Outsourced Trading
Merlin's Outsourced Trading is run by former Hedge Fund traders whose mission is to provide your fund the service of an in-house trader without the fixed cost. We are not brokers looking to execute your trades. We route our customer's orders to the destinations they choose and seek to deliver the best possible execution on every order, utilizing a vast network of broker contacts and the latest in trading technology. The job of a buy-side trader is to police the executing broker on every trade; we monitor the broker from the start of the trade until the final report is received.
There is no proprietary trading at Merlin. Our interests are perfectly aligned with those of our managers.
In addition to trading we keep our managers informed of news and research disseminated throughout the trading day. Beginning before the opening bell and continuing uninterrupted through the after-hours session, we inform our managers of the goings on in their portfolio and the economic world. Whether by phone, IM, or, email, we will be sure you are informed when a stock moves so you have the information needed to make strategic decisions. We will manage your commission budgets, and trade with the street for you as if we were sitting on your office. We can also arrange commission sharing arrangements if you prefer to compensate the street indirectly. We use the best electronic trading tools if you would like your orders executed anonymously, including to access to almost every dark pool.
Merlin's Outsourced Trading Group was launched in September 2006 when Dean Brierley, Christopher "CJ" Martin and Gordon Lee joined Merlin from Banc of America. All three traders are based in the firm's San Francisco office. Then, in November 2006, Merlin acquired the New York trading desk of Trading LLC, an outsourced trading firm. Joining the firm at the time were Vincent Agosta and Mike Jablonski. Mr Agosta founded Trading LLC in 2001 to provide money managers the services of a world class trading desk all at no fixed cost.
Outsourced Trading Team
Dean Brierley - Mr. Brierley served as Vice President of Buy-Side Trading at Banc of America Securities from 2002 to 2006 prior to joining Merlin. He was an OTC Trader: Technology, Small Cap stocks with Robertson Stephens from 1993 to 2002, and an OTC Trader: Technology, Retail, Small Cap stocks with Shearson Lehman from 1984 to 1993.
C.J. Martin - Mr. Martin was Vice President of Buy-Side Trading at Banc of America Securities from 2000 to 2006 prior to joining Merlin. He served as Head of Trading at Jackson Square Partners from 1999 to 2000. Mr. Martin earned a B.A. in History and Geography from Western Kentucky University.
Gordon Lee - Mr. Lee came to Merlin in 2006 from Banc of America Securities, where he was Senior Trader, Buy-Side Trading. He was the Director of Trading at Global Crown Capital from 2002 to 2006, served as an Institutional Sales Trader at CIBC Oppenheimer from 1997 to 2002, and as an Institutional Sales Trader at Bear Stearns from 1993 to 1997. Mr. Lee earned a B.A. in Political Science from the University of California at Davis.
Vincent Agosta - Prior to founding Trading LLC, Mr. Agosta was the Head of Trading at Elijah Asset Management, a $1.7B Money Manager based in San Francisco. Previously, he was a fixed income trader at Morgan Stanley Dean Witter in New York. Mr Agosta earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from Lehigh University.
Mike Jablonksi - Mr. Jablonksi came to Merlin in 2006 from Trading LLC, where he was a Senior Trader. He was Head of Trading at Quillen Securities from 2004 to 2006, and served as Director of Trading at Ashland Management from 1998 to 2003. Mr. Jablonski earned a Bachelor of Science in Business and Economics from State University of New York.
For more information contact:
New York | Vincent Agosta
(212) 822-4837 | vagosta@merlinsecurities.com
San Francisco | Eric Morgan
(415) 848-4052 | emorgan@merlinsecurities.com