Quant Fund EXQIM Selects OneTick to Support Equity Strategy Development

Nascent asset manager Exclusive Quantitative Investment Management (EXQIM) has selected OneMarketData’s OneTick complex event processing (CEP) and database software to underpin quantitative strategy development and deployment in the US and European equities markets.

Paris-based EXQIM was set up in June 2009 by two associates, but has since raised numbers to four associates and 12 employees. Its objective is to launch funds based on quantitative strategies that are fully automated, limiting human error and capitalising on investment opportunities. The firm’s first fund – a hedge fund – is expected to be introduced in the fourth quarter of this year.

Jean-Guillaume Grebet, head of research at EXQIM, says that the firm initially considered the use of a traditional relational database, such as Oracle or MySQL, as its technology platform, but realised this would not be sufficient. Instead, it turned to specialised time-series databases and considered solutions from StreamBase, Kx Systems, Vhayu and OneMarketData before selecting the latter’s OneTick, a multi-asset class solution with an integrated database offering uniform access to all tick data.

“We chose OneTick because it is a time-series solution dedicated to finance,” he says. “It offers some out-of-the-box functionality that the other suppliers don’t have, and it transparently integrates real-time streaming market data and historical tick data to support quantitative strategy development, testing and real-time signal generation. This would have been difficult to develop ourselves,” he adds.

Richard Chmiel, vice president of sales for OneMarketData, says: “The OneTick CEP and database will allow EXQIM’s quants to explore new trends and test ideas rapidly to help increase the profitability of their strategies.”

EXQIM tested the OneTick software for a month and moved over to become a fully fledged customer early this year. The company commends the quality of the support provided by OneMarketData, particularly in the situation of building a trading platform from scratch.

“We are developing most of the technology we need ourselves,” says Grebet. “OneTick is an exception. We are also talking to a number of real-time data providers and will sign up for data feeds soon.”