The Emerging Manager Fund Cash Account is unique because the typical separate institutional cash management account requires a minimum balance of $10M or more, especially one that requires custody. Horizon’s new account requires just $1M for cash balances that are in excess of margin requirements.

Horizon recognized that emerging managers and other small funds need cash management outside of their Futures Commission Merchant (FCM) accounts, after witnessing what occurred during the recent implosions of MF Global and Peregrine Financial Group. The excess cash left in those FCM accounts was held up in bankruptcy. This recognition was verified by Horizon’s 2012 CTA/CPO Survey, The Aftermath of MF Global and Peregrine Financial Group Meltdowns: A Crisis of Trust. The results of their survey revealed that 63% of respondents have been in business less than 10 years, and 54% of respondents manage under $5 million. Of those respondents, 73% have been impacted by one or more FCM failure. Just over $390 million of customer segregated funds was initially frozen in the bankruptcies experienced by this group.

Diane Mix Birnberg, Horizon Founder and Chairman, said, “We saw that emerging managers need solutions for protecting customers assets, and we responded with a product idea whose time has come. Horizon is happy to assist new and smaller managed futures funds with a cash management account specifically created for these emerging managers and their investors.”

With the built-in protections offered to all Horizon clients, and the expertise of Horizon’s seasoned investment team, emerging and small funds receive three key benefits from the account:

Safety: Cash balances cannot be encumbered;
Liquidity: Cash is available to meet margin and other cash needs;
Income: Horizon provides active cash management.

Press release

bc