Linear Investments > News and advice
The FCA continues to provide more granular guidance to regulated firms to mitigate operational risk that could otherwise prove extremely serious for both firms and for their clients.
The quest to unlock the secrets to becoming a successful investor and the science behind the theory of portfolio construction has a long and varied history. Over the last 60 years, the level of sophistication that has been applied to the topic has steadily increased. The Early Years of Modelling Stock Returns Central to that […]
Whilst the financial system runs for the most part safely and smoothly, it is still vulnerable to abuse by groups ranging from large money launderers to smaller-scale fraudsters.
Linear have been successfully providing top class service in the prime brokerage market for over 12 years, since the company was founded in 2010. The primary focus is to provide efficiently managed client centric solutions whilst also ensuring a smooth customer service experience for all functions Linear provides.
Posted by Paul Kelly Boutique prime brokers continue to have a significant role in the PB market, focusing on small to mid-sized hedge funds who are less likely to find a home to transact their business with a Tier One bank. With recent reports of larger banks beginning to shut their prime brokerage businesses, there […]
With almost a decade or more of next to zero interest rates since the Global Financial Crisis of 2008, none of us should be surprised by the amazing statistics that has gone hand-in-hand with the growth of the property market.
by Paul Kelly, Chief Executive Officer, Linear Investments I have always been interested to read the FCA’s Perimeter Report, as, apart from providing guidance about what just the FCA are responsible for and perhaps as importantly what they are not, it also gives an overview of a really important part of the FCA’s role in […]
By Paul Kelly Due to the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, food and energy prices have risen substantially. As a result, the inflation rate has reached a 40 year high of 9.4% in the UK and rates are similarly high in other Western economies. Given lower real incomes resulting from higher energy and food prices, […]
By Paul Kelly Since around the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, there has been a general price fall in the stock market, driven mostly by interest rate rises and falls in the technology and consumer products sectors, but expanding to most other cyclical sectors. This naturally presents a buying opportunity for stocks that […]
With inflation on the rise in many countries, there is currently talk in the news about further rate hikes by the US Federal Reserve, the Bank of England & the first-rate hike in Europe by the European Central Bank.
In May 2022, CityWire Selector reported news of Fidelity International launching into the direct lending space. The announcement detailed how the firm has expanded its private credit 12 through 12 new hires that include senior roles in direct lending.
Traditionally, hedge funds and other investment firms have maintained in-house trading staff to operate in financial markets.
In the context of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, EU countries are increasing their defence spending, adding to the order books of Western defence firms.
In the financial sector, prime brokers offer a package of services to hedge funds and other large investors to enable them to engage in the financial market more effectively.
Easily scalable, outsourcing can be managed successfully as business expands and contracts, allowing work to be done so that it doesn’t disrupt the business flow.
Linear Investments is a clearing, custody and execution house providing access to most global equity markets and all key financial instruments: Equities, ETF’s, Fixed Income, Futures, Options and all the structures needed to support these instruments
The ESG investment space continues to thrive, Bloomberg Intelligence forecasting global AUM could exceed $50 trillion by 2025 assuming 15% growth, half the rate of the last five years.
Linear Investments clients face multiple challenges in the current business environment around cost, efficiency, compliance, and regulatory requirements says Paul Kelly, Chairman and CEO of Linear Investments.
It’s estimated 76% of institutional investors with assets under $10bn have not yet outsourced their investment activities and, with competition intensifying and costs escalating, there is ample space and incentive for the market to expand.
Inconsistent data and definitions make doing your homework essential. Public awareness of global social injustice and the effects of climate change have increased significantly since Covid first wrought its chaos on the world, bringing with them a growing appetite for and availability of ESG-labelled investment products.
The Financial Services Bill was introduced in the Commons on 21st October 2020 and, having received Royal Assent on 29th April, is now law.
Covid and its aftermath stirred up global economic turbulence on such a dramatic scale some predicted the investment world would struggle for years to overcome its consequences.
ESG is evolving into a commanding force set to grow exponentially. In partnership with The Financial Times, TrackInsight published data showing that AUM in ESG ETFs skyrocketed three-fold
Covid-19 disrupted workplaces worldwide. For many organisations, remote work had been a possibility or an occasional option. However, this all changed and became the only viable option when the pandemic hit.
Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Investing has grown rapidly over the last ten years and the number of professionally managed portfolios that have integrated key elements of ESG assessments exceeds USD 17.5 trillion globally (OECD).
By definition, a hedge fund is an investment fund that trades in relatively liquid assets. They are able to profit from complex trading, risk management techniques and portfolio-construction.
Linear Investments recently launched its own ICAV fund. Here, we take a look at what an ICAV is, how it works and its benefits
Jerry Lees, Chairman of Linear Investments, on the professional financial services markets and his view of the year ahead.
Callan Boyle, VP in Linear Investment’s DFM team talked to Kate Horne about how both Active and Passive portfolios might behave and function in the current environment. We are living through unprecedented times and policy makers are creating global asset purchasing programmes and implementing fiscal stimulus in the crisis that has no apparent villain.
Hugo Peterson, Head of Account Management at Linear Investments, recently chatted to James Churchman, Head of Sales at Linear Investments about their working from home strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic
Hugo Peterson, Head of Account Management at Linear Investments, follows his recent interview by sharing Linear’s view on the Prime Broker market and why this is still a vital part of Linear’s overall business model
There is no denying that Fintech dominated our industry landscape in the 2010’s. New technologies emerged: AI, peer-to-peer lending, digital investment platforms, block-chain and machine learning techniques to name but a few.
Linear Investments interviews Irene about ETFs and how these drive the decisions she makes when she constructs Model Portfolios.
Kate Horne, Director at Linear Media, reveals the benefits your business can gain through the set-up ofa successful Pay-per-Click advertising campaign. Firstly, what is Pay-Per-Click advertising? It is often referred to as Google advertising, search engine advertising or paid search. The idea is that your business pays Google to show up at the top of […]
I think it’s fair to say that pretty much all businesses have a website these days. However, a lot of people aren’t quite sure why their company needs one and what they should use it for. It seems to have become part of the process of setting up a business but only a few are truly capitalising on this effective and some would argue the most effective, means of advertisement.
Jerry Lees, chairman of Linear Investments, explains why outsourcing is the solution for your business. While Mifid II was designed to offer greater protection and transparency for investors, it has created significant additional cost and operational burdens across an industry already struggling in tough economic conditions. Outsourcing operations and trading functions is already commonplace in […]
Linear Investments can now provide its client base with the same level of service and functionality for FX that it already offers for equities, derivatives, and fixed income. London, England (November 7, 2018) – Paul Kelly, CEO of Linear Investments, a Prime Broker based in London’s West End, has today announced an agreement with Integral […]
Paul Kelly, CEO of Linear Investments, introduces Linear International Payments – a deliverable foreign exchange trading platform. Understanding our clients and their business requirements has always been at the heart of what Linear Investments does. The world, in trading terms, has never been smaller and deliverable foreign exchange has never been more widely used. With […]
Kate Horne, Director of Linear Media, discusses the benefits of optimising your business to appear on search engine results pages. SEO focuses on growing visibility in organic (non-paid) search engine results such as Google. It involves both technical and creative elements to improve rankings, drive traffic and increase awareness in search engines. 1. A […]
Georgia Shiels, Marketing Executive at Linear Media, explains why creating content consistently is important and how it benefits your business. Content is one of the biggest components to modern marketing. Any good marketing strategy relies on effective content and the tools used around content to enhance your online presence. Stay ahead of your competition and […]
Your business’ online platforms can be a powerful marketing tool and a vital part of your marketing strategy. In this article, we explain why businesses all use social media and why you should be too – whether that be on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or a website. Build Brand Awareness In simple terms, building brand […]
“The changing nature of the prime broker-hedge fund relationship is going to have a significant impact on the boutique prime brokerage market.”
“How does a start-up find a suitable PB who understands their needs and will nurture the fund in it’s early days?”
“Investors however still require, as you would expect, business cases to be presented in well-structured business plans.”
“This vacuum in the market creates a problem for many and an opportunity for those ready to fill the void.”
“Many of the key components of running a start-up fund can and should be more effectively outsourced to allow focus on the core investment decisions.”
“Because the company doesn’t have big-bank overheads, it is able to deal with smaller clients generating combined revenue in the hundreds of thousands rather than millions, as required by banks.”
“The days when a hedge fund could launch with $5 million in capital and minimal infrastructure are long gone.”
“The challenges facing emerging hedge fund managers are well-documented. The sheer volume of regulation following the financial crisis has had a significant impact on the hedge fund operating model.”
“Domiciling in Malta offers an array of benefits. It is one of the more cost-efficient onshore jurisdictions to establish in, something which undoubtedly appeals to small managers.”
“An outsourced trading desk does not just bring about cost benefits, but improves the quality of execution which is absolutely critical.”
A piece published on HedgeWeek.com, focusing on the expected growth of hedge fund managed accounts.
Paul Walker-Duncalf features in The Telegraph on his move to Linear Outsourced Trading from BlackRock
Paul Walker-Duncalf, previously Global Head of Equity Trading at BlackRock, joins Linear Outsourced Trading as joint Managing Partner
Linear Outsourced Trading Linear Outsourced Trading’s Paul Walker-Duncalf featured in Tim Cave’s Financial News article (May, 2016). The full article can be found on Financial News “Paul Walker-Duncalf left as BlackRock’s global head of equity trading in May 2015 to move to an outsourced trading operation. He joined a team at prime broker Linear Investments […]
Paul Walker-Duncalf and Richard Lilley, Joint Managing Partners of Linear Outsourced Trading, explain the merits of a fully outsourced solution. Posted by: Best Execution– July 11, 2016 Is the empowerment of the buyside a new development? From a trading perspective, the buyside has been empowered for some time. Most medium to large managers have […]
London, 14 July, 2016: Linear Investments, a specialist prime broker and an award winning hedge fund incubator, has selected RSRCHXchange, the online marketplace for institutional research, to enable their hedge fund clientele to access and track research consumption in a MiFID II compliant way. Linear Investments provides tailored prime brokerage services to start-up, small […]
Macro Roundup: Markets and Stress Tests Colin Lloyd – featured on Linear Talk Colin Lloyd is the author of macroeconomic investment letter service ‘In the Long Run‘. Serving as Linear Talk’s co-presenter along with Linear’s Chairman, Jerry Lees, Colin regularly reviews the markets, hedge fund performance, and prevalent macro events in his macro roundup. Markets […]
Colin Lloyd – featured on Linear Talk Colin Lloyd is the author of macroeconomic investment letter service ‘In the Long Run‘. Serving as Linear Talk’s co-presenter along with Linear’s Chairman, Jerry Lees, Colin regularly reviews the markets, hedge fund performance, and prevalent macro events in his macro roundup. Hedge Fund Performance, Trades and Industry Trends […]
Jerry Lees, Chairman of Linear Investments, writes in the latest special report from HFMWeek: How to start a hedge fund in the EU in 2016. “A PIVOTAL PART OF YOUR SUCCESS WILL BE FINDING IN-HOUSE SEEDER FUND CAPACITY COMBINED WITH A CAP INTRO TEAM SPECIFICALLY FOCUSED ON EMERGING FUNDS AND WORKING ON A RESULTS BASIS” […]
Colin Lloyd – featured on Linear Talk Colin Lloyd is the author of macroeconomic investment letter service ‘In the Long Run‘. Serving as Linear Talk’s co-presenter along with Linear’s Chairman, Jerry Lees, Colin regularly reviews the markets, hedge fund performance, and prevalent macro events in his macro roundup. Financial Markets August is generally a quiet […]
Hedge Fund Performance, Trades and Industry Trends – September 2016 Author – Colin Lloyd Performance and Trades September saw a bifurcation between the performance of hedge funds and managed futures with the former rising while the latter mostly declined. Hedge Funds Barclay Hedge Fund Indices Sept No. of Funds YTD Barclay Hedge Fund Index […]
By – Colin Lloyd October was a mixed month for hedge funds and challenging once again for managed futures. The table below, from BarclayHedge, ranks the sub-indices by monthly performance:- Index October No of funds YTD Barclay Hedge Fund Index -0.29% 1903 4.07% Distressed Securities Index 2.50% 28 11.11% Emerging Markets Index 0.96% 267 11.94% […]
By Colin Lloyd December marked the end of an extraordinary year for financial markets. Despite weakness during the latter half of 2016 for the major bond markets, JGBs, helped by the Bank of Japan’s (BoJ) “Yield Curve Control” policy, were among the best performers in absolute terms. The weakening of the GBP as a result […]
Hedge Fund Performance; A year in review – 2016 By Colin Lloyd As we end 2016 I want to take the opportunity to look back over the past 12 months, but first I quick up-date on December’s performance:- December No. of Funds YTD Barclay Hedge Fund Index 1.22% 2104 6.20% Global Macro Index 1.99% […]
Being an asset manager in today’s market can be a bruising experience. Margins are shrinking, fees are under pressure, while operating costs have grown out of proportion. This is happening in tandem with unpredictable markets, making alpha creation for clients exceptionally difficult. Cost saving opportunities have to be identified wherever possible in a way that […]
By Colin Lloyd As 2017 gets underway the performance patterns of last year remain evident, as this table from Barclay Hedge reveals:- Barclay Hedge Fund Indices January No of Funds Barclay Hedge Fund Index 1.43% 2335 Emerging Markets Index 3.02% 325 Technology Index 2.79% 37 Healthcare & Biotechnology Index 2.33% 42 Event Driven Index 1.83% […]
By Colin Lloyd The Trump correction of January appears to have run its course. This is evident in the rebound of the US$ Index. US stocks remain ascendant, reaching all-time highs at month end. US bond markets, meanwhile, remain range-bound, reluctant to give up the yield increases seen since the November election. In Germany, Bund […]
By Colin Lloyd February was another positive month for hedge fund performance and saw Managed Futures reverse the majority of losses seen during January. Hedge Funds The Barclayhedge Hedge Fund Index gained 1.03% in February, 2.42% YTD. The Technology and Healthcare & Biotech Indices were almost neck and neck in first place +2.59% and […]
By Colin Lloyd March was another positive month for hedge fund performance. Managed futures strategies, by contrast struggled once again. Hedge Funds Barclay Hedge Fund Indices March No. of funds YTD Barclay Hedge Fund Index 0.46% 1857 2.91% Technology Index 2.47% 27 7.10% Healthcare & Biotechnology Index 1.97% 33 8.17% European Equities Index 0.92% 57 […]
Linear Investments are delighted with our success at the HFM European Service Awards 2018 where we beat strong competition by taking home the Best Outsourced Trading Solution award. This award pays tribute to the whole team at Linear who work constantly to offer the very best solution to all of our clients. Jerry Lees, Chairman […]
Hot on the heels of MiFID II, Asset Managers are now facing the next wave of regulation; GDPR. GDPR is a European directive with worldwide reach. No matter where in the world you are transacting business, GDPR will affect you should you be coming in to contact with personal data from any European client. It’s […]
Linear Investments Chairman, Jerry Lees, investigates the advances in technology designed to ease the research burden for UK corporates, fund managers and investors under MIFID II. In September 2017, the FCA made it clear that corporate access was not research and could therefore not be paid for out of investors assets. It would be considered […]
The inception of MiFID II substantially expands the regulatory reporting requirements placed upon investment firms. Additionally, under the European Market Infrastructure Regulation (EMIR) all counterparties are required to report details of derivative contracts they have concluded. These regulations take the basis set out in MiFID I and expand them with the idea to increase investor […]