{
  "id": 17042155,
  "title": "Millennium reportedly hires Balyasny equity derivatives trader to launch new pod",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/29/millennium-reportedly-hires-balyasny-equity-derivatives-trader-to",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-10-29T09:47:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Hedgeweek",
    "slug": "hedgeweek",
    "url": "https://hedgeweek.com/news/millennium-reportedly-hires-balyasny-equity-derivatives-trader-to-launch-new-pod"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Max Witcher, a seasoned equity derivatives trader at Balyasny Asset Management, is reportedly on the verge of joining Millennium Management to spearhead a new investment pod in London, according to eFinancialCareers. Witcher, who specializes in delta one trading, departed from Balyasny, where he worked under portfolio manager Dan Avery, to explore new opportunities. The UK Financial Conduct Authority records indicate that Witcher's affiliation with Balyasny ceased in July, although his impending association with Millennium has not been officially confirmed yet. Prior to his tenure at Balyasny, Witcher had been employed at LMR Partners, JPMorgan, and Goldman Sachs, and had even served a brief stint with Millennium in 2020 before transferring to LMR. This potential move comes at a time when multistrategy hedge funds are intensely vying for seasoned equity derivatives specialists, especially those adept at index rebalancing, ETF arbitrage, dividend trading, and equity financing. Despite a rise in competition, demand for delta one expertise remains robust, even as certain major platforms curtail their exposure to underperforming macro and credit strategies. Dan Avery, whose investment pod is reportedly one of Balyasny's top performers this year, is expected to remain with the firm. Neither Millennium nor Balyasny, as well as Witcher, have responded to inquiries regarding the rumored appointment.",
  "summary": "Millennium Management is reportedly set to hire Max Witcher, a senior equity derivatives trader at Balyasny Asset Management, to lead a new investment pod in London, according to a report by eFinancialCareers. Witcher, who specialises in delta one trading, is understood to have left Balyasny, where he worked within portfolio manager Dan Avery's investment team. UK Financial Conduct Authority…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}