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Enhance Portfolio Construction with AI-Powered bondIT

Introduction:

The world of fixed income investing is becoming increasingly complex, requiring investment professionals to adapt and leverage technology-driven solutions to stay competitive and generate superior returns. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has emerged as a game-changer in the investment landscape, empowering investors with advanced tools to construct efficient portfolios and optimize investment strategies.

In this ultimate guide, we explore the value of AI-driven portfolio construction and delve into the features of bondIT’s innovative platform, built to enhance portfolio construction and management capabilities. Learn how bondIT can streamline your fixed income portfolio building process, increase efficiency, and help you achieve better results.

From data-driven security selection to predictive analytics and efficient risk management, harness bondIT’s AI-powered technology and move towards a future-proof investment approach that sets you apart from the competition.

  1. 1. Data-Driven Security Selection with AI

One of the fundamental steps in constructing an efficient fixed income portfolio is the selection of appropriate securities. AI-driven platforms like bondIT can analyze vast amounts of market data and provide essential insights into individual securities, allowing you to make more informed investment decisions.

bondIT’s machine-learning algorithms can identify patterns, trends, and relationships within the data, providing investors with metrics and analysis that would be difficult or impossible to obtain through manual research. This technology screens securities for specific risk factors, credit quality, liquidity, and other relevant criteria, helping you construct a portfolio that effectively aligns with your objectives, risk tolerance, and performance expectations.

  1. 2. AI-Optimized Asset Allocation

A critical aspect of portfolio construction is determining the ideal asset allocation across various fixed income sectors, industries, and issuers. Striking the right balance between risk and reward through optimal asset allocation is paramount to achieve consistent long-term performance.

bondIT’s AI-driven technology can analyze your target allocations and compare them with existing portfolios, uncovering inefficiencies and suggesting changes to achieve desired results. Machine learning algorithms can model various allocation scenarios, assess potential risks and returns, and identify the asset mix that best fulfills your investment goals while considering various factors such as liquidity, credit quality, and duration.

  1. 3. Enhancing Portfolio Diversification with AI

Diversification is a fundamental principle in investment management as it helps to reduce the overall risk of a portfolio by spreading investments across different assets and sectors. AI-driven tools, such as bondIT’s platform, can analyze your current portfolio, identify areas of over-concentration or underexposure, and recommend securities that can help enhance diversification.

Machine learning models are capable of simulating various market scenarios to stress-test portfolios and evaluate their resilience under different economic conditions. By leveraging AI-generated insights, investors can make strategic decisions and build more diversified portfolios designed to minimize risk and foster consistent performance.

  1. 4. Improved Portfolio Risk Management

AI-driven systems can contribute significantly to portfolio risk management by analyzing historical data and identifying trends to predict how securities may behave in the future. bondIT’s platform empowers investors with tools to assess and quantify various risks such as credit risk, interest rate risk, and liquidity risk.

Using machine learning models, bondIT can evaluate how these risks evolve under different market conditions, enabling you to make proactive adjustments and optimize your risk management strategies. AI-driven insights on potential risk factors also aid in the development of contingency plans, ensuring that your portfolio remains resilient amidst market fluctuations.

  1. 5. Ongoing Portfolio Monitoring and Optimization with AI

Effective investment management requires ongoing monitoring and optimization, as portfolios may need rebalancing and adjustment to maintain target allocations, risk levels, and performance expectations. AI-driven platforms like bondIT can consistently monitor your portfolio, evaluating the alignment between your objectives and your current investments.

bondIT’s advanced analytics can alert you to potential performance deviations and suggest alterations based on the ever-changing market landscape. Through continuous analysis of market data, your AI-driven portfolio will be dynamically updated and optimized to help achieve the desired performance and risk levels.

  1. 6. AI-Driven Scenario Analysis and Performance Forecasting

Predictive analysis plays a crucial role in forecasting future investment trends and portfolio performance. bondIT’s AI-driven platform is capable of running scenario analyses, simulating potential economic events or market fluctuations, and evaluating their impact on your portfolio.

This sophisticated technology empowers you to make informed investment decisions based on future projections, enhancing both the short-term and long-term success of your fixed income investments. By understanding how your portfolio may perform under different scenarios, you can strategically rebalance holdings to maximize gains and minimize losses.

  1. 7. Personalized Investment Solutions using AI

The power of AI is not limited to aggregate data analysis; it can also be utilized to build personalized investment strategies tailored to individual investors. bondIT’s platform is designed to accommodate your client’s unique financial goals, risk appetite, and investment preferences by incorporating these criteria into the portfolio construction process.

By leveraging bondIT’s AI-driven solutions, you can create customized investment strategies for each client, fostering stronger relationships and earning their trust as you strive to help them achieve their financial objectives.

  1. 8. Enhanced Decision-Making Through AI-Generated Insights

AI-driven platforms like bondIT enable you to derive insights, identify patterns, and uncover hidden relationships within vast amounts of fixed income data, significantly increasing the efficiency of the decision-making process.

bondIT’s intelligent platform presents actionable information through visualizations, alerts, and suggestions, enabling you to make confident investment decisions without being overwhelmed by the complexity of the fixed income market.

Embracing AI-driven technology can provide a significant competitive edge in your portfolio construction process, delivering better results and fostering growth in your fixed income investments. Through bondIT’s comprehensive platform, you can harness the full potential of AI to enhance efficiency, boost performance, and, ultimately, achieve your investment objectives.

Unlock the Power of AI-Driven Portfolio Construction with bondIT

In conclusion, AI-driven portfolio construction offers a multitude of benefits, streamlining the investment process while enabling investors to make data-driven decisions that drive performance and efficiency. bondIT’s innovative platform can revolutionize your fixed income investment strategy, bolstering your decision-making capabilities with intelligent data analysis and predictive modeling.

It’s time to harness the full potential of AI and optimize your fixed income portfolio construction with bondIT. Request a demo with us today and discover firsthand the benefits of incorporating advanced analytics and AI-driven insights into your fixed income investment process. Embrace the future of portfolio construction and elevate your investment strategy today with bondIT’s cutting-edge technology.

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bondIT’s AI Credit Risk Forecast Reveals High Risk Across Consumer Goods Industries, Improvement in the Travel Industry

 

NEW YORK/TEL AVIV (Herzliya), July 31, 2023 — The latest Scorable AI Industry Credit Risk Indicator Q3 report released by bondIT, a leading provider of credit analytics and next-generation investment technology, unveils a diverse range of credit risk levels across industries worldwide.

According to the report, industries with the highest aggregate risk of rating downgrades in the next 12 months include Consumer Goods (22%), Household Goods (24%), and Household Products (26%), which encompasses beauty, hygiene, health, and nutrition brands. These sectors continue to face challenging conditions that contribute to the elevated credit risk.

In contrast, positive developments have been observed in the tourism and related sectors, with the Airline industry experiencing a notable decline in credit risk. The credit risk for the Airline industry dropped to 12 per cent in the third quarter, a significant improvement from 19 percent in Q2. Additionally, the aggregate credit risk in the Travel & Tourism industry decreased by 3 percentage points to 15 per cent. This decrease can be attributed to pent-up demand in the wake of Covid, giving the travel industry a much-needed boost.

Dr. David Curtis, Head of Global Client Business at bondIT, commented on the findings, stating, “Credit risk is a mixed bag at the moment. While we have seen an improvement in the Travel & Tourism sector, credit risk across consumer and retail sectors remains stubbornly high. Despite the challenges, there are great opportunities in the market now, particularly with the increased yield that many issuers are offering. Investors need to be vigilant though, as our Scorable AI is also signaling an increased risk of Falling Angels.”

The report indicates that the probability of Falling Angels, though rising slightly, remains a point of concern. Currently, 14.1% of BBB- issuers globally show a high risk of a rating downgrade in the next 12 months. Emerging market issuers have experienced a slight decrease in this risk, from 24.6% to 22.7%. However, the risk of Falling Angels in the US and Europe has increased, from 8.8% to 11.1% and 8.4% to 9.5% of BBB- issuers, respectively.

As credit conditions continue to evolve, it becomes crucial for investors to stay informed about the changing risk landscape. bondIT’s credit analytics platform, Scorable, harnesses machine learning and explainable-AI to predict downgrade and upgrade probability of nearly 3,000 rated corporate and financial issuers worldwide within a 12-month time frame The Rating Transition Model analyses more than 250 data variables daily including solvency ratios, capital requirements, profitability, and efficiency ratios. The platform provides actionable insights for investors, allowing them to monitor corporate bond ratings and spreads, and anticipate rating changes and investment opportunities, ahead of the market.

Want to get access to Scorable to check which issuers are at most at risk? Contact the bondIT team.

* Emerging Markets include Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, South Africa, Poland, Turkey, India, Indonesia, China, and South Korea.

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What Are Fixed Income Instruments?

bondIT’s investment technology has been designed specifically for investment firms and businesses. We have developed a powerful asset management tool which empowers fixed income portfolio management professionals to produce faster, more accurate and more cost-effective solutions for portfolio optimization and advanced laddering for fixed income instruments.

What are Fixed Income Instruments?

Fixed income instruments, or fixed income securities, are a type of investment which provides a regular return in the form of fixed interest payment as well as the eventual return of the principal investment bond fund at the bond’s maturity. The payments for fixed income options are known in advance, unlike other variable-income securities. Fixed income products offer investors a reliable stream of fixed rate periodic interest payments (known as coupon payments). Bonds are the most common form of fixed income instruments and they are available as municipal bonds, government bonds and corporate bonds to buy. Not all fixed income investments, however, are created equal. There is a range of factors which help to rate bonds and these ratings can influence the viability of a bond including the interest rate risk, the credit risk associated with individual bonds or the issuer.

The U.S. Treasury guarantees government fixed income bonds, and these are considered very low risk, however, this also means they offer relatively low returns on investments when compared to other fixed income high yield bonds.

Essentially, all fixed income instruments are debt instruments which help companies to raise the capital they need. A company will issue a bond for a specific price which is purchased by the investor. The bond funds generated are used by the bond issuer for whatever capital needs they have in return for regular interest payments to the investor and, finally, the return of the investment at the bond’s maturity. Bonds can have a range of maturities (short term and long term) and face value amounts. The face value is the amount the investor will receive when the bond matures.

Investment Grade, Non-investment Grade or Junk Bonds

Investing in fixed income securities can be a reliable way of generating fixed income however it’s important to understand the various grades assigned to bonds issued and how these grades may ultimately affect the bond paying anything at all. Fixed income options can be either investment grade or non-investment grade bonds. Investment-grade bonds are generally issued on the corporate bonds marketby stable entities with a good credit rating assigned by a credit rating agency. Similarly, government bonds are generally considered investment grade bonds. Investment-grade fixed income trade options are issued with a low risk of default, so they have a lower interest rate correlate to the risk. This means that the income generated from these types of bonds will generally be lower than non-investment grade bonds or junk bonds.

Junk bonds are fixed income high yield investments which have a low credit rating proportionate to the probability of the corporate issuer defaulting on the interest payments it owes. In return for accepting the higher risk on these types of bonds, investors see a higher interest payment. Diverse bond allocation ensures that an even level of risk is assumed across an entire investor’s portfolio, helping to offset the risk of default with lower-paying but more secure fixed income instruments.

What is bondIT Software?

bondIT is the asset management software designed to help advisors and portfolio managers to more quickly optimize investment portfolios and respond to changes in the market. Using our fixed income analytics, you can fully customize how portfolios are managed and optimized. Choose either the standard features that BondIT comes with or work with our team closely to develop analytics and features which more accurately reflect your business practice and align with your business goals and investor goals.

Using bondIT, you can rapidly generate fully optimized and compliant portfolios leveraging alternative data, proprietary insights, mandates and inventory. When you use bondIT to create investment portfolios, all of your investment objectives and mandates are taken into account. This powerful software measures fixed income risk to deliver instant and actionable proposals compliant from the moment of creation.

Flexible bondIT’s Income Ladder Tool

Using the same intuitive interface, bondIT also delivers game-changing advanced ladders. Build both custom or standard ladders of municipal bonds, corporate bonds and governments – as well as a fully diversified portfolio – aligning your clients’ needs instantly. bondIT’s income ladder tool was designed with the flexibility to generate bond ladders and income streams in whatever frequency and amount a client requires to align with idiosyncratic gifting, philanthropic, or other requirements. bondIT allows for portfolio parameters and bond level constraints to all be based on benchmark relative inputs. Portfolios and proposals can also be compared across all analytic fields for enhanced client engagement.

Real-time Portfolio Monitoring and Management

Our portfolio management software also helps to generate multiple solutions for trade-off analysis. Using our fixed income portfolio management platform, funds’ managers can review multiple investment strategies delivered quickly and efficiently rather than after hours of intensive offline analysis. Traditionally, this review process is reliant on internal workflows and offline systems but with bondIT you remain in control of real-time portfolio monitoring and management with permission-based sharing across all enterprise systems.

To discover how bondIT could help your business to increase efficiency, reduce costs, save valuable time, and help you achieve and exceed the goals of your fixed income instruments investors, contact one of our consultants today. We can take you through how bondIT is deployed and how we can tailor our intuitive, easy to use software solution to your business needs and workflows.

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News

First Rate and bondIT Announce Strategic Partnership to Provide AI-Driven Fixed Income Analysis and Reporting Solutions for the US Wealth Market

Arlington, TX/New York, NY – June 26, 2023 – First Rate, a leading provider of wealth management solutions to the financial services marketplace, and bondIT, a leading provider of next-generation investment technology, announced today their partnership to provide advanced Explainable AI (XAI) technology and an innovative API-driven client reporting tool to wealth management firms.  This strategic partnership is driven by the initiative to facilitate better investment decision making and enhance transparency.

bondIT’s Scorable solution, leverages the analytical power of Machine Learning and Explainable AI to turn data into actionable insights and helps firms to anticipate critical bond rating changes ahead of the market. Scorable Credit Analytics predicts downgrade and upgrade probability of more than 3,000 rated corporate and financial issuers worldwide within a 12-month timeframe. The Scorable Rating Transition Model analyses more than 250 unique variables daily, allowing wealth managers to make informed investment decisions, outperform peers, and stay ahead of fixed-income changes. Thanks to its XAI approach, Scorable creates transparency and enables users to understand the drivers behind the predictions.

“Through our partnership, bondIT and First Rate empower wealth managers with advanced tools and capabilities to enhance their credit risk research and reporting,” explains David Curtis, Partner at bondIT.

“By leveraging technology, wealth managers can make well-informed investment decisions, effectively manage exposures, and provide comprehensive insights to clients,” adds Andrew Merrill, Head of North America Sales at bondIT.

First Rate’s AI-driven reporting tool allows wealth managers to customize their client reports by integrating Scorable’s Explainable AI technology using custom APIs and widgets. With the ability to pull in data from structured and unstructured data sources, this integration allows the advisor to aggregate data sets and communicate the full investment story as well as upside and downside trends including advanced reporting options such as average rating transition classes and rating trends. Our team of data and performance experts provide recommendations to support strategic objectives.

“The partnership of First Rate and bondIT adds strategic value to customers of both firms by providing insight into their fixed income assets’ risk and opportunities through explainable AI and top-tier client reporting.”, says Alex Serman, Managing Director of Wealth at First Rate. “Combining the analytics with holistic reporting will create more informed conversations with clients and deepen advisor relationships while creating value to the portfolio.”

The First Rate and bondIT partnership empowers advisors to broaden research capacity and efficiently manage their exposures through volatile market environments as well as create transparent and compelling investment stories for their clients.

 

About First Rate

First Rate exists to help wealth management companies grow and thrive as stewards of their clients’ investments. Our innovative services and solutions help financial firms create absolute transparency, enhance efficiency, and empower advisors to create more meaningful and intelligent investment strategies for their clients. It’s technology as it should be.

First Rate’s flexible solutions adapt to the evolving demands and complex challenges of the wealth management industry. With a proven track record including more than 30 years of experience, our relentless focus on meeting the diverse needs of our partners is unmatched in the industry.

Through data aggregation, performance calculation, client reporting, and intelligent data analytics backed by a powerful AI engine, our innovative technologies enable wealth managers to grow their businesses by enhancing efficiency and providing strategic value to investors.

Website: www.FirstRate.com

Follow us: @FirstRatePerf

 

About bondIT

bondIT provides next generation front office investment technology. We combine Data Science, Explainable-AI (XAI) and Advanced Technologies with Fixed Income investment know-how to improve the performance, accuracy and efficiency of our clients’ investment processes and businesses. bondIT is privately owned and paving the way for financial institutions of all sizes to integrate the power of greater technology in their investment processes. bondIT adheres to the highest privacy and security standards and is SOC 2 certified by Ernst & Young. For more information, please visit bonditglobal.com and follow us on LinkedIn.

 

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Pershing’s John Goodheart introduces Bondwise on Bloomberg

John Goodheart, head of trading services at Pershing, talks to Bloomberg about  the evolution of fixed income investing and the launch of Bondwise, a new destination wealth platform by bondIT & Pershing. 

Click here to listen to the full interview: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/audio/2023-06-08/conversations-from-insite-audio 

In the Bloomberg interview, John Goodheart emphasizes the significant growth in retail demand for fixed income, surpassing industry metrics by 3x the previous year’s par value. This surge in demand has prompted advisors to seek support after their primary focus on equities in recent years. 

“Retail demand for fixed income investments has increased significantly”

Pershing has teamed up with bondIT to create a destination bond platform for advisors and broker-dealers. The platform has been branded Bondwise because it helps advisors become wiser about bond investing. 

The platform offers a user-friendly solution, enabling clients to navigate the fixed income market and make informed investment decisions. It leverages bondIT’s artificial intelligence-driven technology to optimize fixed income portfolios based on customized criteria such as yields to maturity and ratings. Clients, including those primarily focused on equities, can review the platform’s recommendations and execute trades by using the Buy and Sell button. 

“bondIT helps clients navigate the fixed income market”

Advisors and broker-dealers can access Bondwise via Pershing’s NetX 360 platform. As fixed income investments gain prominence again, bondIT’s technology assists advisors in effectively navigating this evolving landscape. 

To find out more about our technology or to arrange a demo, contact the bondIT team now. 

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Blog

Fixed Income Direct Indexing: A New Frontier in Investment

By Andrew Merrill, bondIT 

Gone are the days of relying solely on the performance of a mutual fund or ETF to track a fixed income index. Technological advances in recent years have created another way to invest like an index with important advantages for investors: direct indexing. 

Fixed income direct indexing involves purchasing individual fixed income securities, such as bonds, in the same proportions as a fixed income index or benchmark. Instead of investing in a fixed income mutual fund or ETF, investors can build a portfolio of bonds that replicates the performance of a specific index or benchmark. 

Direct Indexing offers customization and tax benefits 

Just like with equity direct indexing, fixed income direct indexing offers greater control and customization compared to traditional fixed income investment vehicles. Investors can tailor their portfolios to align with their preferences, goals, and risk tolerance. They have the flexibility to exclude certain bonds or sectors that they do not favor or tilt their portfolio towards certain themes they believe will outperform the market, such as growth, value, or elements of ESG investing. 

One of the key advantages of fixed income direct indexing is tax efficiency. Similar to equity direct indexing, investors can strategically harvest losses by selling individual bonds that have declined in value to offset capital gains from other investments. This ability to selectively sell positions without impacting the overall exposure to the index can help investors lower their tax liabilities. 

However, direct indexing does come with some potential challenges. It can be more complex and expensive than buying index funds or ETFs. It requires expertise in bond selection, as well as knowledge of the specific index or benchmark being replicated. Investors need to consider factors such as bond duration, credit quality, and yield when constructing their portfolios. Additionally, like any investment strategy, fixed income direct indexing is subject to market risk and fluctuations in interest rates. 

Technology democratizes access to Direct Indexing 

Previously, direct indexing was primarily available to wealthy investors who could afford separately managed accounts (SMAs) managed by professional advisors. However, with the emergence of advanced technologies, direct indexing has become more accessible to individual investors. Today’s technology automates the process of building and maintaining direct indexing portfolios, incorporating features such as tax optimization, portfolio customization, and performance reporting. 

bondIT is at the forefront of this democratization of direct indexing. We have developed technology that automates the creation and optimization of direct indexing portfolios, enabling investors to build rule-based portfolios that reflect their personal preferences while generating tax benefits. Our portfolio construction software can significantly reduce the time and effort required to implement direct indexing strategies, making it accessible to a wider range of investors. 

Contact the bondIT team now to find out more and arrange a demo. 

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bondIT quarterly credit risk forecast indicates elevated credit risk across the world

Scorable AI Industry Credit Risk Indicator Report Q2 2023 

Elevated credit risk across many industries, risk of falling angels on the rise 

  • Concentration of industries in medium to high-risk bucket shows heightened rating downgrade risk 
  • Regional banks at greater risk of rating downgrades than multinational banks 
  • Regular risk monitoring and rebalancing crucial to achieve investment goals 

The latest analysis from bondIT, a provider of credit analytics and next-generation fixed income technology, highlights a concentration of industry risk in the medium to high-risk bracket, indicating elevated credit risk across the world. 

According to bondIT‘s Scorable AI Industry Credit Risk Indicator Q2 report, industries with the highest aggregate risk of rating downgrades in the next 12 months include Household Goods (26%) and Household Products (28%), which comprises beauty, hygiene, health, and nutrition brands.  

Rising inflation and economic uncertainty are exerting pressure on disposable incomes and affecting consumer spending, further compounded by increasing production and operating costs, creating a challenging environment for many companies. As a result, aggregated downgrade risk remains high across many sectors, such as Airlines (19%), Tourism (18%), and Consumer Goods (18%).  

The recent turbulence in financial markets has reignited concerns about the stability of the banking sector. Scorable’s AI model indicates a higher credit risk associated with regional banks (14%) as compared to multinational and custodian banks, which have been subject to tighter regulations, including regular stress tests and increased capital buffers, following the 2008 financial crisis.   

As high market volatility persists, investors need to be selective. Scorable indicates a sizeable amount of rating migrations for corporate and financial issuers in 2023 with the risk of Falling Angels highest in Emerging Markets* where nearly a quarter of BBB- rated issuers display a high or very high downgrade probability. Across the globe, 13.4% of BBB- issuers in the Scorable universe are at risk of becoming Falling Angels within the next 12 months – an increase of nearly 2 percentage points compared to the previous quarter. 

However, while rising credit risk may present challenges, investors can still find opportunities to generate strong returns by effectively managing their exposures and building well-diversified portfolios. Anticipating directional credit changes early, regular risk monitoring and rebalancing, can help investors to stay on track towards their investment goals. 

bondIT’s credit analytics platform, Scorable, harnesses machine learning and explainable-AI to predict downgrade and upgrade probability of nearly 3,000 rated corporate and financial issuers worldwide within a 12-month time frame The Rating Transition Model analyses more than 250 data variables daily including solvency ratios, capital requirements, profitability, and efficiency ratios. The platform provides actionable insights for investors, allowing them to monitor corporate bond ratings and spreads, and anticipate rating changes and investment opportunities, ahead of the market. 

* Emerging Markets include Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, South Africa, Poland, Turkey, India, Indonesia, China, and South Korea.

Want to get access to Scorable to check which issuers are at most at risk? Contact the bondIT team for help: https://bonditglobal.com/contact/ 

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Bond Ladders: Generating reliable income through different life stages

Bond ladders are a great way to build consistent income, diversify and hedge against inflation. With a ladder, investors can create a portfolio of individual bonds with staggered maturities, which can help to reduce the risk of interest rate fluctuations and provide a predictable stream of cash flows. Unlike bond funds, ladders can be customized to meet an investor’s specific needs, so they offer greater transparency and predictability.  

Implementing ladders in practice can be time consuming though. It requires careful planning to ensure that the ladder is built with the right mix of bonds that will provide the optimal mix of yield and diversification of risk.  

Customizing investment strategies pre- & post-retirement 

The use of new technologies can greatly enhance the efficiency of wealth managers and financial advisors in constructing laddered income portfolios. One such technology is bondIT’s portfolio construction tool, Frontier. This advanced platform offers a range of features, that enable advisors to dynamically optimize bond portfolios and deliver customized investment strategies that help clients meet their pre- and post-retirement income needs. 

With Frontier, advisors can build standard or custom ladders using municipal, corporate, or government bonds, with the flexibility to choose any combination of maturity and payment profiles – in a fraction of time it would otherwise take. The platform also incorporates credit quality and liquidity analysis, eliminating the need for advisors to pay mutual fund and ETF fees. 

Technology helps clients achieve their financial goals 

Before retirement, many individuals may have financial liabilities such as saving for a down-payment on a home or vacation property, or paying for their children or grandchildren’s college tuition. 

As they enter retirement financial goals shift from asset accumulation to decumulation, and their focus shifts to efficiently distributing income throughout their retirement years. With Frontier, wealth managers can create optimal income streams to help their clients achieve their pre- and post-retirement income goals and align with their unique spending, gifting and philanthropic requirements. 

Want to learn more about how technology can help deliver customized investment strategies? Reach out to the bondIT team now.

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Spotlight on Explainable AI

The financial services industry has experienced a significant increase in the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in recent years and this is just the beginning. A 2022 Economist Intelligence Unit survey of IT executives in banking found that 85% have a “clear strategy” for adopting AI in the development of new products and services. Top areas for future growth in the next 1-3 years includes personalising investment, credit scoring and portfolio optimization.*  

AI can provide significant benefits by boosting efficiencies, cutting repetitive processes, increasing accuracy, and avoiding human error. And when it comes to interpreting the ever-growing amount of data, AI can offer real added value in decision-making. But whilst AI can bring huge benefits, it is not without controversy. There are concerns around bias, accountability, and explainability that need to be addressed, especially in the financial industry where decisions based on AI can have significant impacts. 

The lack of transparency and the prevalence of black box models have been key challenges to AI adoption across the industry. This is why it is essential to have explainable AI (XAI) approaches that allow users to understand the rationale behind analyses, so they can make informed decisions rather than blindly relying on machine learning models. 

What is XAI? 

XAI refers to a set of techniques and methods that enable the development of AI systems that can be easily understood and interpreted by humans. The goal of XAI is to build AI models that can explain their decisions, actions, and reasoning processes in a way that is transparent, trustworthy, and easy to understand for users, stakeholders, and regulatory authorities. 

The need for XAI arises from the fact that many AI algorithms are complex and opaque, making it difficult for humans to understand how they arrive at their conclusions. XAI seeks to address this problem by designing AI models that can provide explanations or justifications for their decisions, such as highlighting which features of the data were most important in making a prediction. In addition, XAI can help mitigate issues related to bias, discrimination, and fairness in AI by enabling users to identify and correct any biases or errors in the training data or the model itself. 

Scorable: XAI in Action 

bondIT’s Credit Analytics platform, Scorable uses XAI to predict the downgrade & upgrade probability of 3,000 corporate and financial issuers worldwide within a 12-month time period. As you can see in the example below, Scorable predicted the rating downgrade of a US corporate issuer several months ahead of time. In mid-February, Scorable’s Rating Transition (SRT) model detected an increase in credit risk, with the issuer’s downgrade probability rising to over 20 percent nearly 2 months before the outlook changed to negative and 7 months before the rating downgrade occurred. 

Scorable’s XAI approach supports transparency and allows users to understand the drivers behind its risk assessments. In the “Impact of Features” section, users can see which variables are contributing to and detracting from upgrade and downgrade probabilities, and to what degree.  In the case of this issuer, the key drivers were Market Data, including exchange rates and equity prices, followed to a lesser extent by Solvency Ratios.  

Want to find out more about the benefits Scorable offers to investors? Contact our team for more info. 

  

* Economist Intelligence Unit 2022: “Banking on a game-changer: AI in financial services” 

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Master Investment Management with bondIT’s AI-Driven Solutions

The world of investment management is continuously evolving, fueled by advancements in technology and the growing popularity of artificial intelligence (AI) in the financial industry. bondIT’s AI-driven platform is revolutionizing investment processes by offering powerful tools and analytics that enable investors to make better-informed decisions and optimize their portfolio performance.

In this article, we will delve into the five essential principles for successful investment management using bondIT’s innovative solutions. These key principles will help guide you in embracing this cutting-edge technology, streamlining your investment processes, increasing efficiency, and ultimately improving your portfolio’s overall performance. Understanding and adopting these five principles will empower you to harness the full potential of bondIT’s platform and thrive in the ever-evolving investment landscape.

  1. Leverage AI for Precision in Portfolio Optimization

One of the primary advantages of utilizing bondIT’s AI-driven platform is the ability to optimize your portfolio with greater precision. The platform’s machine learning algorithms analyze historical data and market trends to make informed forecasts and identify potential investment opportunities more accurately than traditional methods. By leveraging AI, you can enhance your decision-making processes, minimize risks, and increase potential returns.

To take full advantage of this principle, it’s essential to understand and trust the AI recommendations provided by bondIT. Their proprietary algorithms continually learn from new data to provide reliable, data-driven insights. Incorporating these insights into your investment strategy can help you achieve a more balanced and well-performing portfolio.

  1. Harness Data Analytics for Informed Decision-Making

bondIT’s platform offers a range of powerful data analytics tools that enable investors to make more informed decisions when constructing and managing their portfolios. These tools provide deep insights into critical factors such as risk, volatility, and expected returns. By harnessing the power of data, investors can identify and exploit opportunities that may otherwise go unnoticed, ultimately contributing to superior portfolio performance.

Regularly monitoring performance indicators and employing advanced analytics will enable you to adapt your investment strategies as market conditions change, ensuring that your portfolio stays balanced and optimized.

  1. Focus on Risk Management through Diversification

When using bondIT’s AI-driven platform, it’s crucial not to lose sight of the importance of diversification as a critical risk mitigation strategy. Diversification is the practice of spreading investments across multiple asset classes, sectors, and regions to reduce overall portfolio risk. By constructing a well-diversified portfolio, investors can minimize their exposure to adverse market events, leading to more stable returns in the long run.

bondIT’s platform offers valuable support in building and maintaining diversified portfolios. Its advanced analytics and AI-driven insights can assist you in identifying investment opportunities that complement and balance your existing holdings. Moreover, bondIT’s platform enables you to monitor portfolio diversification in real-time easily, allowing you to make adjustments as needed to maintain risk-reducing balance.

  1. Embrace Automation for Enhanced Efficiency

One of the most significant advantages of employing AI-driven technology in investment management is the efficiency gains achieved through automation. bondIT’s platform automates many time-consuming manual tasks, such as data analysis, portfolio rebalancing, and performance monitoring. By embracing automation, investors can significantly enhance their efficiency, enabling them to focus on more strategic aspects of their investment management processes.

To fully benefit from the automation capabilities offered by bondIT, it’s essential to identify and implement the platform’s automation features within your investment processes. By delegating repetitive tasks to the platform, you can free up valuable time, allowing you to focus on devising innovative investment strategies, improving client relationships, and ultimately driving better investment outcomes.

  1. Adopt a Continuous Learning Mindset

The world of AI-driven investment management is continually evolving, with new technology developments and improvements emerging regularly. To stay ahead of the curve and capitalize on new opportunities, it’s crucial to adopt a continuous learning mindset when using bondIT’s platform.

To incorporate this essential principle, actively seek and engage in learning opportunities related to AI-driven investment management. Keep yourself informed on the latest industry developments, attend relevant workshops or webinars, and network with peers to exchange knowledge and experiences. Be receptive to new ideas and strive to refine and enhance your skills in using bondIT’s AI-driven platform.

Adopting a Client-Centric Approach

In addition to the five principles mentioned above, it’s crucial to maintain a client-centric approach when using bondIT’s AI-driven platform. Always focus on understanding your clients’ needs, preferences, and risk tolerance, and use the platform’s insights to create customized, client-focused investment solutions.

bondIT’s platform offers powerful tools for assessing your clients’ risk profiles and customizing portfolios to meet their specific objectives. By incorporating these tools into your investment processes, you can ensure that you genuinely cater to your clients, fostering long-lasting relationships and driving client satisfaction.

Adopting these five principles when using bondIT’s AI-driven platform can significantly enhance your investment management processes. By leveraging AI for precision, focusing on data analytics, prioritizing risk management through diversification, embracing automation, and maintaining a continuous learning mindset, you can optimize your portfolio performance, increase efficiency, and maximize expected returns. Moreover, by maintaining a client-centric approach, you can forge long-lasting relationships and secure your position as a trusted and reliable investment professional.

Unlock the Full Potential of AI-Driven Investment Management

Embracing the five key principles outlined in this article, combined with a client-centric approach, can significantly improve your investment management processes using bondIT’s AI-driven platform. By leveraging AI for precision, harnessing data analytics, focusing on diversification, embracing automation, and fostering continuous learning, you can stay ahead of the competition in the ever-evolving investment landscape.

Experience the power of AI-driven investment management software with bondIT’s innovative platform. Our comprehensive suite of tools offers unparalleled efficiency, insights, and performance for your investment portfolio. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to optimize your investment process. Request a demo of the bondIT investment management software platform today and revolutionize your investment strategies.