Futures Magazine February 2013
Cover Story
Top 20 most influential: 2012 movers and shakers
In a year dominated by crises — both natural and political — squeezing our annual list of largest influencers down to 20 was difficult. One thing this year highlighted was that money and power trump all as we learned that — at least in the banking world — there are...
Cover Story
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Tops & bottoms of 2012
Stormy in more ways than one, 2012 was a rough year. Here is our tongue-in-cheek look back over its defining events.
Editor's Note
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Clown Congress
February editor's note from Ginger Szala
Markets
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Clearing the view on energy's 2013 outlook
Although the supply outlook is increasingly positive, global demand questions remain for oil, natural gas and other energy products.
Options Strategy
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Use an at-the-money vertical spread to make a big-ticket earnings play
Suppose Apple or some other big stock is going into earnings. You want to take a directional shot, but you don’t want to commit the large amount of capital that is required either for a stock purchase or as margin for a short sale.
Forex Trader
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FX and intermarket 2013 preview
One way to understand the currency dynamics of 2013 is to review the intermarket performances of the last four years and grasp the relationships between currencies, equities and commodities.
Trading Techniques
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Channeling trends in stocks
How to use the commodity channel index to analyze price movements and to predict trends, either short- or long-term in nature.
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Eurodollar yields and a twisted curve
With the Federal Reserve shifting its investments into longer-term securities, opportunities may lie in rate spreads between Eurodollars and Treasuries.
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Minimizing loss: Run-length trade statistics
How many losses should you accept before mothballing your system? Simple statistics can help you decide how much pain to bear.
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Diversification for a brave new world
Diversification is a longstanding goal for equity investors, but as the investment landscape evolves, the rules of the diversifying game change.
Technology & Trading
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Breaking new ground with neural nets
After reviewing neural nets’ past failures and charting a course for a more modern application of the technology in the previous installment, we bring into focus the fuzzy promises of the past and build the framework for using these tools in trading.
Managed Money
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Sortino ratio: A better measure of risk
Tom Rollinger and Scott Hoffman explain why the Sortino ratio is a superior measure of risk that doesn’t punish excessive positive returns.
Trading 101
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How to leverage market contango and backwardation
While exotic sounding, contago and backwardation are normal conditions in futures markets. Traders must be aware of both states and adjust accordingly.
Trader Profiles
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Black & Dean’s options evolution
ITB Capital Management's Jeff Dean and Gerry Black
Software Review
Book Reviews
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Winning with ETF Strategies
Bruce Greig reviews “Winning with ETF Strategies” by Max Isaacman
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The Trader’s Guide To Key Economic Indicators
Billy Williams reviews “The Trader’s Guide To Key Economic Indicators ” by Richard Yamarone
