John Fawcett: Disrupting the secretive world of quants

I chat with John, the founder of Quantopian, on how he got started in quantitative finance, where he sees the industry evolving and how he created a global community of intrinsically motivated coders to create unique solutions to the greatest intellectual game on earth.

Nothing on this podcast is to be considered investment advice or a recommendation. No investment decision or activity should be undertaken without first seeking qualified and professional advice.

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Beyond asset classes: Active credit becomes the test case for Florida’s portfolio evolution

Beyond asset classes: Active credit becomes the test case for Florida’s portfolio evolution

Florida State Board of Administration has built an active credit portfolio spanning public and private markets, CIO Lamar Taylor says the initiative could be the first step in a broader shift away from traditional asset-class investing towards a framework centred on return drivers and risk exposures.

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How CPP is evolving risk management for a faster, more interconnected world

In an environment where multiple risks are emerging and their effects are compounding on the portfolio, CPP Investments' chief risk officer Priti Singh says the $572 billion fund is rethinking risk management from the ground up, shifting from reaction to preparation and embedding risk thinking earlier in investment decisions. She speaks to Amanda White about the fund's risk approach.

Pension funds confront the question of who owns AI

As the use of AI within asset owners evolves, organisations are grappling with the governance question of where the strategy and accountability sit. Darcy Song looks at the treatment of AI organisationally within a number of high-profile funds, including OTPP, AustralianSuper, CPP and Norges Bank.

Why Australia’s super funds continue to engage with Washington

Australia’s fast-growing superannuation funds are increasingly allocating capital into US infrastructure, but success will rely on navigating an unpredictable federal policy environment and a patchwork of skeptical state governments.

URS bets on nuclear to power AI and lower emissions

Next-generation nuclear energy, and the money pouring into it, will truly change the world, according to CIO of Utah Retirement System John Skjervem. It’s a lonely position as the CIO of a public pension fund but one Utah is embracing as it builds out early-stage investments in nuclear energy as part of its alternative energy portfolio. He speaks to Sarah Rundell in an exclusive interview about how investing in transformational energy technologies can be part of prudent investment management.

Managing volatility and inflation: Constant rebalancing shores up UK’s lifeboat fund

A keen focus on rebalancing, and best in class systems, allows the UK’s £31.2 billion Pension Protection Fund to effectively implement a dynamic hedging strategy for one of the UK's biggest LDI portfolios. Sarah Rundell reports.

Velliv reset: More Danish funds lean into low cost DC model

In Denmark’s fiercely competitive commercial pension industry, Velliv was quick to take action with a root-and-branch overhaul of its pension provision when it experienced a drop in returns in the first half of 2024. It sacked its active equity managers, scaling up internal active strategies and low-cost, index-based investments instead, and stopped allocating to its $4.3 billion alternatives allocation. Thor Schultz Christensen, deputy chief investment officer at Velliv, unpacks the change.

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