(Bloomberg) The longest winning streak in two decades propelled cotton to 2017’s biggest increase among crop commodities, and hedge funds are ready for more gains in 2018. Of the nine components tracked by the Bloomberg Agriculture Subindex, only cotton and wheat contracts posted gains last year. The fiber lead the way with an 11 percent advance as demand grew for U.S. exports. Prices capped 2017 with 10 straight weekly gains, the best streak since 1998.Cotton was also one of the few crops that hedge funds got more positive on during the course of the year. Money managers held a net-long position, or the difference between bets on a price increase and wagers on a decline, of 102,402 futures and options as of Dec. 26, according to U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission data released Friday. That’s up from 76,052 at the end of 2016.

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