why does renaissance technologies donate so much to politics

by Dr. Cortez McKenzie 9 min read

What is a Renaissance Technologies fund?

Outside Spending. Cycle: 2022 2020 2018 2016 2014 2012. Renaissance Technologies has not reported any outside spending in the 2020 election cycle. i Campaign finance totals for the current election cycle were released by the FEC on March 22, 2021 and by the IRS on April 03, 2019, lobbying data was released by the Senate Office of Public Records ...

What does Renaissance Technologies LLC do?

Jun 07, 2016 · Renaissance Technologies, the hedge fund firm and one of the largest political contributors in American politics today, is a world made in the image of its leadership. The firm rejects many of Wall Street’s routine practices. Rather than staffing up with whiz kids in finance, for instance, Renaissance looks for analysts with backgrounds in ...

What is Renaissance Technologies doing with big data?

Renaissance Technologies LLC, also known as RenTech or RenTec, is an American hedge fund based in East Setauket, New York, on Long Island, which specializes in systematic trading using quantitative models derived from mathematical and statistical analysis.The firm is regarded as the most successful hedge fund in the world. Their signature Medallion fund is famed for the …

What were politics like during the Renaissance?

Mar 18, 2021 · Renaissance Technologies was composed of nearly all mathematicians, scientists and engineers, so everyone was well aware of the problems with data mining, over-fitting and spurious signals. In ...

What is Renaissance Technologies known for?

Renaissance Institutional. Renaissance Technologies is a quantitative investment management company trading in global financial markets, dedicated to producing exceptional returns for its investors by strictly adhering to mathematical and statistical methods.

What is Renaissance Technologies invested in?

The most notable stocks in the Q3 portfolio of Jim Simons' Renaissance Technologies include Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT), Zoom Video Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ:ZM), Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN), Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), and Alphabet Inc.Dec 23, 2021

What are Renaissance Technologies worth?

Renaissance Technologies has $80B in assets under management (AUM), dropping by 3.82%. Central Index Key (CIK): 0001037389.

What strategies does Renaissance tech use?

Renaissance uses computer-based models to predict price changes in easily-traded financial instruments. These models are based on analyzing as much data as can be gathered, then looking for non-random movements to make predictions.Apr 18, 2011

Does Renaissance Technologies use technical analysis?

Zuckerman points out that the pattern-based trading strategies that Renaissance employed were a highly refined form of technical analysis. The firm built extensive databases of past price movements in commodity markets, bond markets, foreign exchange markets, and stock markets.Jan 6, 2020

How many people work Renaissance Technologies?

300 employeesOur staff of 300 employees, 90 of whom have PhDs in scientific disciplines, work in our Long Island research campus or in our offices in midtown Manhattan. We offer an intellectually vibrant work atmosphere with on-the-job training in finance and technical trading.

How much is Jim Simons worth?

28.6 billion USD (2022)Jim Simons / Net worth

How much money do you need to invest in Bridgewater?

"For new Client relationships, Bridgewater's standard minimum fee is expected to be $500,000 for its All Weather strategy, $6,000,000 for its Pure Alpha and Pure Alpha Major Markets strategies, and $2,700,000 for Optimal Portfolio," its ADV states. The investment minimum if $7.5 million, the ADV adds.Aug 20, 2021

How much money is in the Medallion fund?

The settlement centers on the firm's Medallion fund, which manages about $15 billion, mostly for employees and former employees of the firm and their family members. Mr. Simons founded the firm in 1982.Sep 5, 2021

What are some technological advances from antiquity through the Renaissance?

InventionsPrinting Press.Woodblock printing.Pendulum.Eyeglasses.Telescope.Microscope.Barometer.Musket.More items...•Feb 8, 2022

How do you become a client of Renaissance Technologies?

Becoming a Client Of Renaissance Technologies You can visit the firm's website to find its mailing and physical addresses. You can also call (212) 829-4460 if you'd like to work over the phone.Feb 26, 2021

What programming language does Renaissance Technologies use?

Support complex models of the financial markets and trading algorithms in a real-time environment. Use strong analytical skills and in-depth knowledge of C++/C under Linux/Unix to write, improve, test, and maintain programs for various aspects of data processing and data utilities.

Top Recipients

NOTE: Organizations themselves cannot contribute to candidates and party committees. Figures on this page include contributions and spending by affiliates .

Contributions

NOTE: Organizations themselves cannot contribute to candidates and party committees. Figures on this page include contributions and spending by affiliates .

Outside Spending

Renaissance Technologies has not reported any outside spending in the 2020 election cycle.

What is Renaissance Technologies?

Renaissance Technologies, the hedge fund firm and one of the largest political contributors in American politics today, is a world made in the image of its leadership. The firm rejects many of Wall Street’s routine practices. Rather than staffing up with whiz kids in finance, for instance, Renaissance looks for analysts with backgrounds in science ...

How much did Lindsey Graham donate to Security is Strength?

For reasons that are unclear, he also donated $25,000 to Security is Strength, a super PAC backing Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham’s (S.C.) presidential run this cycle; Graham was seen as one of the few moderates in the GOP primary field.

What is Simon's foundation?

Simons’ son Nathaniel runs a foundation called Sea Change, which quietly gives out tens of millions of dollars a year in support of climate change action.

How much is Simons worth?

An active philanthropist and promoter of scientific research worth an estimated $15.5 billion, Simons is viewed as quiet and thoughtful, a man driven by a tireless sense of curiosity, judging by a lengthy interview with the New York Times.

What did Simons say about Orwell?

He shuns the limelight. In a 2006 interview with Seed Magazine, Simons quoted George Orwell’s “Animal Farm”: “‘God gave me a tail to keep off the flies.

Does Simons and Mercer affect Renaissance?

If Simons and Mercer are in accord on any policy matters, they’re probably few — and are likely to be ones that affect Renaissance. The firm itself, after all, has spent millions of dollars lobbying Congress to change how the tax code treats hedge funds and their managers.

Is Robert Mercer a Republican?

In contrast to Simons’ mainstream Democratic leanings, Robert Mercer has positioned himself as a bit of a Republican rebel, a climate skeptic who distrusts government and shuns the traditional nexus between politics and the financial industry.

What was the Renaissance Technologies tax investigation?

In July 2014 Renaissance Technologies was included in a larger investigation undertaken by Carl Levin and the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations on tax evasion by wealthy individuals. The focus of the tax avoidance investigation was Renaissance's trading strategy — which involved transactions with banks such as Barclays Plc and Deutsche Bank AG — through which profits converted from rapid trading were converted into lower-taxed, long-term capital gains. The strategy was also questioned by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The higher rates for the five years under investigation would have been 44.4 percent, as compared to 35 percent, whereas the lower rate was 15 percent, as compared to 23.8 percent.

What is Renaissance Technologies?

Renaissance Technologies LLC, also known as RenTech or RenTec, is an American hedge fund based in East Setauket, New York, on Long Island, which specializes in systematic trading using quantitative models derived from mathematical and statistical analysis. The firm is regarded as the "most successful" hedge fund in the world. Their signature Medallion fund is famed for the best record in investing history. Renaissance was founded in 1982 by James Simons, an award-winning mathematician and former Cold War code breaker.

What is the most profitable Renaissance fund?

In 1988 Renaissance established its most famous and profitable portfolio, the Medallion fund (previously the Limroy Colombian fund), which used an improved and expanded form of Leonard Baum 's mathematical models improved by algebraist James Ax to explore correlations from which they could profit.

How much did Medallion return in 1991?

Straus took the reins of Medallion's revamped trading system and Medallion returned 39.4% in 1991, 34% in 1992 and 39.1% in 1993, according to Medallion annual reports. The Medallion fund is considered to be one of the most successful hedge funds ever.

What is Renaissance Institutional Equities Fund?

The firm's latest fund is the Renaissance Institutional Equities Fund (RIEF). RIEF has historically trailed the firm's better-known Medallion fund, a separate fund that contains only the personal money of the firm's executives.

How much did Renaissance contribute to the 2016 election?

According to the Center for Responsive Politics, Renaissance is the top financial firm contributing to federal campaigns in the 2016 election cycle, donating $33,108,000 by July. By comparison, over that same period sixth ranked Soros Fund Management has contributed $13,238,551.

How much did Renaissance lose in 2020?

According to an article in Bloomberg in November 2020, Renaissance saw a decline of about 20% through October in its long-biased fund, according to a person familiar with the matter. The $75 billion firm’s market-neutral fund dropped about 27% and its global-equities fund lost about 25%...

What is Renaissance Technologies?

Renaissance Technologies has over 30 years of experience in building out a pipeline, starting from the simple and commoditized markets for commodities, eventually growing to stocks and complex derivatives. Other companies have mastered the data pipeline, but not effectively in the domain of hedge funds.

Why did Simons and his colleagues use mathematics?

Simons and his colleagues used mathematics to determine the set of states best fitting the observed pricing data; their model then made its bets accordingly. The whys didn’t matter, Simons and his colleagues seemed to suggest, just the strategies to take advantage of the inferred states.

What computer did Straus use?

Using an Apple II computer, Straus and others wrote a program to collect and store their growing data trove. Straus’ was essential to Renaissance Technologies early success in commodities trading.

What was Simons' goal?

From early on, Simons had a goal of algorithmic investing. This was in the late 1980s before big data became a household name and most investment decisions were made over the phone based on gut. “I don’t want to have to worry about the market every minute. I want models that will make money while I sleep,” Simons said.

Is Google a hedge fund?

Other companies have mastered the data pipeline, but not effectively in the domain of hedge funds. For instance, Google could likely build a hedge fund to rival Renaissance Technologies, but it’s currently not in their interest to do so.

Who is Jim Simons?

Jim Simons is a world renowned mathematician that left academia and started a hedge fund at the age of 40. He went on to become the most successful hedge fund manager and one of the richest people in the world. The crown jewel of Renaissance Technologies is the Medallion Fund. The fund is open only to employees and has outperformed ...

Who hired Simons to collect historical commodity information?

To him, market prices were just an incredibly noisy series of nearly random events. Simons hired Sandor Straus, a data guru to help him collect historic commodity information:

How much did Buckley Muething give to Donald Trump?

The founder of Buckley Muething Capital Management gave $1 million to Trump despite some misgivings about the candidate's controversial statements regarding Arizona Sen. John McCain's military service, according to the New York Times .

Is Donald Trump self funded?

But despite his claims that he would be self-funded and completely independent, it was ultimately a handful of extremely wealthy, high-profile donors giving huge sums of money that helped propel the GOP nominee to the White House. Here is a look at some of the big-money donors to thank (or blame, depending on your political persuasion) for Trump's ascendancy, according to research group OpenSecrets.org.

What is the Renaissance?

The word ‘renaissance’ is derivative from the French word for ‘rebirth’, signifying how Europe came out of the dark ages, reawakening in art, culture, science, technology, and music. It was an incredible time of beauty, blossoming with creativity and curiosity.

When did the Renaissance begin?

When did the Renaissance era begin? Today, the Renaissance era is considered to have begun in the 14th century, but its earliest origins have been dated back as far as the 12th century.

What were the most famous artists of the Renaissance?

Art is one of the most discussed sections of the Renaissance era. With famous artists such as Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Botticelli, and Donatello all producing their famous masterpieces during this era.

What is humanism philosophy?

Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasises the value and agency of human beings and generally prefers critical thinking and evidence over dogma or superstition. This thinking was influenced by the printing of little-known texts from early humanist authors, which spread similar thoughts and themes across Europe.

What is the Middle Ages?

The first record we have of scholars attempting to distinguish between two eras is in the 15th century, when scholars coined the term ‘Middle Ages’ to refer to the interval between the downfall of the Classical world and a revival of new thoughts and ideas. Events at the end of the Middle Ages, particularly in the 12th century, ...

Who are the most famous people who were credited with creating the most important works of art?

It led to the rise of geniuses like Leonardo da Vinci, Rene Descartes, Galileo, Dante, Milton, Shakespeare, Michelangelo and more. These names are still praised and credited today for giving us some of the best works of art and ideas ever produced.

Where to see the High Renaissance?

To see evidence of this wonderfully important and staggering era, head to Italy, the birthplace of High Renaissance. As the era was set in Europe, your best bet is to travel there! Italy, in particular, is swarming with famous masterpieces, with the main areas to visit being Rome, Vatican City, and Florence.

What was the Renaissance known for?

The Renaissance is historically notorious for its violent, divisive and often treacherous brand of politics. This was especially the case in Italy, where city-states were often ruled by powerful families or political factions, rather than by all-powerful kings.

What was Machiavelli accused of?

Machiavelli was accused of favoring Republican forces against the Medici and was eventually tortured and exiled, only to be allowed to return later in a minor capacity. If any text exemplifies the nature of Renaissance politics, it is Machiavelli's "The Prince.".