Vision for the Future
A lot of these markets are going to become more integrated from a business standpoint and it's going to be easier to trade a lot of these things from a single platform. I think the marketplace and the way we trade is going to be consolidated by providers that allow you to point and click, and you can buy anything from gold to corn or futures and Treasury notes and all that sort of thing.
Fun Facts
Tell us something interesting that few people know about your professional or personal background.
I am an avid tennis player and mountain biker. I love traveling, but with a 10-month-old baby at home, a lot of this is out of the question.
|
Five Mile Capital Partners
Three Stanford Plaza, 9th floor
Stanford, CT 06901
Assets under management:
Approximately $1 billion.
Fund(s) for which you trade:
Silvermine Fund (about $30 million in assets under management).
|
Types of products traded:
I trade global fixed-income for the Silver mine fund. Five Mile's other funds trade various products.
Daily volume in equities:
N/A
|
Structure of trading department:
There are three traders. Jack Poulson is the head trader. He has say over what we do, and he comes up with a lot of ideas. We're trading a lot in the Canadian market. I do a lot of Treasury notes and futures, but it's not broken up; we can trade what we think is a good opportunity.
|
Previous Positions:
Housatonic Fund at Five Mile Capital Partners; AIG trading group in Greenwich, Conn., trading forex. (Since this interview, Amann has left Five Mile and joined Lehman.)
Education:
Bachelor of Arts from Yale University with a double major in economics and international studies.
|
TECHNOLOGY
Technology used to trade equities:
TradeWeb and Bloomberg
Who is your CIO and how do you work with him?
Gary Maier. I work closely with him. We work to put together in-house systems.
ALGORITHMS
Types of algorithms used to trade:
I don't use algorithms.
How do you rate your brokers and determine which broker will get your order flow? I rate them in terms of coverage, really. A lot of it is personal relationships in terms of how these guys treat me - if they make an effort to get our business, in terms of calling us, and asking us if we need anything and telling us what's happening in the market and giving us research. We don't have to use that many brokers because a lot of this is getting to the point where you can do it electronically.
|
 |
LOOKING AHEAD
What trends/regulations/issues do you think will transform your role as a trader?
The proliferation of algorithms has changed the role of the buy-side trader.
I think a lot of trading will become more electronic, which we have seen already. A lot of futures trading is done electronically on the call. You don't need anyone on the floor; you don't need to call a broker to execute. Whether or not options go electronic, that may be the next step, where you can trade certain levels and strikes around where the current market is, and that would be electronic.
What do you hope technology can change to make your role easier?
I would love to see something where you do a trade and it feeds through to your risk system, and it feeds through to your position blotter and to what the back office needs to see in order to confirm with the minimal number of people having to touch it. I know that is possible in some institutions with in-house systems, but I think that is where we are headed.
|
Interview by Leslie Kramer, Contributing Writer
|
Download and Print Profile
