ECU’s high-profile and experienced investment team is responsible for all currency trading programmes. The investment approach is based on macro-economic, fundamental and technical analysis, rigorous risk management and capital preservation.
Philip Manduca, the Head of Investment, is supported by ECU’s Trading Team – David Lavers, Head of Trading, and Mike Hughes, Head of Risk Management.
Investment Manager Philip Manduca
Philip Manduca has successfully managed money in global macro strategies for over 20 years, both at large institutions (Mercantile House (UK), Daiwa Securities and Dexia) and at hedge fund boutiques (Forstmann Leff, Sant Cassia and Titanium Capital). In addition, he managed assets in emerging markets from 1995-1998 in Eastern Europe/Russia. Philip's funds achieved top performance rankings in 1994, 1995 and 1997 and he appears regularly on Bloomberg and CNBC.
His style is to be intense about risk management to protect capital and somewhat contrarian in his investment approach, identifying new or emerging fundamental trends amidst price stability and high fundamental value divergent from current price, focussing on timely portfolio execution using sentiment, technical indicators and psychological analysis. Identifying price value in areas both of market pain and fundamental price divergence requires enormous discipline, historical experience (good and bad) and patience, and is a key edge in the ECU investment team relative to competitors.
The ECU macro team is one of the more experienced teams in global macro investment and trading anywhere in the world.
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Trading Team
David Lavers
David Lavers is Head of Trading, responsible for execution of the trading strategy. He has had an extensive career in the investment banking and hedge fund industry including working for the Soros group. David was also a Partner at Omega Advisers Inc and Deputy General Manager and Head of Treasury at Yamaichi Bank (UK).
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Mike Hughes
Mike Hughes is Head of Risk Management. He is responsible for risk monitoring and reporting on daily market intelligence and information from ECU’s market counterparties. Mike was Head of Currency Option Trading at Robert Fleming.
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The distribution of the information contained on this website in certain jurisdictions may be restricted by law, including but not limited to the United States or US Persons (as defined in Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act 1933). Accordingly persons who are not resident in the UK and who access this website should inform themselves of and to comply with any such restrictions.
The provision of the information in this web site does not constitute an offer of securities to any person in the United States or to any U.S. Person as such term is defined under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. The information contained in this site about ECU Group and/or any of its affiliates is not directed to any person in the United States. Funds referred to herein are neither registered under the Securities Act 1933 of the USA, nor are they registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940. Consequently, they cannot be offered for sale or be sold in the USA, its territories, possessions or protectorates under its jurisdiction, nor to nationals, citizens or residents in any of those areas.
No investments or services mentioned on this website are directed at US Persons who are not Professional Clients or Eligible Counterparties as defined by the UK Financial Services Authority (FSA) Handbook. The information contained herein does not constitute a distribution, an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities in any jurisdiction in which such distribution or offer is not authorised.
Trading in foreign currencies is not suitable for everyone and a client must ensure that they fully understand the risks involved before proceeding. A client should consult their financial adviser if they have any doubts about their suitability or the risks involved. Foreign exchange movements can be sudden and substantial. At no stage should a client expose themselves to the high risks of foreign currency trading if they are not able to afford the potential losses that could result from sizeable adverse currency movements. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance.
Please note that for compliance purposes telephone calls may be recorded.
Specific additional risks for our currency management products are as follows:
Private client multi-currency mortgages
a) At no stage should a client be exposed to the high risks of foreign currency borrowings if they are unable to afford the potential losses that could result from adverse currency movements and the higher interest costs that would arise from having a larger loan.
b) A client’s lender will not tolerate an increase in the GBP value of a client’s loan above a predetermined level as a result of currency losses. The lender will agree a “Conversion Limit” with the client before a client takes out an ECU managed multi-currency loan. If the loan reaches or breaches its “Conversion Limit”, the lender may exercise its right, but not its obligation, to convert the loan back into GBP. However, a loan may be converted back into GBP at a worse level than the agreed Conversion Limit. This would mean that a client’s loan would increase by more than it would if it had been converted at the agreed Conversion Limit. Converting a loan back into GBP may result in a permanent increase in the GBP value of a client’s loan and the associated GBP interest costs.
c) The FSA risk warning is “Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on a mortgage”.
Corporate loan management
a) At no stage should a client be exposed to the high risks of foreign currency borrowings if they are unable to afford the potential losses that could result from adverse currency movements and the higher interest costs that would arise from having a larger loan.
b) A client should be aware that their lender may not tolerate an increase in the base currency value of a loan if it exceeds a certain level and will have the right to convert the loan back into the base-currency.
Managed FX accounts
a) A Managed FX account is a margin account which is not suitable for everyone. A client must ensure that they fully understand the additional risks involved in margin trading.
b) A client should be aware that their lender will require additional margin to be paid on demand and will have the right to close any open positions if this additional margin is not promptly paid.
c) As with all margined products it is possible to incur significant losses and to lose more than the margin in the account at any one time.
The UK Regulatory System
The ECU Group plc ("ECU") is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.
In respect of managing physical liabilities in foreign currencies, ECU trades the foreign exchange markets on a spot basis and issues switch instructions to lending banks on a spot basis. Neither of these activities is currently regulated by the Financial Services & Markets Act 2000 as they meet the "Commercial Purposes" test. Therefore you will not benefit from the protection of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000.
However, if ECU instructs the Lender, or any prime broker or counterparty with whom ECU effects foreign exchange transactions, to conduct a switch by way of effecting an “option” or “futures” transaction for the Client’s account, such transactions may be considered to be an “investment of a specified kind” under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000. Consequently, both the execution process provided by the Lender, or any prime broker or counterparty with whom ECU effects foreign exchange transactions, and the currency management services provided by ECU, as envisaged under this Agreement, may be considered to be regulated activities. In such instances, the Client may be required to sign additional risk warnings and the rules for the protection of investors under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 will apply.
Other Important information
This website is maintained by ECU and is being issued inside and outside the United Kingdom by ECU for informational purposes only. It is not to be construed as an offer to buy or sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy or sell any investments or financial instruments or to participate in any particular trading strategy in any jurisdiction in which such an offer or solicitation would violate applicable laws or regulations. ECU may not respond to requests for information or further assistance if, in the opinion of ECU, such action might be illegal or contravene any rule or regulation of any jurisdiction.
The views and foreign exchange and interest rate information in this website are based upon information from sources which we believe to be reliable but they are not guaranteed as to their accuracy or completeness. Expressions of opinion herein are subject to change without notice. Any contractual obligation between ECU and its clients will only be on the basis of undertakings contained in an ECU client agreement executed by both ECU and the client, as may be amended from time to time by ECU, and which may vary from any information contained herein. Products and services may be subject to material changes at any time from the information herein. ECU aims to ensure that all information herein is accurate at time of printing, but does not accept any responsibility for its accuracy.
Telephone calls with ECU may be recorded for compliance and training purposes. This website is protected by copyright, and no part of it may be reproduced without the express written consent of ECU.
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