Key Takeaways
- • Industry Panel Event: Talking Hedge will host a portfolio optimization panel on May 20, 2024, at 8:30–9:30 a.m. at the Omni Austin Hotel Downtown, featuring four institutional investment managers and moderated by Ben Bronson of Aksia.
- • Panel Focus: The discussion will address "Diversify & Rebalance: How to Optimize Your Portfolio with Divergent Strategies," examining how risk-mitigating alternative strategies are reshaping portfolio construction and asset allocation in volatile markets.
- • Key Participants: The panel includes Dr. Oren Rosen (Welton Investment Partners, Systematic Macro & Trend Strategies), Patrick Kazley (One River Asset Management), Stephen Klein (AFBI), and Daniel MacDonald (Middlemark Partners), with additional Welton representatives Scott Merkel and William Marr in attendance.
- • Strategic Theme: The event will explore innovation and customization within the alternative investment industry designed to help asset owners and fiduciaries protect and grow portfolios through divergent and risk-mitigating strategies.
Summary
Talking Hedge, an institutional investor conference, will convene a panel of alternative investment professionals in Austin, Texas, on May 20, 2024, to examine the evolving role of alternative strategies in modern portfolio construction. The event will bring together managers, allocators, solutions providers, and academics to discuss how increased institutional focus on risk mitigation has fundamentally shifted asset allocation practices.
The centerpiece panel, "Diversify & Rebalance: How to Optimize Your Portfolio with Divergent Strategies," will be moderated by Ben Bronson, Managing Director at Aksia, and will feature four seasoned investment professionals. Dr. Oren Rosen, Portfolio Manager of Systematic Macro & Trend Strategies at Welton Investment Partners, will share perspectives on trend-following and macro strategies. Patrick Kazley, Solutions Portfolio Manager at One River Asset Management, will address customized alternative solutions. Stephen Klein, Chief Operating Officer and Co-Portfolio Manager at AFBI, will contribute operational and portfolio management insights. Daniel MacDonald, Head of Pension Advisory at Middlemark Partners, will represent the pension fund allocator perspective.
The conference underscores a broader industry shift toward alternative strategies as tools for portfolio protection and optimization in uncertain market conditions. Rather than viewing alternatives as speculative overlays, institutional investors increasingly recognize them as foundational components of diversified asset allocation. The panel will explore how innovation in strategy design, from systematic macro approaches to tailored solutions, enables institutional investors to achieve more efficient risk-adjusted returns while maintaining exposure to growth opportunities.
Welton Investment Partners will have additional representation at the event, with Scott Merkel (Senior Managing Director, Portfolio Solutions) and William Marr (Senior Managing Director, Wealth Management Group) attending, indicating the firm's commitment to engaging directly with the institutional investor community on portfolio optimization themes.
The centerpiece panel, "Diversify & Rebalance: How to Optimize Your Portfolio with Divergent Strategies," will be moderated by Ben Bronson, Managing Director at Aksia, and will feature four seasoned investment professionals. Dr. Oren Rosen, Portfolio Manager of Systematic Macro & Trend Strategies at Welton Investment Partners, will share perspectives on trend-following and macro strategies. Patrick Kazley, Solutions Portfolio Manager at One River Asset Management, will address customized alternative solutions. Stephen Klein, Chief Operating Officer and Co-Portfolio Manager at AFBI, will contribute operational and portfolio management insights. Daniel MacDonald, Head of Pension Advisory at Middlemark Partners, will represent the pension fund allocator perspective.
The conference underscores a broader industry shift toward alternative strategies as tools for portfolio protection and optimization in uncertain market conditions. Rather than viewing alternatives as speculative overlays, institutional investors increasingly recognize them as foundational components of diversified asset allocation. The panel will explore how innovation in strategy design, from systematic macro approaches to tailored solutions, enables institutional investors to achieve more efficient risk-adjusted returns while maintaining exposure to growth opportunities.
Welton Investment Partners will have additional representation at the event, with Scott Merkel (Senior Managing Director, Portfolio Solutions) and William Marr (Senior Managing Director, Wealth Management Group) attending, indicating the firm's commitment to engaging directly with the institutional investor community on portfolio optimization themes.
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