Critical Accounting Policies (Policies) | 3 Months Ended |
Mar. 31, 2014 |
Use of Estimates | ' |
Use of Estimates. The preparation of financial statements and accompanying notes in conformity with GAAP requires the General Partner to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, income and expenses, and related disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities in the financial statements and accompanying notes. As a result, actual results could differ from these estimates. |
Partnership's and the Funds' Investments | ' |
Partnership’s and the Funds’ Investments. All commodity interests held by the Partnership, including derivative financial instruments and derivative commodity instruments, through its investments in the Funds, are held for trading purposes. The commodity interests are recorded on trade date and open contracts are recorded at fair value (as described below) at the measurement date. Investments in commodity interests denominated in foreign currencies are translated into U.S. dollars at the exchange rates prevailing at the measurement date. Gains or losses are realized when contracts are liquidated. Unrealized gains or losses on open contracts are included as a component of equity in trading account on the Funds’ Statements of Financial Condition. Net realized gains or losses and any change in net unrealized gains or losses from the preceding period are reported in the Fund’s Statements of Income and Expenses and Changes in Partners’ Capital. |
Partnership's and the Funds' Fair Value Measurements | ' |
Partnership’s and the Funds’ Fair Value Measurements. Fair value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date under current market conditions. The fair value hierarchy gives the highest priority to unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1) and the lowest priority to fair values derived from unobservable inputs (Level 3). The level in the fair value hierarchy within which the fair value measurement in its entirety falls shall be determined based on the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement in its entirety. The General Partner has concluded that based on available information in the marketplace, the Funds’ Level 1 assets and liabilities are actively traded. |
GAAP also requires the use of judgment in determining if a formerly active market has become inactive and in determining fair values when the market has become inactive. The General Partner has concluded that based on available information in the marketplace, there has not been a significant decrease in the volume and level of activity in the Partnership’s and the Funds’ Level 2 assets and liabilities. |
The Partnership and the Funds will separately present purchases, sales, issuances and settlements in their reconciliation of Level 3 fair value measurements (i.e., to present such items on a gross basis rather than on a net basis), and make disclosures regarding the level of disaggregation as well as the inputs and valuation techniques used to measure fair value for measurements that fall within either Level 2 or Level 3 of the fair value hierarchy as required under GAAP. |
The Partnership and the Funds consider prices for exchange-traded commodity futures, forwards and options contracts to be based on unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets and liabilities (Level 1). The values of non-exchange-traded forwards, swaps and certain options contracts for which market quotations are not readily available, are priced by broker-dealers that derive fair values for those assets and liabilities from observable inputs (Level 2). Investments in funds (other commodity pools) where there are no other rights or obligations inherent within the ownership interest held by the Partnership are priced based on the end of the day net asset value (Level 2). The value of the Partnership’s investments in the Funds reflects its proportional interest in the Funds. As of and for the periods ended March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, the Partnership and the Funds did not hold any derivative instruments that were priced at fair value using unobservable inputs through the application of the General Partner’s assumptions and internal valuation pricing models (Level 3). During the three months ended March 31, 2014 and twelve months ended December 31, 2013, there were no transfers of assets and liabilities between Level 1 and Level 2. |
Futures Contracts | ' |
Futures Contracts. The Funds trade futures contracts. A futures contract is a firm commitment to buy or sell a specified quantity of investments, currency or a standardized amount of a deliverable grade commodity, at a specified price on a specified future date, unless the contract is closed before the delivery date or if the delivery quantity is something where physical delivery cannot occur (such as the S&P 500 Index), whereby such contract is settled in cash. Payments (“variation margin”) may be made or received by the Funds each business day, depending on the daily fluctuations in the value of the underlying contracts, and are recorded as unrealized gains or losses by the Funds. When the contract is closed, the Funds record a realized gain or loss equal to the difference between the value of the contract at the time it was opened and the value at the time it was closed. Transactions in futures contracts require participants to make both initial margin deposits of cash or other assets and variation margin deposits, through the futures broker, directly with the exchange on which the contracts are traded. Net realized gains (losses) and changes in net unrealized gains (losses) on futures contracts are included in the Funds’ Statements of Income and Expenses and Changes in Partners’ Capital. |
Forward Foreign Currency Contracts | ' |
Forward Foreign Currency Contracts. Forward foreign currency contracts are those contracts where the Funds agree to receive or deliver a fixed quantity of foreign currency for an agreed-upon price on an agreed future date. Forward foreign currency contracts are valued daily, and the Funds’ net equity therein, representing unrealized gain or loss on the contracts as measured by the difference between the forward foreign exchange rates at the dates of entry into the contracts and the forward rates at the reporting date, is included in the Funds’ Statements of Financial Condition. Net realized gains (losses) and changes in net unrealized gains (losses) on forward foreign currency contracts are recognized in the period in which the contract is closed or the changes occur, respectively, and are included in the Funds’ Statements of Income and Expenses and Changes in Partners’ Capital. |
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The Funds do not isolate the portion of the results of operations arising from the effect of changes in foreign exchange rates on investments Funds’ from fluctuations due to changes in market prices of investments held. Such fluctuations are included in net income (loss) in the Funds’ Statements of Income and Expenses and Changes in Partners’ Capital. |
London Metals Exchange Forward Contracts | ' |
London Metals Exchange Forward Contracts. Metal contracts traded on the London Metals Exchange (“LME”) represent a firm commitment to buy or sell a specified quantity of aluminum, copper, lead, nickel, tin or zinc. LME contracts traded by the Funds are cash settled based on prompt dates published by the LME. Payments (“variation margin”) may be made or received by the Funds each business day, depending on the daily fluctuations in the value of the underlying contracts, and are recorded as unrealized gains or losses by the Funds. A contract is considered offset when all long positions have been matched with a like number of short positions settling on the same prompt date. When the contract is closed at the prompt date, the Funds record a realized gain or loss equal to the difference between the value of the contract at the time it was opened and the value at the time it was closed. Transactions in LME contracts require participants to make both initial margin deposits of cash or other assets and variation margin deposits, through the broker, directly with the LME. Net realized gains (losses) and changes in net unrealized gains (losses) on metal contracts are included in the Funds’ Statements of Income and Expenses and Changes in Partners’ Capital. |
Investment Company Status | ' |
Investment Company Status. Effective January 1, 2014, the Partnership adopted, Accounting Standards Update (“ASU 2013-08”), “Financial Services — Investment Companies (Topic 946): Amendments to the Scope, Measurement and Disclosure Requirements.” ASU 2013-08 changes the approach to the investment company assessment, requires non-controlling ownership interests in other investment companies to be measured at fair value, and requires additional disclosures about the investment company’s status as an investment company. ASU 2013-08 is effective for interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2013. The adoption of this ASU did not have a material impact on the Partnership’s financial statements. Based on management’s assessment, the Partnership has been deemed to be an investment company since inception. It has all of the fundamental and typical characteristics of an investment company. |
Income Taxes | ' |
Income Taxes. Income taxes have not been provided as each partner is individually liable for the taxes, if any, on its share of the Partnership’s income and expenses. |
GAAP provides guidance for how uncertain tax positions should be recognized, measured, presented and disclosed in the financial statements and requires the evaluation of tax positions taken or expected to be taken in the course of preparing the Partnership’s financial statements to determine whether the tax positions are “more-likely-than-not” to be sustained by the applicable tax authority. Tax positions with respect to tax at the Partnership level not deemed to meet the “more-likely-than-not” threshold would be recorded as a tax benefit or expense in the current year. The General Partner has concluded that no provision for income tax is required in the Partnership’s financial statements. |
The Partnership files U.S. federal and various state and local tax returns. No income tax returns are currently under examination. The 2010 through 2013 tax years remain subject to examination by U.S. federal and most state tax authorities. The General Partner does not believe that there are any uncertain tax positions that require recognition of a tax liability. |
Net Income (loss) per unit | ' |
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Net Income (loss) per unit. Net income (loss) per unit is calculated in accordance with investment company guidance. See Note 2, “Financial Highlights.” |
Subsequent Events | ' |
Subsequent Events. The General Partner evaluates events that occur after the balance sheet date but before financial statements are issued. The General Partner has assessed the subsequent events through the date of issuance and has determined that there were no subsequent events requiring adjustment of or disclosure in the financial statements. |