How I invest using quantitative models | Ori Ben-Akiva

How is quantitative investing changing?In this episode of Without Boundaries, Jon Eggins, Head of Portfolio Management at Russell Investments, speaks with Ori Ben-Akiva, Director of Portfolio Management at Man Numeric. They discuss how quantitative investing works and how Man Numeric uses models to analyze markets and inform portfolio decisions.In this episode, Ori Ben-Akiva explains:• How Man Numeric uses data and rules-based models to inform portfolio decisions• How quantitative models adapt to changing markets and what past quant winters have taught the firm• How artificial intelligence, data science and large language models are being applied to investment research• Why emerging markets can offer opportunities for quantitative investment strategies• How electronic trading is helping systematic credit strategies model transaction costs and portfolio implementationMan Numeric is a specialist manager in Russell Investments’ open-architecture platform. Russell Investments works with Man Numeric across equity strategies and has expanded the relationship into fixed income, including Global High Yield.

Artificial intelligence is reshaping the global economy, but how should investors adapt their credit portfolios? In this episode of Without Boundaries, Jon Eggins, Managing Director and Co-Head of Portfolio Management at Russell Investments, speaks with Bruce Richards, CEO and founder of Marathon Asset Management and now Managing Partner and Head of CVC Marathon, about investing through one of the biggest structural shifts facing investors today.

In this episode of Without Boundaries, Jon Eggins sits down with Kirsten Bartok Touw, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at New Vista Capital, to explore investing at the intersection of aerospace, defense and emerging technology. Drawing on decades of experience spanning Silicon Valley, Washington D.C. and private markets, Kirsten shares how investors can identify transformative technologies before they become mainstream. She explains why understanding both technological development and government priorities is critical in sectors such as defense and space. Topics include: • How investors identify emerging opportunities in aerospace, defense and space • The rise of "neo-primes" and the changing defense innovation ecosystem • Why space is becoming critical infrastructure for communications and data • How to evaluate technology readiness and avoid investing too early • Lessons learned from backing founders building transformational businesses

In this episode of Without Boundaries, Jon Eggins sits down with David Foley, Senior Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Blackstone Energy Partners, to explore how private capital is helping meet one of the defining challenges of our time: rising energy demand.With three decades at Blackstone, David shares how private equity has evolved from generalist investing to deep sector specialization, and why maintaining a competitive edge is more important than ever in a crowded market.The conversation also looks at the growing gap between electricity supply and demand, driven by data centers, reshoring of manufacturing and years of underinvestment in infrastructure. David explains how these dynamics are creating opportunities across the energy ecosystem, and how public-private partnerships are playing a critical role in delivering large-scale energy infrastructure.Topics include:• How private equity has evolved and why specialization is now essential• What is driving the renewed growth in electricity demand• Why underinvestment in the grid is creating structural opportunities• The role of private capital and public-private partnerships in building energy infrastructure• Real world examples of investing across the energy transition

In this episode of Without Boundaries, host Jon Eggins sits down with Matt DeCicco, a leader on Lord Abbett’s equity investment team and portfolio manager on the firm’s Innovation Growth Equity team, with a focus on biotech and healthcare innovation. With an MS in Biotechnology, Matt combines deep scientific expertise with decades of equity investing experience. Topics include: • Why biotech investing is a repeatable process even when revenues are years away The small-cap opportunities in oncology and rare diseases How conviction, clinical evidence and price trends impact portfolio allocations The role of AI in speeding drug discovery and creating differentiation across companies Developing Russell Investments’ customized biotech strategy for high-growth healthcare

In the latest episode of Without Boundaries, host Jon Eggins sits down with Evgenia Gvozdeva, Global Head of Research and Development at Russell Investments. Evgenia reflects on growing up in post-perestroika Russia to building a career grounded in mathematics, quantitative research, and technology—and how that foundation shapes the way AI is applied in investment decision-making today. She also shares how the Russell Investments is advancing research and development by combining data, human judgment, and culture to support better investment outcomes without losing sight of the principles that have long defined its approach. Topics include: • How Russell Investments is evolving manager research for the next generation  • The balance between quantitative insight and qualitative judgment  • Applying AI and technology responsibly in investment decision-making Listen now to explore where AI meets judgment in modern investing.

Without Boundaries is Russell Investments’ video and podcast series featuring conversations with leading voices across the industry. Each episode explores the ideas and perspectives shaping today’s investment landscape. 

Two private-markets leaders Milton Berlinski (Reverence Capital Partners) Todd Crockett (TA Associates)Join Jon Eggins to break down where private markets are heading and which companiesare best positioned to grow.They share insights from decades of meeting withcompanies across sectors, how top investors spot industry shifts early, and what great management teams do differently. Plus, an inside look at why TA and Reverence invested in Russell Investments—and where they see valueacross the asset-management industry today.Key topics:• Seeing structural shifts early across sectors• What drives successful exits in today’s private markets• How investors help senior teams accelerate growth• Lessons from mentors and career-defining deals• Where they see value in asset management today🎧 Listennow and explore the forces shaping the future of investing.

Former Fed Vice Chair, Rich Clarida joins Without Boundaries host Jon Eggins to unpack the forces shaping markets – from central banks, fiscal policy and PIMCO’s recent outlook, The Fragmentation Era. Along the way, he reflects on the Fed’s musical side and why Maynard Keynes would make an excellent dinner guest. Key topics: • Fiscal sustainability and entitlement risks • The dollar’s outlook • PIMCO’s outlook – The Fragmentation Era  • Productivity, AI, and macro trends 

Sir Mick Davis, mining legend and founder of Vision Blue Resources, sits down with Russell Investments’ Jon Eggins on the Without Boundaries podcast to reveal what decades of finding good rocks in the ground and building great companies can teach today’s investors.