Quant Trader

Frederik has been a part of LC since 2021 where he finished his master’s degree in economics at Aarhus University. He started his career at LC as Trader on our US desk, but now he is a part of our Quantitative Analysis team in a Quant Trader position.

Working at LC

I really enjoy the combination of intellectual, curiosity, and open-mindedness in LC. I have found it easy to continuously improve and apply my competencies to create and develop ideas in collaboration with very skilled colleagues in computer science, analysis, and trading. There is a very short path from having a good idea to the actual implementation of a new method or business case. At the same time, we have a lot of fun in the company, and I think it’s quite cool that we have so many social gatherings in multiple internal communities, as well as across the company. 

Personally, I enjoy that LC provides many opportunities for personal development. There is room for continuously educating yourself within new areas, and there is a very positive attitude and eagerness around gaining new knowledge in general, which creates a positive environment, where everybody strives to improve and challenge the status quo. 

My road to Lind Capital’s Quantitative Research team

I started my career in LC working as a Trader Graduate where I spent a lot of time learning and understanding our trading models and algorithms to apply them in the best possible way. Therefore, I spent around 80% of my time in front of the trading desk doing the actual trading to obtain the best practical knowledge, and in the remaining 20%, I conducted various trading analyses. Simultaneously, the high degree of focus on trading made me able to understand the mechanisms and microstructures in the financial markets (and their implications), which until then was assumed to be non-existent in most of the academic literature I have read during my studies. 

As I progressed to work as a US Trader, I scaled down the trading to around 60% of my time to enable more time for analysis and development. I started spending time on increasing the quantification of our trading decisions to enable a higher degree of systematic trading and data-driven decision-making. Furthermore, I utilized a lot of the practical knowledge from the markets in developing new trading signals, as well as conducting post-trade data analysis. 

This year, I have transitioned to the Quant Analysis team, where I still spend around 20% of my time trading, but my primary tasks are related to analysis. Thereby, I have completed a switch from 80/20 to 20/80 between trading and analysis, which enables me to do more thorough analyses across trading areas. In team QA, I have more time to do programming and larger projects related to improving our decision-making and trading models. 

A typical workday as a Quant Trader

The workday of a Quant Trader is anything but routine, as it involves a diverse range of tasks that leverage skills in statistics, programming, communication, and decision-making. 

Programming and statistical analysis are at the core of my role, where I develop new tools and provide quantitative market insights for the trading desks. Furthermore, I take part in long-term strategic projects that require in-depth statistical expertise and programming competence to optimize trading strategies and maintain market neutrality. Beyond the core responsibilities, I do exploratory analysis to develop new trading models, improve portfolio management solutions, and support business development. 

Effective communication is vital as I collaborate with colleagues from various teams, who have very different backgrounds. Thus, conveying complex statistical concepts clearly to inform data-driven decision-making requires an ability to present results in a reasonable way. To remain competent within all these various work areas, continuous self-development is essential, as the financial landscape evolves, which requires me to refine my competencies to tackle new challenges effectively. 

Trading remains a significant part of my work. I apply the trading models developed through the analysis, and I utilize the time at the trading desk to keep myself informed about the performance of the trading strategies and to get feedback on the trading signals from both my Traders colleagues and the market. The role combines the theoretical aspects of developing a model with a real-life application, which in my opinion is one of the most exciting parts of being a Quant Trader.