A pair of experienced financial services analysts at Canada’s National Bank is gearing up to launch a hedge fund next year, according to FinAlternatives.

Hamilton Capital is the brainchild of Rob Wessel and Jennifer Mersereau, who both have worked at National Bank’s NBC Alternative Investments. The new fund is set to debut in February, seeded by National Bank, the report said.

Hamilton will focus on financial services. “The time is right for such a fund,” Mr Wessel was quoted as saying “We will be specialists in a field of generalists.”

Mr Wessel said that the continuing credit crisis and ensuing “echo effect,” as well as specifically Canadian circumstance, offer many opportunities for a new hedge fund.

The long/short fund will invest across 15 subsectors and choose stocks from a universe of more than 1,000 names. It will not use leverage, the report added.