Jennifer Schiffman Hines, Portfolio Manger, Verition Fund Management won Excellence in Hedge Funds at Markets Media Group’s 2023 Women in Finance (U.S.) Awards.
Please tell us about your current role and daily responsibilities.
I am currently a Portfolio Manager at Verition with a focus on trading US rates. My trading style is motivated by relative value and I enjoy building models and tools to empower myself in trade selection. I trade various products across the rates spectrum with a special focus on the front-end and monetary policy where I was a lead market-maker on the sell-side for 16 years. Each day my aim is to analyze the broader macro market and especially the US rates market and attempt to identify trades and strategies. This means each day I might be building models, executing trades, having conversations with other market professionals, and generally all these things in concert. I aspire towards the mastery of my craft and also to see my colleagues and juniors achieve their full potential.
What keeps you motivated?
The keys to remaining motivated in this market for me are to find the things that play to my strengths, always find ways to express myself through trading, and to maintain a healthy balance of interests outside of work. Throughout my life I’ve always very much enjoyed problem-solving. I try to see the market through this lens: as a puzzle that needs to be cracked, and each time I resolve some aspect of the problem, I feel a surge of joy in accomplishment. It’s been very important for me to still maintain my interests outside of work, including some artistic pursuits through Origami and Piano to keep that part of my mind fulfilled. This also helps me to express my personality through trading by building my own tools with a look and functionality that appeals to my aesthetic. Finally, maintaining an active role in my family and my household, especially with my two daughters, in both being a role model for them as well as their support and cheerleader has given me both perspective and fuel to keep going.
What’s your advice to the next generation of women in finance?
I’ve found that in many cases women have been conditioned to feel that they will be individual and rare in this business and therefore have been conditioned to compete with other women rather than competing in the market and with the market. Some of the best things that I did for my career were to come together with other women, take advice and lessons from women both more senior and junior and learn how to battle the market with my colleagues as a team. Jobs in finance are very demanding and often we are encouraged to hide vulnerabilities and weakness. In my experience, I find that it is much more valuable to share your emotional journey with colleagues, whether it be recovering from a loss or a drawdown, or a missed promotion or office slight. We all can learn how to process the stress and challenges of the workplace better if we share our process with others.
