CMF Winton Master L.P.
Notes to Financial Statements
Market risk is the potential for changes in the value of the financial instruments traded by the Master due to market changes, including interest and foreign exchange rate movements and fluctuations in commodity or security prices. Market risk is directly impacted by the volatility and liquidity in the markets in which the related underlying assets are traded. The Master is exposed to market risk equal to the value of futures and forward contracts held and unlimited liability on such contracts sold short.
Credit risk is the possibility that a loss may occur due to the failure of a counterparty to perform according to the terms of a contract. The Master’s risk of loss in the event of a counterparty default is typically limited to the amounts recognized in the Statements of Financial Condition and is not represented by the contract or notional amounts of the instruments. The Master’s risk of loss is reduced through the use of legally enforceable master netting agreements with counterparties that permit the Master to offset unrealized gains and losses and other assets and liabilities with such counterparties upon the occurrence of certain events. The Master has credit risk and concentration risk, as MS&Co., MS&Co. affiliate and/or JPMorgan are counterparties or brokers with respect to the Master’s assets. Credit risk with respect to exchange-traded instruments is reduced to the extent that, through MS&Co. or an MS&Co. affiliate, the Master’s counterparty is an exchange or clearing organization.
The General Partner monitors and attempts to mitigate the Master’s risk exposure on a daily basis through financial, credit and risk management monitoring systems and, accordingly, believes that it has effective procedures for evaluating and limiting the credit and market risks to which the Master may be subject. These monitoring systems generally allow the General Partner to statistically analyze actual trading results with risk-adjusted performance indicators and correlation statistics. In addition, online monitoring systems provide account analysis of futures, forward and option contracts by sector, margin requirements, gain and loss transactions and collateral positions.
The majority of these instruments mature within one year of the inception date. However, due to the nature of the Master’s business, these instruments may not be held to maturity.
In the ordinary course of business, the Master enters into contracts and agreements that contain various representations and warranties and which provide general indemnifications. The Master’s maximum exposure under these arrangements cannot be determined, as this could include future claims that have not yet been made against the Master. The General Partner considers the risk of any future obligation relating to these indemnifications to be remote.
Since its discovery in December 2019, a new strain of coronavirus, which causes the viral disease known as COVID-19, has spread from China to many other countries, including the United States. The outbreak has been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization, and the U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary has declared a public health emergency in the United States in response to the outbreak.
The COVID-19 pandemic and related voluntary and government-imposed social and business restrictions has impacted global economic conditions and adversely affected various industries (including, but not limited to, transportation, hospitality and entertainment), resulting in volatility in the global financial markets, disruption in global supply chains, increased unemployment, and operational challenges such as the temporary and permanent closures of businesses, sheltering-in-place directives and increased remote work protocols. If the pandemic continues to be prolonged or the actions of governments and central banks are unsuccessful, including actions to facilitate the comprehensive distribution of effective vaccines, the adverse impact on the global economy will deepen.
Given the continuing development of this situation, it is not possible to accurately predict how the market disruptions caused by COVID-19 will further impact the U.S and other world economies or the value of the Master’s investments, or for how long the effects of such events will continue. Nevertheless, the novel coronavirus continues to present material uncertainty and risk with respect to the Master’s investments and operations.