Efficient hedge fund management software will not just automate specific functions, but also integrate all the front, back and middle office functions into a single seamless system with the general ledger as the core. It will capture trades, integrate investor accounting with portfolio management as an end-to-end solution, and update data in real-time. But the platform’s full potential can only be realized if it can be used with a range of global instruments and derivative products.
Let’s take a look at the features an investment manager would want in this system. In the front office, it will provide real-time monitoring and order management. Scenario analysis tools and FIX connectivity to interface with brokers are definitely on the desired features list, and so are hedging overlays and modeling.
To provide some serious ROI, the system needs to be able to handle a wide range of instruments and all major currencies. This includes equity derivatives, futures and options, bank debt and swaps, and fixed income instruments like asset backed securities. If it can handle all these and more, the system will quickly out-perform comparable funds doing the same things with multiple packages and manual work.
The way it works is that a single data point of entry begins with trade capture. From here, the system updates every tool, function and report in real-time. It handles routing and order management. Reconciliation is an important feature, with complete automation for corporate actions like dividends, coupon payments and stock splits.
With the workflow automated from trade execution to investor accounting, the firm can quickly add new clients and products, and aim for higher trade volumes. The scalability allows for growth without new overheads and staffing requirements. Audit trails for everything the hedge fund management software does is a standard feature, with full compliance before and after trades.
Reports are provided on a dashboard with real time updates and plugged in market data. Once the front and middle office finish processing trades, the data automatically flows into the general ledger. Every transaction impacts the ledger, so it is the best place for warehousing data that can be used for generating reports.
More reports and filtering options will allow the investment manager to minimize risks with drilled-down exposure reporting and performance attribution categorized by strategy, funds, sector and trader. Realized, unrealized and net P&L should be visible for the day in question, month to date and year to date, not to mention open to date. The Profit & Loss data is automatically updated as the markets fluctuate and positions change.
Hedge fund management software is not meant to replace investment managers. It will, however, be irreplaceable once fund managers get used to it. There is no other way to achieve the same scalability and high growth rate without incurring additional administrative expenses. With the recent availability of these packages on hosted SaaS platforms, even the initial upfront investment required for buying, installing and maintaining the package and the required IT hardware has been eliminated.
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