A former quantitative strategist from Macquarie Group is launching a second hedge fund focused on European markets, backed by €50 million in initial capital. The fund will deploy systematic trading strategies across energy and defense sectors, targeting alpha in volatile macro environments.
- Axiom Capital Strategies launched with €50 million in seed capital
- Focus on systematic trading across European energy and defense sectors
- Backtested Sharpe ratio of 1.7 over 10 years, max drawdown of 8.3%
- Uses ^VIX signals to adjust exposure in volatile markets
- Operates from Luxembourg with a team of ex-Macquarie and BlackRock professionals
- First trades expected in Q2 2026
A former quantitative analyst at Macquarie Group is making a comeback in the European hedge fund space with a new firm targeting systematic trading opportunities. The fund, officially named Axiom Capital Strategies, has secured €50 million in seed capital from private investors and institutional backers, marking a significant step in the quant’s career revival after a brief hiatus post-2023. The strategy will focus on high-frequency execution and statistical arbitrage across European-listed equities and energy derivatives, with a particular emphasis on commodities such as Brent crude (CL=F) and defense sector equities. The firm’s launch comes amid renewed interest in quant-driven approaches following a period of underperformance in 2022–2023. Axiom Capital Strategies will operate from Luxembourg, leveraging local regulatory advantages and access to pan-European liquidity. The fund’s risk model incorporates volatility signals derived from the CBOE Volatility Index (^VIX), using real-time spikes in market uncertainty to trigger tactical shifts in exposure. Initial allocations will prioritize energy sector equities, where supply chain tensions and geopolitical risks have driven persistent volatility. Key metrics from the fund’s backtesting phase show a Sharpe ratio of 1.7 over a 10-year period, with a maximum drawdown of 8.3% during the 2022 energy crisis. The team comprises three ex-Macquarie quants and one former BlackRock risk engineer, reinforcing the firm’s technical depth. The launch is expected to attract attention from European institutional investors seeking alternative alpha sources amid stagnant equity returns and rising macro uncertainty. Market participants note that while the fund’s scale remains modest relative to global hedge fund giants, its niche focus on energy and defense could generate targeted opportunities, especially as NATO defense spending increases and energy transition pressures persist. The fund’s first trading signals are expected to go live in Q2 2026, with performance reports to be published quarterly.