Quantess London is pleased to invite you to our next seminar discussing topics in quantitative finance and economics, this time kindly hosted by Schroders. We would like to welcome you to participate in our seminar, enjoy a glass of wine, and network with women working in the quantitative space in London. Get your tickets here.

This time, we are hosting two speakers: Jing Hu, asset allocation analyst at Rathbones, speaking on the question “Where are we in the business cycle? What does that mean for style?”, and Charlotte Grace, finalist in economics at the University of Cambridge, presenting her dissertation on “Issues in the female labour supply”.

Abstract

The business cycle is much referenced but rarely defined. This lip service is all the more unhelpful when we hear brokers and third-party managers justify portfolio ideas on cyclic grounds – “these stocks are good late-stage cyclical plays,” for example. In this talk, we present a simple methodology to define the cycle using data with long histories. We then analyse the performance of industry sectors and style factors across different phases of the cycle.

Biographies

Jing Hu is an asset allocation analyst at Rathbones, one of the UK’s leading independent wealth managers with over £35bn worth of assets under management. In this role, she analyses regional macroeconomic conditions and outlooks in assisting the company’s strategic asset allocation policies, and implications of current political and economic events in forming the firm’s tactical strategies in asset allocation. Previously, Jing worked as an investment analyst at Arbuthnot Latham, a London based private bank, focusing on predominantly fund selections. She graduated with a Distinction in MSc Financial Analysis and Fund Management and two BScs, one in Economics and the other in Business and Commerce.

Charlotte Grace is a finalist in the economics tripos at the University of Cambridge. Having just completed her exams, she kindly offered to present her dissertation on issues in the female labour supply. Previously, Charlotte worked as a research assistant at the University of Cambridge, the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, the Centre for Global Equality, and the Institute for Fiscal Studies.