How do MMs run their books intra-quarter? Barring any catalysts

How do MMs run their positions intra-quarter? I get the whole idea about taking a view on the quarter but what about intra-quarter? If there is no catalyst intra-quarter (like an analyst day, product launch etc) then how do MMs think about running their book. Would love to get some insight.

7 Comments
 

Alt data prints can be catalysts intra quarter depending on the name. Can also trade positioning and degrossings

Otherwise a lot is managing macro risk and position sizing, trying to protect against factor rotations etc 

 

Analyst 3+ in HF - EquityHedge

Alt data prints can be catalysts intra quarter depending on the name. Can also trade positioning and degrossings

Otherwise a lot is managing macro risk and position sizing, trying to protect against factor rotations etc 

Interesting. Sorry if this is a dumb question, but how can you realistically foresee degrossings? Similarly, with positioning, don't you have to wait for the earnings print (or at least the preview trade) for it to really work?

Sorry if this is a naive question, but just trying to understand how MMs navigate through this. It just seems like macro, factor rotation or some other news could hit names (and barring any NT catalyst, you could be forced to liquidate positions).

 

Less about foreseeing and more being aware of how degrossings and positioning/crowding can cause outsized reactions from intra quarter events. Data flows you know other funds are tracking, sellside colour, macro prints. There are calls you can make outside of earnings, and these days alot of the actual monetisable trade happens before earnings (alpha curve and whatnot) but a lot of your work is just risk management and running your book as tightly as possible.

You will never be truly macro neutral, or factor neutral, so managing your exposures whilst also being on top of the positioning in the names you’re in is going to be a primary concern. Especially if you’re in names that are exposed to people trading around data prints or macro prints.

 

Works at Morgan Stanley

There are still catalysts outside of earnings. People will have trades into intraquarter conferences where they think a company might say something that can move the share price, into sell side previews for the upcoming quarter if they think SS will make any big number/rating changes, industry/regulatory events etc

Yes. Monthly industry official data prints, alt data releases (trade into weekly yipit/msci), frontrun sellside preview revision, conference circuit, product release 2nd deriv changes, regulatory implementation. All dumb low conviction catalysts though

 

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