Société Générale Corporate & Investment Banking (SG CIB) has announced the January performance data for its Newedge CTA performance indices. Managed futures started the year positively, following on from the strong performance achieved in the second half of 2014. All Newedge’s indices enjoyed positive monthly returns for the sixth consecutive month.

The Newedge CTA Index posted returns of 4.41% for the month, led by trend-following strategies, with the Newedge Trend Index returning +5.08% for the month. The first month of the year also saw positive returns for short-term strategies, with the Newedge Short Term Traders Index posting a return of 3.02%.

Data from the Newedge Trend Indicator shows that the currency and bond sectors were the main drivers of portfolio performance in the month: currency exposure contributed 4.12% and bonds 6.33%. Interest rate volatility remained low in January and contributed only 0.11%, while equity indices and commodities yielded mixed results.

James Skeggs, global head of advisory group at Société Générale Prime Services, said: “The performance numbers announced today show that the momentum generated in 2014 has continued into 2015 – January was an excellent month for CTAs. Our indices highlight that CTAs have been one of the best-performing hedge fund strategies over the last nine months and this has translated into a marked increased interest in managed futures from institutional investors.”