supply and demand patterns.
Quantitative CTAs typically have a strong background in mathematics and perform complex statistical analysis of price trends before executing trades.
Regardless of the approach, all CTAs are registered as a Commodity Trading Advisor with the National Futures Association and have typically passed the Series 3 National Commodity Futures Exam to demonstrate proficiency in the market.
Related Terms
The term commodity pool operator refers to an individual or organization that is responsible for soliciting funds and investing those funds in futures and options contracts. Participating in commodity pools allows investors to gain leverage while reducing risk.
Moneyzine EditorJanuary 11th, 2024
The term commodity pool refers to an enterprise consisting of individual investors combining their funds to trade in futures contracts and options as a single entity. Commodity pools allow investors to gain leverage while reducing risk.Moneyzine EditorNovember 6th, 2024
The term commodity refers to any mass-produced, unspecialized product which is oftentimes used as a raw material when creating a more specialized product. While the quality of a particular commodity may have specifications, its production oftentimes spans many suppliers.Moneyzine EditorNovember 6th, 2024
The term Commodity Futures Trading Commission refers to an organization responsible for fostering open, transparent, competitive, and financially sound markets. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission is an independent governmental organization.Moneyzine EditorNovember 6th, 2024
