Harish Neelakandan

12:20 PM Day-in-the-Life Interview: Inside a PM’s workflow: How can you turn macro signals into FX positions to improve timing, sizing and portfolio outcomes?

This interview-style session sheds light on how a long-only asset manager and a macro hedge fund PM translate market views into FX positioning across the investment day. Speakers will walk through how ideas are generated, challenged and implemented- from macro signals and probability-weighted scenarios through to trade structuring, risk management and execution. Discussion will explore how their investment processes differ across investment horizons and mandates, including the role of market structure, liquidity, volatility and supply-demand dynamics in shaping trades. The session will also examine instrument choice across spot, options and rates products, how different market environments influence positioning decisions, and how FX exposure fits within broader cross-asset portfolio construction. Expect a practical look at how PMs move from views to trades- including real-world examples of how ideas have been expressed across macro regimes- and where process, discipline, correlations and adaptability matter more than prediction.

2:15 PM Volatility Panel: Trading FX volatility: How can you position and manage risk in a market driven by geopolitical shocks and uncertainty?

FX markets have been characterised by persistently low implied volatility punctuated by sharp, short-lived spikes, raising questions about how volatility is traded across FX markets. This panel explores how PMs trading FX and options adapt strategies across shifting volatility regimes, particularly when realised and implied volatility appear disconnected from macro and geopolitical risks. Speakers will discuss how they trade through extended low-vol environments, manage option exposures and systematic volatility strategies, and adjust positioning when volatility spikes quickly mean-revert. A practitioner-led discussion on calibrating exposure as regimes evolve, and integrating volatility signals into FX and multi-asset decision-making.

3:55 PM Data & Analytics Panel: Using data smarter: How can PMs combine alternative datasets, macro indicators and model signals to improve FX decisions?

As access to alternative datasets and analytical tools accelerates, the challenge for PMs is no longer data availability but intelligent integration. This session explores how investment teams blend discretionary judgment with model-driven insights, macro indicators, sentiment datasets and behavioural signals to refine FX decisions. Speakers will examine how PMs filter and prioritise information, identify valuable datasets and incorporate early-warning indicators. The discussion will highlight where alternative data has delivered clear value, where it remains inconclusive, and how PMs can build disciplined workflows that connect data, analytics and human insight into a coherent decision-making framework. A pragmatic conversation on improving FX decisions through smarter, more balanced use of data.

Main Day 1 | 16th September

12:20 PM Day-in-the-Life Interview: Inside a PM’s workflow: How can you turn macro signals into FX positions to improve timing, sizing and portfolio outcomes?

2:15 PM Volatility Panel: Trading FX volatility: How can you position and manage risk in a market driven by geopolitical shocks and uncertainty?

3:55 PM Data & Analytics Panel: Using data smarter: How can PMs combine alternative datasets, macro indicators and model signals to improve FX decisions?

12:20 PM Day-in-the-Life Interview: Inside a PM’s workflow: How can you turn macro signals into FX positions to improve timing, sizing and portfolio outcomes?