overseeing its credit trading business out of the US . It was during the start of the Covid pandemic in 2020 that his remit was expanded , taking on responsibility for the equities and foreign exchange capabilities at the firm .
Equities was already a globalised product and in 2021 , LGIM opted to globalise its fixed income product offering . Raymond ’ s team of nine , including himself , now handles all the US dollar trading flow globally for LGIM out of the US .
His trading team is structured using a specialised approach with each individual having a market area that they are responsible for . Raymond himself specialises in energy and basic industries .
“ Our desk set-up is very effective because we can develop relationships with the sell-side at a deeper and more meaningful level ,” he explains .
“ It ' s fun sometimes to say this is the security that I think is going to perform the best . It adds another element of challenge that I ' ve enjoyed .”
“ There ' s an argument to be made for splitting it by high and low touch as opposed to fixed income and equity etc . But , right now , I like having it split because it ' s a different product . It ' s different needs for our clients and our fund managers . If you want to be successful , you need to really understand what their needs are .”
Raymond ’ s career has had a constant fixed income spin to it . While he acts in a backup capacity for FX and sometimes equities , he is most active in fixed income for credit which he confirms is LGIM ’ s biggest book of business . For Raymond , it ’ s the layered nuance and the additional challenge when it comes to fixed income trading that has kept him coming back for more .
“ Fixed income is unique in comparison with equities as
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