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Confluence, a provider of data-driven solutions to optimise asset management operations, efficiency and control, has appointed Irfan Salim to its board of directors.
Salim brings with him more than 30 years of experience leading fast growing business software companies.
Salim most recently served as president and CEO of MarkMonitor, a leader in the enterprise brand protection space, which was acquired by Thomson Reuters in 2012.
Prior to MarkMonitor, he was the president and chief operating officer of Zone Labs, an internet security company, where he led its growth strategy and ensuing sale to Check Point Technologies in 2004.
Regulation and more detailed operational due diligence questionnaires used by institutional investors are pushing hedge funds to the limit of data management. Transparency is as great as it has ever been, but with that comes the need to process enormous volumes of data. Right now, however, large numbers of hedge funds do not have the required operational infrastructure to run a ‘Big Data’ strategy.
According to the results of a survey published by Thomson Reuters on 12 August 2014, 41 per cent of respondents (including broker-dealers, asset managers and hedge funds) currently lack a big data solution. The survey, ‘Big
September proved a challenging month for many investors as equities, bonds and credit sold off.
The MSCI World index was down 2.7 per cent, while the Barclays Global Aggregate Bond index lost 2.8 per cent, according to GAM.
Global macro hedge funds delivered 1.5 per cent, while the broader hedge fund universe was down 0.8 per cent, as measured by the HFRX Macro/CTA index and the HFRX Global Hedge Fund index, respectively (returns stated in US dollar terms).
“September was an encouraging month for global macro investors as the strategy delivered positive returns in the face of rising
AIFMD Annex IV reporting is rapidly approaching for alternative investment fund managers (AIFMs) and with that deadline has come a last minute scramble to determine reporting requirements, according to ConceptOne.
The FCA released two documents pertaining to Annex IV reporting for both EU and non-EU AIFMs on 29 September and a related Q&A on 1 October, 2014. The documents seek to clarify questions on report content and timing which are still causing confusion for managers.
Coinciding with the FCA releases, ESMA published its long awaited update to the Questions and Answers, Application of the AIFMD. The update answers a
Vanguard this week launched four Irish-domiciled Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) on the London Stock Exchange. The new funds complement Vanguard’s existing ETF range and will give UK investors the opportunity to construct low-cost equity portfolios with greater international diversification.
Vanguard Asset Management now offers thirteen ETFs in the UK. Since launching its range in May 2012, Vanguard now has more than USD10bn in European ETF assets under management.
The new ETFs will seek to track the performance of broadly diversified FTSE indices. The ongoing costs for Vanguard’s European ETF suite range from 0.07 per cent to 0.29 per cent
Castle Hall Alternatives has formed a partnership with SwissAnalytics, based in Zurich, to extend the reach of the OpsDiligence online diligence platform.
SwissAnalytics, founded in 2008, is a due diligence firm which has completed operational diligence on more than 400 fund entities.
“We’re delighted to partner with Castle Hall,” says Christian Nauer, CEO of SwissAnalytics. “SwissAnalytics and Castle Hall have, since inception, both adopted an identical business model, orientated around client service, independence of opinion, and lack of conflicts of interest. Both our firms believe that, to be effective, a diligence provider should only service the buy side investor
Average daily volume (ADV) in VIX futures was 178,531 contracts during September, an increase of 21 per cent from September 2013 and a decrease of 18 per cent when compared to the record ADV in August 2014.
According to CBOE, total volume in VIX futures was 3.75 million contracts during September, up 27 per cent from September 2013 and down 18 per cent from the record total volume in August 2014.
September exchange-wide ADV was 178,993 contracts, a 20-per cent increase from a year ago and an 18-per cent decrease from the record daily volume in August 2014. Exchange-wide
Marketing agency DotComWebDesign is adding a dedicated hedge fund marketing service to its business, with the aim of helping clients exploit the greater marketing freedoms introduced by the JOBS Act.
With the addition of this new division, DotComWebDesign hopes to service the full range of hedge funds, interested in strategic marketing services.
Offering everything from custom web design, to integrated PPC/SEO, DotComWebDesign sees itself as a ‘one stop shop for the modern hedge fund’.
Brandywine Global Investment Management has appointed Chen Zhao as co-director of global macro research effective from 1 January 2015.
He will serve alongside his former colleague, Francis Scotland.
Chen and Scotland will work together to develop the firm’s proprietary macro research.
Scotland says: “Chen is a rock star in the global macro space, well known for his sometimes provocative, but always practical and bottom line, views on the economy and markets. He is really going to both solidify and enhance the contribution of our macro research effort to the firm’s investment process.”
Co-lead portfolio manager, David Hoffman,
FinEx group has entered the commodities arena through the establishment of a specialist boutique business providing hedging and risk management services to commodity producers and consumers on a global basis.
The business enterprise established through FinEx Commodity Partners will provide a full range of over-the-counter (OTC) solutions and transactions to a global client base, through the creation of hedging programmes and strategies specifically tailored for each client’s individual demands.
FinEx group has assembled a team of eight commodity and structured product professionals, led by Simon Smith, former managing director and head of OTC commodity solutions at Jefferies Bache in
