Hedge Fund Huddle

From hands-on training to mentorship and real-world exposure, the Point72 Academy works with students and interns to demystify the industry and prepare them for careers in investing. Whether you're a student curious about hedge funds or a professional interested in how top firms develop talent, this conversation offers valuable insights into what it takes to break in—and stand out. Listen in as our Jamie McDonald sits down with Jaimi Goodfriend, Head of Investment Professional Development and Point72 Academy Director. Chapters (00:00:00) - Hedge Fund Huddle wins an award(00:01:00) - Point72 Academy's programs(00:03:27) - Jaimi Goodfriend's career(00:05:10) - The academy's origins(00:07:48) - The qualities that make great investors(00:09:37) - Attracting top talent(00:11:49) - Day in the life of an intern(00:13:35) - Transitioning from Analyst to Portfolio Manager(00:17:55) - An apprenticeship culture(00:22:02) - The numbers(00:23:40) - Strategies(00:26:30) - Advice to future investors

We are seeing a boom in hedge funds in the Middle East but what does it really mean to do business there and what is driving that growth? To help us discuss this topic, Jamie is joined by Chude Chidi-Ofong from Montague Square, Rob Thomas from Centralist Group, and LSEG's Jim Backhouse. What is it like living there? Investing there? And just how do the trends of domiciling in the Cayman Islands translate to the Middle East? Have a listen to our latest episode to find out.

On May 7, 2025, a group gathered in NYC and had the chance to experience the Huddle in person by taking part in an evening filled with fascinating stories and insights from past hedge fund managers. It was a behind-the-scenes look into their world as they shared their personal journeys, key moments, and the lessons they learned throughout their careers. These stories from the frontlines were recorded and are now available in our latest episode of the Hedge Fund Huddle. Listen as we are joined by our moderator, Michael Smith, Global Director, Customer Strategy & Execution at LSEG, Jamie McDonald, Hedge Fund Huddle podcast host, Derek Wallis, Author of ‘Occupy a Job on Wall Street,’ and Tracy Castle-Newman, Retired Managing Director, Morgan Stanley. We want to hear from you! If you've got questions, comments or would like to be a guest on the Huddle, get in touch with us at fmt@lseg.com.

We have reached the third and final episode in our recent series on the psychology of trading. Learning to understand what you are good at and where you can use improvement is beneficial in life as well as on the trading desk. In this episode, we are joined by two well-established veterans in the financial performance coaching industry to help break this idea down plus more. Let’s hear from Peter Burditt and Steven Goldstein.

In this episode, we explore the growing role of fixed income in the hedge fund space as firms increasingly diversify beyond traditional equity strategies. As market dynamics evolve, and electronic trading grows, hedge funds are turning to fixed income for new opportunities. David Rickard, Global Head of Fixed Income Trading Workflows at LSEG and Roderick Joniaux, Head of European Government Bonds and Supranational Products at Tradeweb, join us to talk about what this could mean for the future of the industry.

Is it skill or luck? Something we may not often consider or evaluate when trading. But, by using performance data, you should be able to analyse how to better execute trades based on certain factors. Did you ever consider what sorts of markets you are better at trading in or are certain performance biases holding you back? In the second episode in our series on the psychology of trading, we look to answer these questions and more. We are joined by Clare Flynn Levy, Founder and CEO of Essentia Analytics and we welcome back Dr. Richard Peterson who is a psychiatrist, and the CEO of MarketPsych. Chapters (00:00:00) - Introduction(00:01:48) - Clare's background(00:08:53) - Analysing performance as a fund manager(00:12:44) - Can unconventional approaches pay off?(00:19:26) - Navigating today's markets with optimisation(00:22:40) - Can our mindsets evolve with the markets?(00:27:38) - Short-term vs long-term(00:29:25) - Diagnosing alpha decay with data(00:35:49) - Sunk cost bias and the repurchase effect(00:39:15) - Why process matters

Confident, competitive, disciplined, introverted, anxious are just some of the traits that make up hedge fund traders. Some of them can be positive to one’s performance while others can tend to hurt potential and success. Traders are constantly learning how to deal with herd psychology, navigating bubbles and crashes as well as often trying to turn anxiety into something that is motivational and activates a game plan for success. Today we are kicking off a series focusing on the different pieces that help make up the psychology of trading and for our first episode, we are welcoming back two long-time experts in the field of psychology who work with traders to help them optimise performance on the desk and off. Dr. Richard Peterson is a psychiatrist, and the CEO of MarketPsych and Dr. Alden Cass is a licensed clinical psychologist and trading performance coach.

Exchange-traded funds, otherwise known as ETFs, have been growing in popularity and are expected to continue to do so in the future. Just what is it that makes them so attractive and are they something hedge funds should be paying more attention to? To help us find out we talk to Wesley Gray, CEO, Alpha Architect and Harley Bassman, Managing Partner at Simplify.

LSEG recently hosted an evening of thought-provoking discussion and networking in New York City exploring how hedge funds are harnessing Large Language Models (LLMs) and what practitioners can learn from LLM experts in the healthcare and finance industries. The discussions addressed the unique challenges hedge funds face in implementing LLMs, including data privacy, model accuracy, and regulatory concerns. We recently shared the first discussion, 'Separating best practice from hype: Lessons learned from early LLM adopters' and are now sharing the second discussion which was a fascinating fireside chat between Richard Goldman, Head of Strategy for Hedge Funds, LSEG and Stefano Pacifico, Co-Founder and CEO, Epistemic AI.

LSEG recently hosted an evening of thought-provoking discussion and networking in New York City exploring how hedge funds are harnessing Large Language Models (LLMs) and what practitioners can learn from LLM experts in the healthcare and finance industries. The discussions addressed the unique challenges hedge funds face in implementing LLMs, including data privacy, model accuracy, and regulatory concerns. The first discussion was moderated by Nicole Allen, Director of Product Text Analytics, LSEG and she was joined by Ted Merz, CFA, Founder, Principals Media, Aziz Lookman, PhD, Chief Analytics Officer, Rational AI and Sonu Chopra Khullar, PhD, Director Machine Learning Engineering, Capital One. Let’s now take a listen in to their fascinating panel discussion and stay tuned as we will shortly release part two of that evening’s agenda.

Open up a financial publication on any given day and more often than not you will find a story about a hedge fund. Whether good or bad news, these stories can possibly influence market moves. In our latest episode of the Hedge Fund Huddle, we speak to two financial journalists who give us an inside look into hedge fund reporting. Have a listen as Jamie goes on the record with Nell Mackenzie, EMEA Hedge Fund Correspondent, Reuters and Will Wainewright, Head of Research, Hedgeweek and Host, AFI podcast.

Different asset classes trade differently, and currencies are no exception. What has been historically known as a rather fragmented market has begun to change with the innovation of algorithms, the proliferation of data and how one makes sense of it as well as the need for best execution in foreign exchange. To help talk us through this evolution we are joined by Tan Phull, Head of FX Execution Trading Services for Bank of America. Alan Martin Lucero, FX Trader at Norges Bank Investment Management and Tim Cartledge, the Chief Data Officer at Tradefeedr.  

We have come to learn that there is always something happening in the world which most likely creates ramifications across commodities. Be it a geopolitical event or unfortunate natural disaster, commodities traders are navigating the volatile waters of commodity trading which also includes the complex world of shipping. In this episode of the Hedge Fund Huddle, we are joined by three experts who help break down and educate us on the world we are living in and its impact on the commodities we trade. John Kemp, Senior Market Strategist of Oil and Energy, Thomson Reuters. Alessandro Sanos, Global Director of Customer Strategy and Commoditiesat LSEG, and Richard Stephenson, CEO at FreightFix.

When we hear the word “quant,” thoughts of complex math models and algorithms will often come to mind. And while that is in fact how quants typically operate, there is so much more behind the enigmatic world of quantitative investing. In this episode of the Hedge Fund Huddle, we are joined by Nirav Shah, founding partner of Versor Investments and Tarun Sanghi, a senior quant at StarMine, which is an LSEG business, to break down how quant funds run their business.

Prime brokers offer a range of services to hedge funds as well as other financial institutions and this relationship is truly vital as hedge funds look to grow and require more services and direction.  In this episode of the Hedge Fund Huddle, we are joined by Mithra Warrier and Lauren Degney, both Managing Directors at Citigroup and Quentin Limouzi, Global Head of Investment Management and Execution Solutions at LSEG to better understand the prime and hedge fund connection.

In today’s ever-changing markets, trading equities across regions can often be challenging. As a result, many traders are finding that to be successful they need to partner with those capable of providing reliable execution and those who also have market expertise and access to advanced technology. Enter outsourced trading. According to a new study from Coalition Greenwich, roughly 30% of buy-side equities traders surveyed in the U.S., Europe and the U.K. expect their firms to consider adding an outsourced trading for cross-border trading in the next two years. Compare that to another Greenwich survey from 2020 where only 5% said they would consider it. What’s changed? To help us answer that question we are joined by John Sobral, COO at Stillpoint Investments in New York and Brian Jepsen, a Managing Director at LSEG TORA.

It is no secret that getting reliable data in a timely manner is becoming more important than ever. Now, also consider the speed at which this data and information is becoming available to hedge funds, and the race is on to turn it into something actionable. In this episode we are joined by Jimmy Karalis, Managing Director, Data Sourcing & Strategy, Balyasny Asset Management and Patrick Flannery, Head of Low Latency & Direct Feeds, London Stock Exchange Group to give us the low down on low latency.

Credit and rates are certainly making headlines lately for many reasons. But how much do we really understand about how the fixed income market operates? In this episode we are joined by Dan Eckstein, Global Head of eRates Product and US Head of eRates Distribution, Barclays, Matthew Coupe, Global Head of Cross-Asset Market Structure, Barclays at Barclays and Emil Parmar, Director of Credit Trading Solutions at LSEG. Listen in to their eye-opening discussion about the future of this complex asset class.

In honor of International Women’s Month we take a close look at the topic of Women in Hedge Funds. Recent studies show that less than 5% of hedge funds are women owned, yet, according to Forbes, since 2019 female hedge fund managers have outperformed their male counterparts. Chauwei Yak is the founder and CEO of GAO Capital and joins us to share some of her thoughts behind the numbers and how she found her way to success in the industry.

Are we scared of emotions? Or can they be harnessed for good in stressful trading situations? In our latest episode, we speak to two long-time experts in the field of psychology who work with traders to help them optimize performance on the desk and off. Dr. Richard Peterson is a psychiatrist and the CEO of MarketPsych and Dr. Alden Cass is a licensed clinical psychologist and trading performance coach. Listen in as we learn how to achieve better performance during stressful times. HEDGE FUND HUDDLEHedge Fund Huddle is a new podcast series from Refinitiv, an LSEG business, hosted by Jamie McDonald, a former portfolio manager at one of the world’s top hedge funds. We dive into what it’s actually like to work at a hedge fund, stories of failure and success, what crypto hedge funds are all about, and much, much more. Follow us wherever you listen to podcasts and if you want to get in touch, drop our team a line at FMT@lseg.com Connect with us Jamie McDonald: LinkedInRefinitiv: LinkedIn, Twitter Subscribe to LSEG on YouTube for daily financial insights on global markets, business, and the economy DisclaimerInstitutional investors should not treat this communication as advice or research in relation to securities, crypto assets or investment matters. Nothing contained in this communication constitutes a recommendation, offer or the solicitation of any offer, to buy or sell any securities or crypto assets. The content and information (“Content”) in the podcast (“Programs”) is provided for informational purposes only and not investment advice. You should not construe any such Content, information or other material as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other professional advice nor does any such information constitute a comprehensive or complete statement of the matters discussed. None of the Content constitutes a solicitation, recommendation, endorsement, or offer by Refinitiv, its affiliates or any third party service provider to buy or sell any securities or other financial instruments in this or in in any other jurisdiction in which such solicitation or offer would be unlawful under the securities laws of such jurisdiction. All Content is information of a general nature, is illustrative only and does not address the circumstances of any particular individual or entity. Refinitiv and its affiliates are not a fiduciary by virtue of any person’s use of or access to the Programs or Content. You alone assume the sole responsibility of evaluating the merits and risks associated with the use of any information or other Content in the Programs before making any decisions based on such information or other Content. In exchange for accessing and/or participating in the Program and Content, you agree not to hold Refinitiv, its affiliates or any third party service provider liable for any possible claim for damages arising from any decision you make based on information or other Content made available to you through the Program. Refinitiv and its affiliates make no representation or warranty as to the accuracy or completeness of the Content. Refinitiv disclaims all liability for any loss that may arise (whether direct, indirect, consequential, incidental, punitive or otherwise) from any use of the information in the Program. Refinitiv does not recommend, explicitly nor implicitly, nor suggest or recommend any investment strategy. Ref...