Chicago Tribune – Strong returns are a mixed blessing this year for investment funds that specialize in trading futures contracts.

While the stock market plunged about 35 percent, managed futures funds posted annual returns of about 16 percent, according to the Credit Suisse Tremont Hedge Fund Index.

That makes them one of the few havens for investors at a time when pensions, retirement savings and even prominent local hedge funds such as Citadel Investment Group and Magnetar Capital LLC have recorded big losses.

But the success of managed futures has also left them vulnerable to client withdrawals. Because market turmoil froze the assets in many portfolios, some institutional and individual investors are pulling money from managed futures.

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