It’s been exactly a decade since I attended my first QuantMinds event. At the time, it was called Global Derivatives, and as the name suggests, it was very much focused towards option pricing and its associated areas. It was held for a number of years in Amsterdam, at the Okura Hotel (whilst I can’t remember…
Category: Events
Events, General, Macro
Takeaways from FILS 2023 in Barcelona
by Saeed Amen •
Think of Barcelona, and maybe you think of Gaudi, and his (still) unfinished masterpiece the Sagrada Familia or perhaps you think of Picasso, who lived in Barcelona for a period of time. And of course there’s the Olympics, football and Messi. Its history stretches back a long time, and was originally founded by the Romans…
Events, Foreign Exchange, General
Takeaways from TradeTech FX in Paris
by Saeed Amen •
I’ve been in markets for close to twenty years. What has been my persistent takeaway, aside from the fact that there’s always more to learn about markets, is that whilst markets do change, themes do reoccur. It’s been nearly a decade since I first spoke at a TradeTech FX event. I thought it would be…
Data, Events, General
Thoughts from Lisbon LxMLS on ML, LLMs/ChatGPT and more
by Saeed Amen •
Lisbon will forever be associated with exploration given its position and history. Cabo da Roca nearby is the last land you’ll see in mainland Europe before you head across ocean, as countless Portuguese explorers have done so in the past. The sea also impacts the diet: Bacelhau, salted cod is the national dish of Portugal.…
Events, General
Berkshire Hathaway Meeting in Omaha
by Saeed Amen •
The Berkshire Hathaway shareholders meeting returned in person for the second time after COVID this weekend in Omaha. As noted by Warren Buffett, there was somewhat of a clash in the calendar with the Coronation over the Atlantic, although he did quip that they had their own King Charles here at the meeting, in the…
Events, General
QuantMinds 2022 Barcelona
by Saeed Amen •
It’s been thirty years since Barcelona held the Olympics. Whilst I never visited the city before the Olympics, it’s difficult not to notice the impact of the event. You can see this in many areas of the city, such as in the seaside, where the beachfront was developed. The legacy of the Olympics in Barcelona…
Events, Foreign Exchange, General
TradeTech FX in Amsterdam
by Saeed Amen •
Amsterdam is a city that I haven’t visited for a while. I’m glad to say not much has changed since my last visit: the rain (yes, I seem to pick the worst days to visit), the canals and more. It’s one of those large cities, which somehow manages to retain a small town feeling, and…
Events, General, Macro
The 2022 Berkshire Hathaway Meeting
by Saeed Amen •
Walking around Omaha, there are reminders of the old West. In the Old Market district, the cobble stones remain, but the old style saloon bars are gone. In their place there are fancy restaurants and bars. There are sculptures of old Omaha, stagecoaches cast from bronze. The railroad is still there, but the original station…
Data, Events, Foreign Exchange, General, Macro, Python
Extracting expectations for French election
by Saeed Amen •
We can’t know everything, even a fraction of everything. If we want to find something out, we need to do research. Typically, we’ll try to look at what else has been researched about a topic. If it’s a very niche topic, then it’s less likely we’ll find something relevant. However, if the topic is popular,…
Events, Foreign Exchange, General
Notes from TradeTech FX USA
by Saeed Amen •
Usually, I don’t particularly look forward to long haul flights, being cooped up in a seat for hours on end, “enjoying” plane food etc. However, this time was different, earlier this month, I was excited about going on a long flight to the USA. After all, it’s only been a few months since pandemic travel…