Industry Updates

Parker FX Index down -1.19% in March, -0.23% YTD

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

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Opalesque Industry Update – The Parker FX Index is reporting a -1.19% return for the month of March, 2012. On a risk-adjusted basis, the Index was down -0.51%% in March (-0.10% YTD).

Fifty-one programs in the Index reported March results, of which fourteen reported positive results, thirty-six incurred losses and one manager was flat.

The median return for the month was down -0.96%, while the performance for March ranged from a high of +2.57% to a low of -8.00%.

In addition to the broad Parker FX Index, there are two style driven sub-indices: the Parker Systematic Index, which tracks those managers whose decision process is rule based, and the Parker Discretionary Index, which tracks managers whose decision process is judgmental. During March, the Systematic Index was down -2.02%, and the Discretionary Index decreased by -0.35%. On a risk-adjusted basis, the Parker Systematic Index was down -0.73% in March, and the Parker Discretionary Index was down -0.25%.

The top three performing constituent programs for the month of March, on a reported basis, returned +2.57%, +2.15% and +1.80%, respectively. The top three performers on a risk-adjusted basis returned +2.90%, +1.64% and +1.39%, respectively.

Capital markets pulled back broadly on disappointing economic reports across the eurozone and Asia, with the US dollar outperforming both developed and emerging market currencies. The US Dollar Index was higher by +0.34%, with the dollar gaining +0.81% against the euro and +1.90% against the yen. Austerity measures in place by the euro zone periphery have helped dampened global trade, resulting in weaker industrial production. Fears of a hard landing in China demonstrated by weak PMI manufacturing figures further led to a broad-based de-risking.

Commodity driven currencies suffered largely in response to the poor Chinese economic data. For the month, the Australian and New Zealand dollars weakened -4.14% and -2.79%, versus the dollar.

The Parker FX Index is a performance-based benchmark that measures both the reported and the riskadjusted returns of global currency managers. It is the first index used to analyze unleveraged (risk-adjusted) performance in order to calculate pure currency alpha, or manager skill. The 315-month compounded annual return since inception (January, 1986 through March, 2012) is up +10.98 % on a reported basis and up +3.00% on a riskadjusted basis.

From inception (January, 1986 through March, 2012) the compounded annual return for the Parker Systematic Index and the Parker Discretionary Index, on a reported basis, is +11.18% and +9.03%, respectively. From inception, the compounded annualized return, on a risk-adjusted basis, for the Parker Systematic Index and the Parker Discretionary Index, is +2.67% and +3.56%, respectively.

(press release)

Parkerglobal.com

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