Commodity pools are like the REITs of the commodity world, and some of them can be categorized as hedge funds or managed futures accounts (MFAs).
Accredited investors, who meet qualifying requirements regarding income and total net worth, pool their money to be managed by a commodity pool operator (CPO) or commodity trading advisor (CTA) for the purpose of investing in commodities and commodity derivative instruments.
The National Futures Association (NFA) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) regulate commodity pools. Accredited investors can participate in commodity pools, which are funds that invest solely in commodities and their derivatives.
Where commodities are involved, the SEC is not the regulatory authority; these investments fall under the scope of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and the National Futures Association. They are managed by commodity pool operators (CPOs) or commodity trading advisors (CTAs), which are titles that could belong to a hedge fund manager.
By pooling the money of many accredited investors, the fund is able to take institutional-level positions that would not have been available to any of the investors individually.
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