Wimmer Horizon LLP (previously known as Beach Horizon LLP) has had a rebrand and is now known as Horizon3 Investment Management LLP. The new identity reflects the firm’s new approach to managing investments as well as its long history. Rather than focusing on a particular type of investor or one specific type of trading strategy, Horizon3 looks to help investors with their investment portfolio with a broader range of solutions and strategies. We continue to have a strong focus on our core CTA Programme but have a more expansive approach to finding ways to help investors. We have also developed a new hybrid approach to managing the CTA Programme.
Hybrid Approach
Our core CTA program historically was originally 100% systematic. While that served investors well for many years, the complexity and the speed of change in the global economy in recent times have made that approach less effective. The firm has been successfully using a hybrid approach for several years that mixes a systematic strategy with discretionary decision-making. While systematic strategies are extremely effective in managing risk and adapting to new market directions it’s not possible for the model to know all that is going on in the world. Sometimes the speed of change is so rapid or world events are shaping a new direction in the global economy it’s almost impossible for a systematic strategy to be able to capture everything. Using over 30 years of trading experience, the fund managers adjust parameters such as risk and the composition of the portfolio to assist the strategy in adapting to new global risks and new market environments. This is very different to many of Horizon’s peers which tend to be fully systematic or fully discretionary. Whilst being 100% systematic has many benefits, we aim to get the benefits of both approaches by blending discretionary macroeconomic decision-making with the rigour and automation of a systematic strategy. This is a new direction for the firm and sets us apart from our peers.
The “3” in Horizon3
The number 3 in the name ties in with the three pillars of investment that the firm believes in; Systems, Research and People.
- Systems: We use unique systematic mathematical trading models and cutting-edge technology to trade. Automated systems allow us to manage risk in a controlled way. Our pattern recognition and DSP models are unique to us and fully automated.
- Research: We use of latest ideas from science and engineering and the scientific method in our research to produce dependable results. Many ideas from science can be inspirational in creating new trading models. We continue to develop the trading models using a rigorous research process.
- People: We realise that systems and research can only take you so far and that the skill and experience of the fund managers are critical in adapting the strategy to changing economic conditions. Although aspects of Artificial Intelligence have been used in the model and research, its human intelligence that gives us the edge when dealing with the unexpected.
The 3 pillars represent our skill in the area but also the realisation that there is no silver bullet or a one size fits all approach. Instead, it’s a continual process of adaptation and evolution.
The “Horizon” in Horizon3
At Horizon3 we have over 30 years of experience in building systematic models and trading. The “Horizon” name has been with us since the firm was founded in 2004 and represents our longevity in the business being part of our original name Beach Horizon LLP. According to an FT article, Most Hedge Funds Fail the average lifespan of a hedge fund is 5 years. Horizon has been in business now for almost two decades and we see a continued bright future ahead.
We’d like to thank our clients, many of whom have been with us from the beginning. Also, our team who have worked with us even before Horizon was formed back in the days of Beach Capital Management.
