Fixed Income Leaders Connect USA 2024
November 12 - 13, 2024
Omni New Haven Hotel at Yale | New Haven | Connecticut
Main Day 1 | 12th November
8:00 am - 8:45 am
Registration & Fuel Your Day Breakfast
Indulge in a breakfast spread that will tantalize your taste buds. Our bakery basket overflows with fresh-baked pastries, perfect for those with a sweet tooth. For the savory side, we offer a selection of hot breakfast items, along with seasonal fresh fruit. It's a winning combination to jumpstart your day and keep you energized for the events ahead.
8:45 am - 8:50 am
Welcome Address: Irene Cerquaglia, Editorial Director, FILS
8:50 am - 9:00 am
Chairperson’s Opening Remarks
Michael Koegler -
Managing Principal,
Market Alpha Advisors
9:00 am - 9:30 am
Panel: Buy Side Wishlist: How can buy side firms move the needle on critical initiatives and execution priorities to enhance the untapped potential of fixed income as an asset class?
Renzo Iturrino -
Global Head of Bond Trading,
Fidelity Investments
Dwayne Middleton -
Global Head Of Fixed Income Trading,
T. Rowe Price
Lindsey Spink -
Global Head of Fixed Income Trading,
American Century Investments
Iseult Conlin -
Managing Director, Head of U.S. Institutional Credit,
Tradeweb
- How can you best allocate resources to direct them towards innovation and improving workflows?
- How can you overcome the challenge of integrating different systems and getting data to flow seamlessly?
- The idea of a "fixed connections highway”: How can you enable interconnectivity across counterparties without intermediaries?
- How can you leverage analytics to identify liquidity opportunities, especially in illiquid asset classes?
- How can you best identify solutions that can provide efficiencies, reduce low-touch workflow, and enable better connectivity and integration across systems and counterparties?
9:30 am - 10:00 am
Panel: Liquidity: How can you leverage the latest market innovations to source new and alternative liquidity pools across fragmented markets?
Michael Koegler -
Managing Principal,
Market Alpha Advisors
Davide Masi -
FIC ETD Product Design,
Eurex
Susan Joyce -
Head of Muni Trading & FI Market Structure,
AllianceBernstein
Dan Gelfand -
Director - Head of Emerging Markets Debt Trading,
Blackrock
- How can the buy-side best access liquidity pools in the current market landscape and collaborate to meet investor demands in a higher interest rate environment
- How are market-moving events in 2024 like the US election will impact liquidity and trading costs?
- How can the buy side lead adoption of liquidity solutions and how can dealers aim to provide full suite of liquidity tools to meet varying client needs?
- How are emerging non-bank liquidity providers focusing on holistic offering across algos, ETFs/PTs and voice?
- Automated market-making helps adjust pricing to reflect current market conditions
Dan Gelfand
Director - Head of Emerging Markets Debt TradingBlackrock
10:00 am - 10:30 am
Buy Side Only Think Tank: Talent: How can you adjust your hiring and training processes to future-proof your team with the newest skill sets needed to excel in today's markets?
Benjamin Nye -
Chief Investment Officer,
Narwhal Capital Management
10:30 am - 11:30 am
Mingle & Munch: Sweet & Salty Networking Break!
Indulge in a delightful spread of chips & dips alongside delectable cookies at our networking break. Mingle with colleagues, strike up conversations, and savor a delicious mix of sweet and salty treats. It's the perfect time to connect and recharge!
10:00 am - 10:30 am
Buy Side Only Think Tank: Data foundations: How can you develop and expand a strong data strategy to maximize the value from your datasets and enhance trading decisions?
Lindsey Spink -
Global Head of Fixed Income Trading,
American Century Investments
10:30 am - 11:00 am
Private Business Meetings
This time is reserved for you to benchmark solution providers.
11:00 am - 11:30 am
Private Business Meetings
This time is reserved for you to benchmark solution providers.
11:30 am - 12:00 pm
Fireside Chat: ETFs: How are fixed income ETFs unifying and enhancing institutional and retail investors?
Tom Russell -
Head of Fixed Income,
Narwhal Capital Management
Kevin McPartland -
Head of Market Structure Research,
Coalition Greenwich
Alexander Morris -
Chief Executive Officer,
F/m Investments
- How are ETFs driving bond market evolution supporting bond market liquidity, pricing, risk transfer vs. just accessing investments?
- Product Innovation: How are active ETFs evolving and how will ETFs enter new asset classes such as CLOs and private credit?
- What are the pricing data needs for trading and investing and how can you translate data into relevant, precise indices and strategies?
- How can you move beyond broad market-cap indices to more targeted, fundamental approaches?
- Retail vs Institutional usage: What are the potential differences in needs and similarities in serving underlying investors?
12:00 pm - 12:30 pm
Private Business Meetings
This time is reserved for you to benchmark solution providers.
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm
¡Fiesta Time! Savor a Taste of Mexico at Lunch
Embark on a culinary adventure to south of the border with our vibrant Mexican-themed lunch! Our menu features a delicious array of authentic dishes, from sizzling fajitas & delectable quesadillas overflowing with flavorful fillings to refreshing salsas and zesty sides.
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm
Workshop: Unlocking the latest opportunities in FI trading through AI
Jim Kwiatkowski -
CEO,
LTX, a Broadridge Company
Dwayne Middleton -
Global Head Of Fixed Income Trading,
T. Rowe Price
- Intro to Artificial Intelligence/AI 101
- Current and future use cases for AI in fixed income trading
- Considerations and obstacles to embracing and implementing AI solutions
- How the emergence of AI is changing the profile of a Fixed Income trader
Sponsored by: LTX, A Broadridge Company
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm
Workshop: Innovating the credit ecosystem: How to leverage Credit Index Futures in fixed income portfolios
Sponsored by: Eurex
1:30 pm - 1:50 pm
Panel: Data-Driven insight: How can you enhance collaboration between your trading and quant functions to leverage intelligent data analysis for superior execution?
Thomas Harte -
Head of Global Markets Strats,
Morgan Stanley Investment Management
Kevin McPartland -
Head of Market Structure Research,
Coalition Greenwich
- How can you improve data quality, consistency, and aggregation in less liquid products?
- How can you turn in-house data analytics into an alpha source as well as leverage vendors to provide value through standardization and delivery?
- How can alternative data allow buy side to gain an edge and how can you scale it and find ROI?
- How can we overcome data fragmentation across asset class with varying data needs e.g. minis, securitized products?
- How can we reconcile unstructured data with structured formats for benchmarking and modelling?
1:50 pm - 2:20 pm
Panel: Workflow automation: How can you utilize the most recent advancements in workflow technology to enhance interoperability, streamline processes, and boost efficiencies within your workspace?
Jay Gattani -
Sr MD - Products, Trading and Ops Tech,
Nuveen
Miguel Cota -
VP and Head of Fixed Income Trading,
Avantis Investors by American Century Investments
Michael Koegler -
Managing Principal,
Market Alpha Advisors
- How can we enhance trader-PM communication integration to improve collaboration and data sharing?
- How can you integrating disparate data sources into workflows and leverage advanced technologies for automation?
- How is the lack of true commercial buy-side reference data standards creating barriers for integrated OMS/EMS workflows?
- How can you integrate OMS/EMS systems from different vendors and with differing levels of buy-side sophistication and budgets?
- How maintaining partnerships with dealer community is key to gain efficiencies?
Miguel Cota
VP and Head of Fixed Income TradingAvantis Investors by American Century Investments
2:20 pm - 2:50 pm
Buy Side Only Think Tank: ETFs: What are current product innovation trends and the main considerations for trading desks?
Peter Baden -
CFA - Director of Fixed Income Strategy,
F/m Investments
Marcin Zdunek -
Head of Trading & Portfolio Manager,
F/m investments
2:50 pm - 3:50 pm
Indulge & Connect: Sweet Treat Networking Break!
Unwind and connect with colleagues over a delightful selection of sweet treats. From decadent cookies and brownies to refreshing ice cream, satisfy your cravings and spark conversations in a relaxed setting. The perfect pick-me-up to fuel your networking!
2:20 pm - 2:50 pm
Buy Side Only Think Tank: Tech Adoption Strategies: How can you optimize your tech stack set-up to ensure maximum adoption by your desk?
Chris Margraf -
Former Senior Program Manager,
Allspring Global Investments
2:50 pm - 3:20 pm
Private Business Meetings
This time is reserved for you to benchmark solution providers.
3:20 pm - 3:50 pm
Private Business Meetings
This time is reserved for you to benchmark solution providers.
3:50 pm - 4:20 pm
Presentation: Navigating Global Investment Challenges: Strategies for Alpha Generation and Risk Mitigation
James Fishback -
Founder & Chief Investment Officer,
Azoria
4:20 pm - 5:00 pm
Emerging Markets: What strategies can be employed to gather dependable data for accessing efficient liquidity and enhancing execution outcomes in emerging markets?
Michael O'Brien -
Global Head of EM Trading,
Artisan Partners
4:20 pm - 5:00 pm
Buy Side Only Think Tank: Protocols: How are new protocols altering how buy side are accessing fragmented liquidity across various fixed income products?
Samir Shah -
Chief Investment Officer,
MBS Mantra/Alpha Research and Management (ARAM)
5:00 pm - 5:05 pm
End of FILS Connect USA Day 1
5:05 pm - 6:00 pm
Networking Drinks Reception
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Deepen Connections, Forge New Alliances: Networking Dinner at FILS Connect
Elevate your experience at the exclusive Networking Dinner. Mingle with industry leaders, exchange insights, and build lasting relationships in an intimate setting.