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Creighton AI, a west coast quant equity fund manager which launched its computer-driven global long/short strategy earlier this year, has named Ryan Willson as chief executive officer.
Willson (pictured) was previously head of North America at the San Francisco- and London-based quantitative investment firm, which specialises in systematic global equity long/short and long-only strategies using proprietary machine-learning algorithms.
Before Creighton AI, Willson – who has some 25 years’ experience building boutique investment firms – was CEO of Lateef Investment Management, whose assets grew from USD300 million to USD6 billion. Earlier in his career, he held roles at Merrill Lynch and
FUND LAUNCHES
CQS, Sir Michael Hintze’s (pictured) long-running multi-strategy credit-focused hedge fund firm, has launched a new actively-managed strategy which aims to generate higher returns across corporate sub-investment grade opportunities against a backdrop of increased volatility and unpredictable markets.
The CQS Total Return Credit Fund targets a range of geographies, asset classes and sectors, across various ratings classes, using a bottom-up, fundamental research process.
The UCITS compliant strategy – managed by Craig Scordellis, head of multi-asset credit, and Darren Toner, head of high yield investment grade and financial portfolios – will use an unconstrained investment approach to scope out the strongest opportunities
FUND PERFORMANCE
Managed futures hedge funds have mounted an impressive fightback in recent weeks after finishing last month in the red, with new data from Société Générale showing its key CTA and trend-following indices storming into positive territory at February’s mid-way point.
This corner of the hedge fund industry – which aims to capitalise on market trends across a selection of asset classes, including equities, bonds, commodities and currencies, typically using computer-driven algorithms – endured fluctuating fortunes in January. Equity market losses as a result of the GameStop fiasco, coupled with currency losses, ultimately sank early-month gains in commodities and bonds.
Now,
FUND LAUNCHES
Falcon Investment Management and ex-JP Morgan strategist Arman Salavitabar are launching a US equity-focused long/short hedge fund on the London-based firm’s multi-manager investment platform.
The Sala Vita L/S Equity Fund brings together human analysis and machine learning algorithms, combining systematic equity selection and market timing signals to manage a long/short portfolio of single stocks.
The new fund, which targets uncorrelated, absolute returns of more than 10 per annum through trading S&P 500 names, will be positioned to outperform in high-volatility market environments in order to complement investors’ broader equity portfolios.
“Capital markets are just starting to see the type of
Cryptocurrency
Hedge funds are continuing to profit from the ongoing surge in cryptocurrencies, as more managers pour money into digital assets’ record rise this year.
Hedge funds trading blockchain digital currency and distributed ledger technologies, as measured by Hedge Fund Research’s Blockchain Composite Index, soared over 48 per cent in January, opening 2021 in style after gaining a remarkable 189 per cent last year.
Meanwhile, HFR’s Cryptocurrency Index – a performance-based benchmark of fundamental and quantitative hedge funds that trade cryptocurrencies directly, including bitcoin, ether, litecoin, as well as new initial coin offerings – was also up more than 48 per cent in
ANALYTICS
New analysis by quantitative hedge fund Two Sigma Investments reveals how last month’s ‘Reddit raid’ by retail traders upended factor-based investment metrics, as the fallout from the GameStop saga continues to reverberate across the hedge fund industry.
MANAGER INSIGHTS
Since launching last summer, BNP Paribas Asset Management’s Environmental Absolute Return Thematic (EARTH) hedge fund has generated a striking double-digit return, trading long and short positions in energy, materials, agriculture and industrial companies across both developed and emerging markets.
The ESG-focused strategy – which is managed jointly by Edward Lees and Ulrik Fugmann (pictured, above left with Lees), co-heads of BNPP AM’s Environmental Strategies Group in London – invests long in companies that are actively addressing environmental challenges, such as carbon emissions, waste production, and food, water and energy concerns. It then pairs them with short positions in unsustainable firms, or those
FUND LAUNCHES
Redhedge Asset Management has launched a new relative value hedge fund focusing on European investment-grade credit markets, tapping into increased demand from institutional investors.
The Redhedge Relative Value UCITS strategy fuses quantitative and qualitative investment processes, and aims to offer returns decorrelated from broader financial markets.
The fund, managed by CEO and CIO Andrea Seminara, and Voon Kiat Lai, senior portfolio manager, will use fundamental analysis to zero in on credit market dislocations.
Seminara said the UCITS fund will offer institutional investors, such as pension funds and family offices that cannot invest in non-UCITS, access to a market-neutral, low-volatility and
FUND PERFORMANCE
Brummer & Partners’ flagship multi-manager hedge fund vehicle squeezed into positive territory in October, despite rising Covid-19 infections and renewed lockdown fears sending stock markets southwards following a strong early start to the month.
The Stockholm-based multi-strategy hedge fund firm’s Brummer Multi-Strategy (BMS) multi-manager fund – which invests in a range of single-strategy hedge funds – rose 0.1 per cent in its dollar share class, and 0.2 per cent in its SEK-denominated tranche. It is now up 4.4 per cent since the start of the year.
The Brummer Multi-Strategy 2xL (BMS 2xL) SEK class meanwhile posted estimated returns of 0.2
GUEST ARTICLE
Is the convergence of liquid and illiquid alternatives really in the best interests of investors?
GUEST ARTICLE
Is the convergence of liquid and illiquid alternatives really in the best interests of investors?