Conference report 16 March 2011London Reporter: Ben Wilkie
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The Data Explorers Securities Finance Forum took place in London on 16 March with an attendance of some of the major names in the securities lending industry.
Overseen by CNBC's Steve Sedgwick, delegates discussed developments in the industry during and after the credit crisis, and looked at how the future may unfold.
Key speakers included Altaf Kassam from Deutsche Bank, who highlighted new strategies quant specialists were using - pushing DB's own strategy, which, he said, led to higher returns at a lower cost.
The discussion on how hedge funds can utilise securities finance turned into the opportunity for delegates to air their views on the market, but there was a moment of levity when author Lars Kroijer explained that when he set up his small capitalisation hedge fund in Denmark he had to call a securities lending desk to borrow a single share.
The afternoon discussions continued in a similar vein, with panel debates on the benefits of short selling - a discussion in which the dissenting voice only sent a written argument, rather than turn up to face the wrath of hundreds of securities lending professionals!
The future of exchange traded funds, and the debate about how securities finance can push forward closed the event, which was finished with a well-attended drinks reception.
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