Accounting Policies (Policies) | 12 Months Ended |
Dec. 31, 2013 |
Use of Estimates | ' |
Use of Estimates. The preparation of financial statements and accompanying notes in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) requires management 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. |
Statement of Cash Flows | ' |
Statement of Cash Flows. The Partnership is not required to provide a Statement of Cash Flows. |
Partnership's and the Funds' Investments | ' |
| | Partnership’s and the Funds’ Investments. All commodity interests including derivative financial instruments and derivative commodity instruments held by the Partnership and 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 Partnership’s and 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 included in the Partnership’s and the Funds’ Statements of Income and Expenses. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
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. Management has concluded that, based on available information in the marketplace, the Partnership’s and 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. Management has concluded that based on available information in the marketplace, that 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 and 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. |
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On October 1, 2012, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (the “FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2012-04, “Technical Corrections and Improvements,” which makes minor technical corrections and clarifications to Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 820, “Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures.” When the FASB issued Statement 157 (codified in ASC 820), it conformed the use of the term “fair value” in certain pre-codification standards but not others. ASU 2012-04 conforms the term’s use throughout the ASC “to fully reflect the fair value measurement and disclosure requirements” of ASC 820. ASU 2012-04 also amends the requirements that must be met for an investment company to qualify for the exemption from presenting a statement of cash flows. Specifically, it eliminates the requirements that substantially all of an entity’s investments be carried at “market value” and that the investments be highly liquid. Instead, it requires substantially all of the entity’s investments to be carried at “fair value” and classified as Level 1 or Level 2 measurements under ASC 820. |
The Partnership and the Funds consider prices for exchange-traded commodity futures, forwards, swaps 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 years ended December 31, 2013 and 2012, the Partnership/Funds did not hold any derivative instruments that were priced at fair value using unobservable inputs through the application of management’s assumptions and internal valuation pricing models (Level 3). During the years ended December 31, 2013 and 2012, there were no transfers of assets or liabilities between Level 1 and Level 2. |
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| | December 31, | | | Quoted Prices in | | | Significant Other | | | Significant | |
2013 | Active Markets | Observable Inputs | Unobservable |
| for Identical | (Level 2) | Inputs (Level 3) |
| Assets and | | |
| Liabilities | | |
| (Level 1) | | |
Assets | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Investment in Funds | | $ | 1,181,894,789 | | | $ | — | | | $ | 1,181,894,789 | | | $ | — | |
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Net fair value | | | 1,181,894,789 | | | $ | — | | | | 1,181,894,789 | | | $ | — | |
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| | December 31, | | | Quoted Prices in | | | Significant Other | | | Significant | |
2012 | Active Markets | Observable Inputs | Unobservable |
| for Identical | (Level 2) | Inputs (Level 3) |
| Assets and | | |
| Liabilities | | |
| (Level 1) | | |
Assets | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Forwards | | $ | 549,269 | | | $ | 549,269 | | | $ | — | | | $ | — | |
Investment in Funds | | | 1,391,594,441 | | | | — | | | | 1,391,594,441 | | | | — | |
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Total assets | | $ | 1,392,143,710 | | | $ | 549,269 | | | $ | 1,391,594,441 | | | $ | — | |
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Liabilities | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Forwards | | $ | 1,053,819 | | | $ | 1,053,819 | | | $ | — | | | $ | — | |
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Total liabilities | | | 1,053,819 | | | | 1,053,819 | | | | — | | | | — | |
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Net fair value | | $ | 1,391,089,891 | | | $ | (504,550 | ) | | $ | 1,391,594,441 | | | $ | — | |
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Futures Contracts | ' |
Futures Contracts. The Funds trade futures contracts and exchange-cleared swaps. Exchange-cleared swaps are swaps that are traded as futures. 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. |
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-upon 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. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
The Funds do not isolate that portion of the results of operations arising from the effect of changes in foreign exchange rates on investments from fluctuations from changes in market prices of investments held. Such fluctuations are included in net income (loss) in the Funds’ Statements of Income and Expenses. |
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 Partnership and the Funds are cash-settled based on prompt dates published by the LME. Payments (“variation margin”) may be made or received by the Partnership and 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 Partnership and 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 Partnership and 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 Statements of Income and Expenses. |
Options | ' |
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Options. The Funds may purchase and write (sell) both exchange-listed and over-the-counter (“OTC”) options on commodities or financial instruments. An option is a contract allowing, but not requiring, its holder to buy (call) or sell (put) a specific or standard commodity or financial instrument at a specified price during a specified time period. The option premium is the total price paid or received for the option contract. When the Funds write an option, the premium received is recorded as a liability in the Funds’ Statements of Financial Condition and marked to market daily. When the Funds purchase an option, the premium paid is recorded as an asset in the Funds’ Statements of Financial Condition and marked to market daily. Net realized gains (losses) and changes in net unrealized gains (losses) on option contracts are included in the Funds’ Statements of Income and Expenses. |
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Brokerage Commissions | ' |
Brokerage Commissions. Commission charges to open and close futures and exchange-cleared swap contracts are expensed at the time the positions are opened. Commission charges on option contracts are expensed at the time the position is established and when the option contract is closed. |
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. Management does not believe that there are any uncertain tax positions that require recognition of a tax liability. |
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 determined that other than that described in Note 9 to the financial statements, no events have occurred that require adjustments to or disclosure in the financial statements. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Recent Accounting Pronouncements | ' |
Recent Accounting Pronouncements. In June 2013, the FASB issued ASU 2013-08, “Financial Services — Investments 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. The amendments are effective for interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2013. The Partnership is currently evaluating the impact this pronouncement would have on the financial statements. |
Net Income (loss) per unit | ' |
Net Income (loss) per unit. Net income (loss) per unit is calculated in accordance with investment company guidance. See Note 7, “Financial Highlights”. |