Systematic intraday and multi-day futures programs that target precise dislocations — with hard-coded risk controls, no discretion, and full transparency on every trade.
Short-term trading is the most operationally demanding category we work in. Programs hold positions for hours or days rather than weeks or months, which means execution quality, fill discipline, and infrastructure reliability matter more here than in any other style. It’s also where the trader’s psychological edge tends to be smallest — which is precisely why the strategies that work in this space are almost always systematic, not discretionary.
If you’re an allocator looking for an uncorrelated diversifier with shorter capital deployment cycles than trend following, or a sophisticated trader who wants short-term systems run on professional infrastructure rather than your own desktop, this is the page worth reading.
What we mean by short-term trading
The short-term programs we work with hold positions from a few minutes to a few days. They look for repeatable patterns in price action, volatility, order-book dynamics, or intermarket relationships — and they exit before the trade becomes a longer-horizon directional bet.
Style-wise, the programs we run fall into three buckets: mean-reversion around statistical extremes (selling tops and buying bottoms in liquid markets), breakout continuation (riding momentum off range expansions), and intermarket arbitrage (relative-value plays across correlated instruments). Each has a different return profile and a different reason for existing.
How we implement
Three things separate a short-term program that works in live markets from one that only worked in backtest:
Execution infrastructure. A signal that triggers at 9:31:14 needs to result in a fill within milliseconds, not seconds, or the edge is gone. Our short-term programs run on monitored, low-latency infrastructure with direct exchange connectivity through our FCM relationships (R.J. O’Brien, StoneX Financial, Phillip Capital), not retail-grade order routing.
Risk controls baked into the code, not bolted on. Every position has a pre-defined stop, a maximum holding period, and an account-level drawdown circuit breaker that flattens everything if the system breaches its expected envelope. Risk parameters are visible and auditable.
Live reconciliation. Every fill is reconciled against the system’s intended trade by end of day. When a slippage event or partial fill happens (it will, eventually) we know about it before the next session.
Programs we deploy in this category are fully rules-based — no manual override, no discretionary tinkering during drawdowns, no “let’s let this winner run.” If the system says exit, we exit.
Who this is for
Short-term programs are most appropriate for allocators and traders who:
Want exposure to managed futures with a different return profile than classic trend following — typically shorter drawdowns, lower per-trade risk, but smaller per-trade expected return.
Have allocation sizes that can absorb higher commission and slippage costs as a percentage of capital (short-term programs trade more frequently, so transaction costs matter more).
Value the operational transparency of running a system through a separately managed account where every fill is visible, rather than through a pooled fund.
Are comfortable with the realistic expectation that short-term systems work in periods when their edge is present, and sit flat or take small losses when it isn’t.
Account minimums and structure
Most short-term programs we provide access to accept separately managed accounts starting at $50,000 – $250,000 depending on the program. Some capacity-constrained intraday systems require more.
Accounts are opened in the client’s name at one of our cleared FCMs. The trading authority is granted to the CTA running the program. Cash and positions remain in your name throughout, and you receive daily statements directly from the FCM.
Request the program brief
If you’d like to see the disclosure document, historical performance, and program-specific details for the short-term systems we provide access to, request the program brief below. A principal will respond, typically within one business day.
Frequently asked questions
How is short-term different from trend following or momentum?
The holding period and what the system is trying to capture. Short-term programs aim to capture small, frequent edges over hours-to-days holding periods. Trend following aims for the occasional large move over weeks-to-months. Momentum sits somewhere in between, capturing persistence in price action over weeks. The three styles are typically uncorrelated and many sophisticated allocators run combinations.
What’s a typical drawdown profile for short-term systems?
Generally shallower than trend following but more frequent. A well-designed short-term program might experience 5–10% drawdowns multiple times per year, with the worst historical drawdowns in the 15–20% range for most styles. Specific drawdown statistics are provided in the program disclosure document for each system.
How much do commissions and slippage matter?
A lot. A short-term system trading 200 round-turns per year per million dollars of allocation will pay materially more in transaction costs than a trend-following system trading 30 round-turns. We negotiate institutional commission rates through our FCMs and disclose every basis point. Net-of-cost performance is the only number that matters — we report it directly.
Can I run a short-term program alongside a managed futures or trend-following allocation?
Yes, and most clients with meaningful capital do exactly that. Short-term systems are typically uncorrelated to longer-horizon programs, so combining them improves the portfolio Sharpe ratio without proportionally adding risk. Our managed futures program selection process is built around exactly this kind of multi-style construction.
Who is on the other side of these trades?
Predominantly market makers, other systematic funds, and broader institutional flow. Short-term systematic strategies are, in aggregate, taking liquidity and capturing edges that other market participants either don’t notice or aren’t fast enough to exploit. The edges are statistical, not structural — which is why they decay and need to be continuously researched and updated by the CTA running the program.
Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Trading futures and options involves substantial risk of loss and is not suitable for all investors. Short-term systematic programs are speculative and may involve a high degree of risk. The information on this page is for general educational purposes and does not constitute investment advice or an offer to sell or solicitation of an offer to buy any specific managed futures program. Specific program details, including disclosure documents, are provided directly to qualified prospects under standard NFA-compliant procedures.