La Financière de l’Echiquier unveils its systematic trading management range
La Financière de l’Echiquier (LFDE) has strengthened its range of funds by introducing an innovative investment solution based on a systematic trading management approach to achieve a performance uncorrelated with traditional assets. This new diversification strategy enhances LFDE’s historical expertise by the addition of a quantitative approach. An Alternative Investment Fund, Echiquier QME[1] Global, was introduced three years ago for professional investors only and a UCITS fund, Echiquier QME, was launched in November 2015 for a wider distribution.
“Our mission is to effectively manage our customers’ savings on a long-term basis, regardless of market conditions. But market conditions evolve and La Financière de l’Echiquier continues to innovate in response. The current market environment raises many questions and concerns for investors. This calls for new investment solutions so we can offer our customers and partners efficient portfolios to grow their savings over time. This is the purpose underlying Echiquier QME”, explains Didier Le Menestrel, Chairman of La Financière de l’Echiquier him.
Echiquier QME uses a quantitative systematic management approach to achieve gains from trending (upward or downward) and non-trending markets, with an average annual volatility inferior to 10%. The fund invests in futures instruments in four asset classes for the UCITS fund (equity indices, government bonds, fixed income, currencies), to which commodities are added for the Echiquier QME Global. The investment process, focused on risk management, is applied in a systematic manner using proprietary quantitative models to combine two complementary strategies: “momentum” strategies (70% of the portfolio) and “satellite” strategies for which the algorithms represent 30% of the portfolio allocation.
“With Echiquier QME, LFDE enhances its management processes by adding an innovative quantitative management strategy. This solution, uncorrelated with traditional assets, illustrates our commitment to provide additional opportunities to diversify our customers’ investments in extreme market conditions and without upward momentum. A new solution we wish to offer to our customers and partners – retail investors, wealth management advisors, private and institutional banks”, concluded, the company’s Chief Executive Officer Dominique Carrel-Billiard.
The fund is managed by a team of two who joined LFDE in 2013 – Ludovic Berthe et Alexis Grutter – that have a combined experience of more than 25 years in alternative management. They have worked together for more than 10 years in developing and improving the systematic methodology on which Echiquier QME’s was based.
[1] For Quantitative Multi Edge.
About the management team
Ludovic Berthe began his career in 2004 with HDF Finance, a pioneer in the selection of hedge funds in France, as a quantitative analyst for alternative funds. He spent eight years within this structure, becoming in 2006 a fund picker and member of the risk management committee, and in 2011, manager of systematic trading strategies. He joined La Financière de l’Echiquier in 2013 as fund manager for Echiquier QME Global and Echiquier QME. Ludovic has a masters’ degree from the University Paris-Dauphine in finance, with a specialty in asset management.
Alexis Grutter began his career in 2001 as a quantitative analyst for emerging markets/fixed income products with Fortis IM. In 2003 he joined HDF Finance where he successively occupied the positions of analyst, picker for hedge funds, then manager of alternative funds (2008), and finally manager for systematic trading strategies (2011). He joined La Financière de l’Echiquier in 2013 to manage the Echiquier QME Global and Echiquier QME funds. Alexis is a graduate of University Paris-Sorbonne (DESS Bank /Finance – Masters’ Degree).
Press contacts
Laurent Sécheret secheret@lfde.com +33 (0)1 53 23 87 48 / +33 (0)1 53 23 87 48
Géraldine Fanara / gfanara@lfde.com / +33 (0)1 47 23 98 12
Estelle Guillot-Tantay / egt@image7.fr / +33 (0)1 53 70 74 93
Anne-Charlotte Créac’h / acc@image7.fr / +33 (0)1 53 70 94 21
About LFDE – www.lfde.com
Created in 1991, La Financière de l’Echiquier is one of France’s leading independent asset management companies with nearly €8 billion in assets under management and a team of 104 employees. LFDE is wholly-owned by its management and employees. Its business: managing savings and financial investments for retail customers, financial planning and wealth management advisors and institutional customers.