IASG

The Masters just wrapped... and Greg Taunt noticed the same pattern investors should care about.

The favorites (Rory, Scottie) took the top two spots, as expected. Consistency over time is rare in golf, and it's rare in trading too. That's why, at IASG, we typically recommend a 3-to-5-year horizon when allocating to CTAs... long enough for programs to prove themselves across different market cycles.

Greg's latest piece walks through how building a CTA portfolio mirrors picking a Master's roster: the heavyweights, the contenders, the rising talent, and the cautionary tales every investor should know.

Read it here:

Choosing a Masters and Trading Winners With the conclusion of the 90th Masters Tournament, it struck me how much selecting a winner mirrors choosing a CTA for an investment portfolio. In any single tournament, a long-shot player can steal the show and post a career-defining victory. Yet the managers who deliver the most reliable long-ter...

New listing in the IASG database: FTC Capital GmbH — FTC Futures Fund Classic C (EUR)

A systematic, multi-strategy futures fund with a trend-following core spanning equity indices, rates, bonds, currencies, and commodities. Short-term trading and arbitrage models provide additional diversification. Strategies developed between 2005 and 2011, live since 2018.

Explore the full profile and performance history on IASG: https://www.iasg.com/groups/ftc-capital-gmbh1/programs/ftc-futures-fund-classic-c-eur/snapshot

FTC Futures Fund Classic C EUR Snapshot | FTC Capital GmbH | IASG PAST PERFORMANCE IS NOT NECESSARILY INDICATIVE OF FUTURE RESULTS. THE RISK OF LOSS IN TRADING COMMODITY FUTURES, OPTIONS, AND FOREIGN EXCHANGE ("FOREX") IS SUBSTANTIAL.

Two of the world's largest oil reserve holders are in simultaneous disruption: Venezuela under a new interim government and Iran in active conflict controlling the Strait of Hormuz chokepoint.

The downstream effects on crude pricing, sanctioned oil flows to China, and Gulf Coast refinery economics are significant and likely underappreciated by most market participants.

New analysis on the IASG blog:

Iran, Venezuela, and the New Global Oil Order Recent events remind us that balance in energy markets can be delicate. A conflict in the Middle East and the removal of a sitting President in Venezuela resulted in sharp moves across the energy industry in early 2026. Currently, the Iran War is creating havoc in crude shipments, affecting the worl...

Systematic or discretionary, which trading approach is better?

Systematic traders rely on rules and data.
Discretionary traders rely on judgment and experience.

Both can work. Both have risks.

We explain the key differences, recent performance data, and how many investors blend both approaches for diversification.

Read more:

Systematic vs. Discretionary Trading: Which Strategy Is Right for Your Portfolio? Investors face many choices when selecting investments. Historically, the main divide was between fundamental and technical trading. The growth of computer systems for trading has introduced a potentially larger variable that will only increase as AI advances, whether in systematic (rules-based) or....