NEW YORK and CHEVY CHASE, Md., April 11, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- FORT Management, an investment firm founded 21 years ago by two Ph.D. economists and former fund managers at the World Bank – Yves Balcer and Sanjiv Kumar – has expanded its operations and launched a first-time office in New York.

Based in Chevy Chase, MD since its founding in 1993, FORT focuses exclusively on systematic investment strategies developed by Messers. Balcer and Kumar.  The firm manages approximately $700 million in assets on behalf of institutional and high net worth investors worldwide.  

Mr. Balcer is heading up FORT's new office, located at 540 Madison Avenue, and is being joined by two new managing directors – Alan Marantz and Douglas McKeige – who have come on board to direct business development and assist in overall firm management. 

Mr. Marantz is experienced in institutional asset management, having spent 26 years at Lehman Brothers, where he held various leadership roles including global head of Private Investment Management, global head of fixed income sales, head of Fixed Income Asia and global head of foreign exchange.

Mr. McKeige, an attorney, was formerly a managing partner with leading litigation firm Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossman, known for its work prosecuting securities litigation cases on behalf of institutional investors globally.  During his tenure, he helped Bernstein Litowitz advise clients in evaluating and commencing securities and other investor-related claims.

Prior to coming to FORT, Messers. Marantz and McKeige worked at a discretionary macro hedge fund in New York, where they jointly directed business development efforts.

"Sanjiv and I felt that this was the right time to establish a presence in New York and we could not be happier in having Alan Marantz and Doug McKeige join our new office and help lead our business development initiatives," Mr. Balcer said.  "Alan and Doug each have strong backgrounds in asset management and investor relations that will complement our existing team.  Having a New York location will allow us to have closer contact with our existing investors and create better access for prospective clients as we continue to grow FORT."

FORT is an acronym for Financial Opportunities in Research in Trading. FORT has a strong research culture and has pioneered a number of advancements in systematic investments during its two-decade history. 

Messers. Balcer and Kumar have utilized statistical analyses in developing proprietary models to generate uncorrelated returns in equities. Over its 21-year history, Fort has developed and implemented four unique quantitative strategies along with a set of proprietary trade processing systems. 

Mr. Balcer holds a Ph.D. in economics from M.I.T., a Ph.D. in operations research and an MS in statistics from Stanford, as well as an MS in mathematics from the Universite de Montreal.  He has published more than two dozen articles on finance and economics and formerly was an associate professor of economics at the University of Wisconsin.

Mr. Kumar earned his Ph.D. in economics from the University of Chicago and a BA in mathematics from the University of Delhi.  During his tenure at the World Bank, he managed fixed-income portfolios in all major currencies.

"Doug and I are excited by the opportunity to join Yves and Sanjiv, who bring extraordinary discipline and analytic rigor to their investment management at FORT," Mr. Marantz said.  "Now into its third decade, FORT has repeatedly broken new ground with its strategies and is regarded as a leader in the important field of systematic investment.  We are looking forward to helping the firm expand its footprint and recognition among institutional investors for years to come."

About FORT

FORT Investment Management is an investment management firm focusing exclusively on systematic investment strategies.  The firm was founded in 1993 by Yves Balcer and Sanjiv Kumar, who formerly worked together as senior fund managers at the World Bank and who continue to serve as the firm's co-leaders.  FORT manages assets on behalf of institutional investors and high net worth individuals internationally.  The firm maintains offices in Chevy Chase, MD and New York City.

Contact:
Allan Ripp
212-262-7477
[email protected]

SOURCE FORT Management