The good news for Introducing Brokers (IBs) offering direct managed futures accounts might be found in industry growth projections.   Bold industry discussions are eyeing a target of $3 trillion in managed futures assets under management. That’s a long way from the current level of $267 billion, according to the latest 4th quarter estimate from Barclay Hedge.  If this were to come even close to true, the resulting explosive growth would not only be historic in the cloistered futures and options industry, but more significantly it would represent a monumental shift in the core investing landscape.  While this may sound…...

An interview with former Managing Director at the Chicago Board of Trade and author of Zero-Sum Game, Erika Olson. Erika Olson was a newly hired managing director at the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) when the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) made an $8 billion offer to buy the company in October 2006. Her book, Zero-Sum Game: The Rise of the World’s Largest Derivatives Exchange, is based on detailed notes she took over the course of a year as a bidding war between CME and IntercontinentalExchange (ICE) erupted for CBOT.  Now that the same futures executives in Olson’s book are helping…...

John C. Jensen President, Membership Chairman of National Introducing Brokers Association Interview Date: January, 2011 Interviewed by John F. Gallwas – Founder of Striker Securities John C. Jensen (NFA 229230) is President of the National Introducing Brokers Association (“NIBA”), a Chicago based trade association. The NIBA provides a format for the members of the commodity futures industry to address mutual areas of interest, as well as to provide an information platform for the public. Members include Introducing Brokers (“IB”), Commodity Trading Advisors (“CTA”), Futures Commission Merchants (“FCM”), futures exchanges, and industry regulators. Mr. Jensen is also President and Founder of…...

Bucky Isaacson President, Futures Funding Consultants Inc. (NFA 1974) Program(s) Developed: Co-Chairman CTA Expo Chicago, New York Interview Date: December, 2010 Interviewed by John F. Gallwas – Founder of Striker Securities Bucky Isaacson became one of the early pioneers of managed futures when he joined a group in 1969 that developed a computerized trading system. From that point forward he has focused on developing managed futures business, particularly in Asia, and becoming a prominent leader in the managed futures field. He is a former member of the Board of Directors of the National Futures Association and currently serves on the…...

Corn’s Market Demand: Where Do We Go From Here? Darin Newsom, Senior Analyst, DTN At the 2010 NIBA Conference, recognized analyst Darin Newsom of DTN  provided attendees with a brief commentary on one of the hottest commodities–corn. We are pleased to present the slides and video of his presentation. Corn’s Demand Market Presentation slides (PDF) Video ends at 12:30 mark. We apologize for the technical difficulties at the beginning of this presentation. Please feel free to contact Darin at: 800.485.4000 ext.3679 or [email protected] Twitter: @DarinNewsom www.telventdtn.com...

Website Traffic Generation and Leveraging Your NIBA Membership A LIVE Interactive Discussion | Shane Stiles, President of gate39media How can you generate more traffic to your brokerage website? How do you increase your online visibility? And how can the NIBA help? Answers to these questions and how IBs and CTAs can benefit from the current and future versions of the NIBA website. It was a pleasure to speak at the NIBA Conference last week, the conference was a huge success. For anyone who was unable to attend, the video and slides from my presentation Website Traffic Generation and Leveraging Your NIBA…...

Social Networking is one hot topic these days. Globally, interest and participation in social media is growing at phenomenal rates. While people increasingly understand how to use Social Networking tools in their personal lives, businesses are experiencing uncertainty regarding the implications of using these tools in the workplace. One thing is for certain: the impact of online Social Networking is far-reaching and presents a range of challenges and opportunities for most organizations. Given the explosive growth of Social Networking sites, such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube and others, now is the time for companies to establish policies regarding their use…...

16 years ago, Horizon Cash Management asked a host of industry professionals to contribute their best tips for making the most of a conference. Remarkably, many of those suggestions are as timely and appropriate today as they were when first submitted. Among those helpful hints: “Set definite goals for what you expect to accomplish.  Make appointments in advance.  Bring lots of business cards and disclosure documents.  Focus on making friends, not just business contacts.  Talk to your competitors:  you might learn something important.  Eat and drink sensibly:  party some other time.”  –Jane Martin, MFA “Visit the exhibit hall early:  vendors often…...

As a futures professional, you are always focused on getting new clients, keeping the ones you have, and providing solid, up-to-date information that your clients will value. To help you do this, CME Group now offers free independent market analysis in the Education section of our website at: http://www.cmegroup.com/education/market-commentary/Commodities/ Intra-day Market Analysis: CME Group’s market analysis covers Grains, Currencies, Precious Metals and Energies and also provides technical insights into Equity Indexes.  And it’s provided by top industry analysts commenting on the most popular markets up to three times a day. Special Reports and Market Updates:    You’ll also find in-depth analysis of…...

With the NIBA Sales & Marketing Seminar set for October 20, 2009, followed the next day by the CTA Expo, our Members are presented with wonderful opportunities to meet other industry participants, such as CTAs and Capital Raisers, and to explore new business opportunities. But, are there any legal pitfalls to avoid when discussing or touting your business models?   While we must continuously navigate through the regulatory structure controlling registration requirements, types and methods of permissible solicitations of investors and how properly to configure revenue sharing arrangements, typically at professional conferences of this sort these legal issues are premature. …...