Trading desk

In‑house execution for equities, FX, fixed income, and derivatives. Direct market access, algorithmic trading, and best‑in‑class liquidity across global markets. Our trading desk represents the operational engine of our investment platform, staffed by experienced professionals whose sole focus is translating investment decisions into executed positions with precision, discretion, and cost efficiency. In an environment where market structure has grown increasingly complex and transaction costs can meaningfully impact long-term returns, we believe that best-in-class execution is not merely an operational necessity but a source of competitive advantage.

Across equities, our traders execute orders in over fifty markets globally, from deep liquid exchanges in developed economies to more fragmented and opaque trading environments in emerging regions. We maintain direct market access relationships with leading brokers and exchanges, allowing us to route orders intelligently based on real-time analysis of liquidity, execution quality, and transaction costs. For larger or more sensitive orders, we employ sophisticated algorithmic trading strategies designed to minimize market impact and information leakage, breaking large blocks into smaller, intelligently timed executions that achieve price improvement without signalling our intentions to the broader market. Whether executing a routine portfolio rebalancing or a complex block trade in a thinly traded security, our equity traders bring decades of experience and a relentless focus on achieving best execution.

Our fixed income and derivatives trading capabilities reflect the unique characteristics of these asset classes, which trade primarily over-the-counter rather than on centralized exchanges. We maintain relationships with a broad network of liquidity providers—global banks, regional brokers, and increasingly electronic trading platforms—allowing us to source competitive pricing across government bonds, corporate debt, structured products, and interest rate derivatives. For currency execution, we offer access to spot, forward, and option markets across all major and many emerging market currencies, with the ability to execute both routine hedging programs and complex, structured FX transactions. Our traders are skilled negotiators who understand the nuances of each market and counterparty, ensuring that clients receive pricing that reflects true market levels rather than the wide spreads often quoted to less sophisticated participants.

What distinguishes our trading desk is the seamless integration between execution and investment management. Our traders sit alongside our portfolio managers and analysts, participating in investment discussions and developing deep familiarity with the positions we hold and the strategies we employ. This proximity enables them to anticipate trading needs, to understand the context and urgency behind each order, and to provide valuable feedback on market dynamics, order flow, and execution quality. When markets become dislocated or volatile, this integration proves invaluable—our traders can execute with speed and conviction, capitalizing on opportunities that arise from temporary dislocations while maintaining the discipline to avoid being swept up in panic or euphoria.

Technology and analytics underpin every aspect of our trading operation. We employ best-in-class execution management systems that provide real-time visibility into market data, order status, and execution quality across asset classes and geographies. Pre-trade analytics help us estimate market impact and select optimal execution strategies, while post-trade transaction cost analysis provides rigorous, independent assessment of execution quality and identifies opportunities for improvement. This commitment to measurement and continuous improvement ensures that our trading capabilities evolve alongside markets, always maintaining the edge that our clients expect. For the families and institutions who entrust us with their capital, our trading desk provides not only execution but confidence—confidence that their transactions are handled with the same care, integrity, and expertise that defines every aspect of our work at Masaa.