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Articles by Astor Investment Management

Insights on Interest Rate & Fed Minutes
By Bryan Novak Fed minutes from last month’s meeting were released on Wednesday (8/16). After a summer of disinflation, many…
Nicholas PorterResearch Associate

Nicholas Porter joined Astor in 2018 and supports the Investment Committee and Chief Investment Officer as a Research Associate. Nick began his career as an Associate at KPMG and was most recently a Senior Analyst at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s International Affairs and Strategy department, where he was responsible for the Bank’s international engagement and global economic and political analysis. He holds a MPA in International Economic Policy from Columbia University and a BA in International Relations from SUNY Geneseo.
Rob SteinCEO

Mr. Robert Stein began his career as a project analyst for the Federal Reserve under former Chairman Paul Volcker and later went on to hold senior trading or portfolio management positions with large money-center Wall Street banks. Returning to Chicago in 1994, he formed Astor Financial, Inc., the parent company of Astor Asset Management LLC (“AAM”) a registered investment adviser and the predecessor firm to Astor Investment Management, LLC. Knight Capital Group (NYSE: KCG) acquired AAM in 2010 and Mr. Stein was appointed to the Executive Committee reporting to the Board of Directors and directly to the Chairman. In a management restructuring, Mr. Stein re-organized AAM as an independent firm (Astor Investment Management LLC). Mr. Stein is the co-creator of the Astor Economic Index® (AEI), the firm’s proprietary method used to create what we believe is a smoother, more accurate “live read” on the economy. He is also the author of several books, including Inside Greenspan’s Briefcase (McGraw-Hill) and Finding the Bull inside the Bear (John Wiley & Sons). Mr. Stein is the founder of the i-CARE Foundation, an organization that provides an annual grant to Northwestern Hospital to enhance patient experience and is Vice Chairman of the Board of Advisors to GlenKirk, an organization that supports people with special needs. Mr. Stein holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Michigan.
John EcksteinChief Investment Officer

John Eckstein joined Astor in 2011 and serves as Chief Investment Officer. As Vice Chairman of the firms investment committee, he is responsible for international global macro strategies. In 1995, Mr. Eckstein founded Cornerstone Quantitative Investment Group, a global macro hedge fund with peak assets of $600 million. At Cornerstone, Mr. Eckstein was responsible for all aspects of the firms operations including fixed income, currency, commodity and equity portfolios. Prior to Cornerstone, Mr. Eckstein was a researcher for Luck Trading Company, a commodity trading adviser. Mr. Eckstein is a co-author of Commodity Investing (John Wiley & Sons, 2008) and is a frequent speaker at industry events. He holds a Bachelor of Science from Brown University and a Masters in Public Administration (International Economic Policy) from Columbia University.
Bryan NovakSenior Managing Director

Mr. Bryan Novak joined Astor in 2002 and currently serves as Senior Managing Director. Mr. Novak has been involved in the research and development of the trading and investment strategies at the firm. He was instrumental in the launch of the firm’s mutual fund family in 2009 and has served as part of the portfolio management team since 2004. Prior to Astor, Mr. Novak was an equity options trader for Second City Trading, LLC at the CBOE in Chicago. Mr. Novak appears regularly in numerous financial media outlets and is often a panelist at ETF industry events. Mr. Novak earned his Bachelor of Science in Financial Management from the Ohio State University. Mr. Novak is a CAIA charterholder.
All information contained herein is for informational purposes only. This is not a solicitation to offer investment advice or services in any state where to do so would be unlawful. All opinions expressed are as of the date of publication and subject to change. Astor and its affiliates are not liable for the accuracy, usefulness or availability of any such information or liable for any trading or investing based on such information. There is no assurance that Astor’s investment programs will produce profitable returns or that any account will have similar results. You may lose money. Past results are no guarantee of future results.
The Astor Economic Index® is a proprietary index created by Astor Investment Management LLC. It represents an aggregation of various economic data points: including output and employment indicators. The Astor Economic Index® is designed to track the varying levels of growth within the U.S. economy by analyzing current trends against historical data. The Astor Economic Index® is not an investable product. When investing, there are multiple factors to consider. The Astor Economic Index® should not be used as the sole determining factor for your investment decisions. The Index is based on retroactive data points and may be subject to hindsight bias. There is no guarantee the Index will produce the same results in the future. The Astor Economic Index® is a tool created and used by Astor. All conclusions are those of Astor and are subject to change.