Exhibit 10.2
CONFIDENTIAL TREATMENT
REQUESTED.
Confidential portions of this document have been redacted and have
been separately filed with the Commission.
TRADING ADVISORY
AGREEMENT
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
This Trading
Advisory Agreement (the “Agreement”) is entered into by
the Fund and the Trading Advisor set forth below as of the date set
forth below. In consideration of their respective rights and
obligations under this Agreement and other valuable consideration,
the receipt, sufficiency and adequacy of which are hereby
acknowledged, and intending to be legally bound by this Agreement,
the Fund and the Advisor (collectively the “Parties”
and each individually a “Party”) have fully reviewed
and agree to all of the terms and conditions of this
Agreement:
|
|
|
|
|
The
Fund:
|
|
|
The Trading
Advisor:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
ADF
Trading Company II, LLC
|
|
|
Thor
Asset Management (USA), LLC
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Address:
|
c/o Aspen
Diversified Fund LLC
|
|
Address:
|
551 Fifth Ave.,
Suite 2020
|
|
|
|
|
|
1230 Peachtree
Street, Suite 1750
|
|
|
New York, NY
10017
|
|
|
|
|
|
Atlanta, GA
30309
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Attention:
|
Jeremy L.
Standrod
|
|
Attention:
|
Peter
Kambolin
|
|
|
|
|
|
Managing
Partner
|
|
|
Managing
Director
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Telphone:
|
(404)
760-3424
|
|
Telephone:
|
(212)
973-0070
|
|
|
|
|
Facsimile:
|
(404)
760-3422
|
|
Facsimile:
|
(212)
973-0063
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
By: ADF
Trading Company II, LLC
|
|
By: Thor
Asset Management USA, LLC
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Signature:
|
/s/ Jeremy L.
Standrod
|
|
Signature:
|
/s/ Peter
Kambolin
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jeremy L.
Standrod, Managing Member
|
|
|
Peter Kambolin,
Director
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Initial
Allocated Assets: [*]
|
|
AND
|
|
|
|
|
(Includes
Notional Funding)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Signature:
|
/s/ Alexei
Chekhlov
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Alexei
Chekhlov, Managing Director
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
EFFECTIVE
DATE: December 1, 2008
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
ADDITIONAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF
THIS AGREEMENT BEGIN ON THE FOLLOWING
PAGE. THIS AGREEMENT ALSO MAY CONTAIN ATTACHED SCHEDULES AS
DESCRIBED IN THE
AGREEMENT.
|
|
|
|
____________________
|
|
* Confidential
material redacted and filed separately with the
Commission.
|
WITNESSETH:
WHEREAS, the Fund has been organized to trade, buy, sell
and otherwise acquire, hold, dispose of and deal in, on margin or
otherwise, (i) securities (both domestic and foreign), including
bank loan transactions (via assignment or participation)
(collectively, “Securities”); (ii) cash and forward
contracts, Foreign Exchange, and cash and forward contracts in
Foreign Exchange, swaps, derivatives, and any rights and interests
pertaining thereto (collectively, “Derivatives”); (iii)
commodities (including any that are now, or may hereafter be, the
subject of commodities or commodities contract trading), futures
contracts, options on futures contracts and physical commodities
(collectively, “Commodities Interests”); and (iv)
securities of and interests in entities engaged, either directly or
indirectly, in the trading, buying, selling, acquisition, holding
or disposition of, or dealing in, Securities, Derivatives, or
Commodities Interests; and
WHEREAS, the Trading Advisor is engaged in the business
of making trading decisions on behalf of investors in the purchase
and sale of Securities and/or Derivatives and/or Commodities
Interests and/or Foreign Exchange, and
WHEREAS, the Fund desires the Trading Advisor, upon the
terms and conditions set forth herein, to act as trading advisor
for the Fund and to make Securities and/or Derivatives and/or
Commodities Interests trading decisions for the portion of the
Fund’s net assets (defined below) allocated to the Trading
Advisor pursuant to the trading program designated above and
described in Exhibit A hereto (the “Program”), and the
Trading Advisor desires so to act;
NOW,
THEREFORE, the Parties
hereto do hereby agree as follows:
|
|
|
|
|
|
1.
|
Undertakings of the Trading
Advisor
|
|
|
|
|
a.
|
The Trading
Advisor hereby agrees to make to the Fund all disclosures necessary
or appropriate for the Fund and its affiliates to comply with any
applicable federal, state or foreign law and any other regulatory
authority having jurisdiction over the Fund and the Trading
Advisor. Such disclosures shall include, without limitation, the
trading performance and trading systems, methods, models,
strategies and formulae (subject to the right of the Trading
Advisor to preserve the secrecy of proprietary information
concerning such trading systems, methods, models, strategies and
formulae) for the Program. The Trading Advisor also agrees to
cooperate with the Fund and its designees in preparing any
documents filed with or responses made to any regulatory or legal
authority having or claiming to have jurisdiction over the Trading
Advisor and the Fund.
|
|
|
|
|
b.
|
The Trading
Advisor hereby agrees to make to the Fund all disclosures necessary
or appropriate for the Fund and its affiliates, agents and advisors
to prepare the Fund’s private placement memorandum and
disclosure document (the “Memorandum”); provided
that the Trading Advisor shall have include, without limitation,
the trading performance and trading systems, methods, models,
strategies and formulae (subject to the right of the Trading
Advisor to preserve the secrecy of any proprietary information
concerning such trading systems, methods, models, strategies and
formulae) for the Program.
|
|
|
|
|
c.
|
At any time the
Trading Advisor becomes aware of any materially untrue or
misleading statement of fact previously supplied to the Fund (or
any omission of a material fact that should have been supplied to
the Fund) or a material adverse change in information or facts
previously supplied to the Fund or a material adverse change in the
Trading Advisor’s circumstances or ability to perform its
duties hereunder, the Trading Advisor agrees to immediately inform
the Fund of such statement of fact or omission or material adverse
change.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
d.
|
For the term of
this Agreement, the Trading Advisor, at its own expense and within
twenty (20) days after the end of each calendar month, shall
provide the Fund with the monthly rate of return for Thor Optima
Fund Ltd. Such rate of return shall be prepared in conformity with
the requirements of any regulatory authority having jurisdiction
over the Trading Advisor and Thor Optima Fund Ltd.
|
|
|
|
|
e.
|
Upon reasonable
notice, the Fund and its designees, at the Fund’s expense,
shall have the right to review, inspect and copy the books and
records relating to the Fund necessary to enable them to verify the
accuracy and completeness of or to supplement as necessary the data
furnished by the Trading Advisor or to verify compliance with the
terms of this Agreement.
|
|
|
|
|
f.
|
Neither the
Trading Advisor nor its directors, officers, employees, principals,
affiliates or agents (including any directors, officers, employees
or principals of such affiliates or agents), nor their respective
successors or assigns shall use, publish, circulate, or distribute
the Memorandum (including any amendment or supplement thereto) or
any related solicitation material nor engage in any marketing,
sales or promotional activities in connection with the offering of
interests in the Fund.
|
|
|
|
|
g.
|
During the term
of this Agreement, the Trading Advisor and its directors, officers,
principals, employees and affiliates shall be free to advise other
investors as to the purchase and sale of Securities or Derivatives
or Commodities Interests or Foreign Exchange, to manage and trade
other investors’ Securities or Derivatives or Commodities
Interests or Foreign Exchange accounts, and to trade for and on
behalf of their own proprietary Securities or Derivatives or
Commodities Interests or Foreign Exchange accounts. However,
neither the Trading Advisor nor any of its officers, members,
principals, employees or affiliates shall employ a trading system,
method, model, strategy or formula on behalf of any such other
Securities or Derivatives or Commodities Interests or a Foreign
Exchange account that is different from the trading systems,
methods, models, strategies or formulae employed for the
Fund’s Account, unless (i) the Trading Advisor shall have
first offered to the Fund in writing to employ such other trading
system, method, model, strategy or formula on behalf of the
Fund’s Account (as hereinafter defined) and the Fund shall
have declined such offer in writing; provided, however, that
at any time thereafter and from time to time the Fund may withdraw
such declination and request to have the Trading Advisor employ
such other trading system, method, model, strategy or formula on
behalf of all or a part of the Fund’s Account; or (ii) a new
trading system, method, model, strategy or formula is in the
process of being tested with proprietary funds of the Trading
Advisor or its affiliates prior to being formally introduced as
part of the Trading Advisor’s investment strategy and offered
to any and all other investors advised by the Trading
Advisor.
|
|
|
|
|
h.
|
At the request
of the Fund, the Trading Advisor promptly shall deliver to the Fund
a written explanation of differences, if any, in the performance
between the Fund’s Account and other Programs of the Trading
Advisor following the attached Exhibit A –
“Investment Policies” . Such written explanation
shall be detailed and explicit enough to satisfy the Fund’s
inquiry, in the sole judgment of the Fund.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2.
|
Duties of
the Trading Advisor
|
|
|
|
|
a.
|
Allocated
Assets and Trading Policies. Upon the establishment of a trading account by
the Fund for the Trading Advisor to manage and advise pursuant to
the power of attorney in this Agreement (the “Account”
or the “Fund Account”), the Trading Advisor shall act
as a trading advisor for the Allocated Assets (as hereinafter
defined) through the Account. Except as provided otherwise in this
Section 2, the Trading Advisor shall have sole and exclusive
authority and responsibility for the period and on the terms and
conditions set forth herein for directing the investment and
reinvestment of the Allocated Assets in Securities and/or
Derivatives and/or Commodities Interests and/or Foreign Exchange
pursuant to and in accordance with (i) the Fund Account’s
trading policies as from time to time in effect, as described in
Exhibit A (the “Trading Policies”), and any
brochure, promotional material, due diligence questionnaire or the
like provided to the Fund by the Trading Advisor; (ii) the Trading
Advisor’s trading systems, methods, models, strategies and
formulae utilized to trade the Program as in effect on the date of
this Agreement, and as refined and modified in writing from time to
time in the future in accordance herewith; and (iii) the Trading
Advisor’s best judgment. As used in this Agreement,
“Allocated Assets” shall mean the nominal assets from
time to time committed by the Fund in writing to the Program of the
Trading Advisor, the “Initial Allocated Assets” shall
mean the amount set forth on the first page of this Agreement, and
includes Notional Funding, and “Notional Funding” shall
mean capital committed by the Fund but not necessarily funded with
cash. Allocated Assets may be increased or decreased at any time in
the sole discretion of the Fund and shall include profits or losses
unless otherwise designated in writing to the Trading Advisor by
the Fund. The Trading Advisor shall give the Fund prompt written
notice of any proposed material change in the Trading
Advisor’s trading systems, methods, models, strategies or
formulae or the manner in which trading decisions are to be made or
implemented for the Account or Program and shall not make any such
proposed material change without having given at least twenty (20)
business days’ prior written notice of such change. The
addition and/or deletion of a particular Securities or Derivatives
or Commodities Interests or Foreign Exchange market or contract to
or from the Fund’s Account ordinarily shall not be deemed a
change in the Trading Advisor’s trading systems, methods,
models, strategies or formulae for the Account or Program and prior
written notice shall not be required, provided that such addition
or deletion is consistent with the Trading Policies and the
Disclosure Document (as hereinafter defined).
|
|
|
|
|
b.
|
Errors. The Trading Advisor shall have the obligation to
identify, whether in brokerage statements, confirmations or
otherwise, and to notify immediately after receipt of such document
the broker and/or floor broker and/or dealer and the Fund of any
order or trade the Trading Advisor believes was not executed in
accordance with the Trading Advisor’s instructions to any
broker or floor broker or dealer.
|
|
|
|
|
c.
|
Delivery of
Disclosure Document. The
Trading Advisor shall, during the term of this Agreement, deliver
to the Fund copies of all disclosure documents (collectively, the
“Disclosure Document”) approved for use by the Trading
Advisor or filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (on
Form ADV or otherwise) and/or other regulatory or self-regulatory
organizations having jurisdiction over the Trading Advisor promptly
following such approval or filing.
|
|
|
|
|
d.
|
Trading
Authorization. The Fund
hereby appoints the Trading Advisor as its true and lawful
attorney-in-fact, with full power to act and with full power of
substitution and revocation in its name, place and stead to enter
orders to buy and sell (including short sales), spread, or
otherwise trade securities, securities options, Derivatives,
Commodities Interests and/or cash markets and/or Foreign Exchange
markets with respect to the Allocated Assets. The Trading Advisor
shall have full authority to communicate such orders directly to
the Fund’s broker holding the Account, and the broker is
hereby authorized to accept and execute all such orders. This Power
of Attorney shall remain in full effect unless and until the
Account is closed, or until such written revocation of this power
of attorney is delivered and actually received by the Trading
Advisor. Such revocation shall be made in writing and delivered via
overnight courier service or facsimile transmission. Upon receipt
of such notice, the Trading Advisor shall have no involvement with
the Account and shall cease to initiate new positions and shall
cease to liquidate existing positions.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
3.
|
Trading
Advisor Independent
|
|
|
|
|
For all
purposes of this Agreement, the Trading Advisor (i) shall be deemed
to be an independent contractor, (ii) unless otherwise expressly
provided herein or with the prior written authorization of the
Fund, shall have no authority to act for or represent the Fund or
its general partner, investment manager and other affiliates, and
any of its or their officers, directors or employees, in any way,
and (iii) shall not be deemed to be an agent of the Fund. Except as
shall be specifically provided otherwise in this Agreement, nothing
contained herein shall create, nor constitute the Trading Advisor
and any other trading advisor or advisors for the Fund as members
of, any Fund, joint venture, association, syndicate, unincorporated
business or other separate entity, nor shall anything be deemed to
confer on any of them any express, implied or apparent authority to
incur any obligation or liability on behalf of any
other.
|
|
|
|
5.
|
|
|
|
|
|
a.
|
Advisory
Management Fees. For the
services to be rendered to the Fund by the Trading Advisor, the
Fund shall pay the Trading Advisor a monthly management fee (the
“Management Fee”) in accordance with the following
scale based on the amount of the Fund’s Allocated Net
Assets:
|
|
|
|
|
On initial
$5,000,000-10,000,000:
|
|
|
[*] of the
Fund’s Allocated Net Assets
|
|
|
|
|
On the next
$10,000,000 ($10,000,001-$20,000,000):
|
|
|
[*] of the
Fund’s Allocated Net Assets
|
|
|
|
|
On everything
above $20,000,001 +:
|
|
|
[*] of the
Fund’s Allocated Net Assets
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Management
Fee, calculated and billed monthly, in arrears, shall be taken as a
percentage of the Fund’s Net Assets as of the close of
business on the last day of the month. The Management Fee shall be
due regardless of whether any profits were achieved for any prior
period.
|
|
|
|
|
|
“Net
Assets” shall mean the total assets of the Fund’s
Account managed by the Trading Advisor, including Notional Funding,
all cash and cash equivalents (valued at cost), accrued interest
and the market value of all open positions and all other assets of
the Fund, less all accrued but unpaid expenses and all other
liabilities allocable or attributable to the Fund’s Account
managed by the Trading Advisor, including, but not limited to,
interest expense, margin debit expense and other similar expenses,
determined in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting
principles consistently applied under the accrual basis of
accounting. In calculating Net Assets, Securities, Derivatives and
Commodities Interests will be valued at the closing market value on
the date of determination.
|
|
|
|
|
b.
|
Advisory
Incentive Fees. The Fund
shall also pay the Trading Advisor an incentive fee (the
“Incentive Fee”) of [*] of New Net Profits (as defined
hereinafter) above the High Water Mark (as hereinafter
defined).
|
|
|
|
____________________
|
|
* Confidential
material redacted and filed separately with the
Commission.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Incentive
Fee, calculated and billed as of the last day of each Incentive
Allocation Period (as hereinafter defined), shall be taken as a
percentage of New Net Profits above the High Water Mark. An
Incentive Allocation Period shall be a “calendar
quarter”. “New Net Profits” is calculated in
accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles and
shall include net realized profit or loss from closed positions,
change in net unrealized profit and loss on open positions and the
effect of all brokerage commissions, transaction fees, management
fees and other fees and charges accrued during the Incentive
Allocation Period. “High Water Mark” shall mean the
highest nominal Net Asset Value achieved for the Account at the
last business day of the Incentive Allocation Period and shall be
adjusted for additions to or decreases (whether in cash or notional
funds) from the Allocated Assets. If the Fund does not earn New Net
Profits over the High Water Mark in a given Incentive Allocation
Period, no Incentive Fee shall be due to the Trading Advisor unless
and until the New Net Profits exceed the High Water Mark. The
amount of the Incentive Fee paid to the Trading Advisor, if any,
shall not be reimbursed to the Fund in the event of subsequent
losses.
|
|
|
|
|
c.
|
Payments to
be Made Solely by the Fund. For the services to be rendered by the Trading
Advisor under this Agreement, the Trading Advisor hereby
understands and agrees that the Fund’s general
partner/managing member, investment manager or any of their
affiliates are not and will not be responsible for payment of any
consulting, management, incentive and/or advisory fees to the
Trading Advisor. The Trading Advisor understands and agrees that
all consulting, management, incentive and advisory fees payable to
the Trading Advisor in connection with the services rendered to the
Fund as described in this Agreement will be paid by the Fund
pursuant to this Agreement. The Trading Advisor agrees that, with
respect to the services it will perform for the Fund hereunder, it
shall have no right to seek and will not seek payment of any fee
(including, but not limited to, consulting, management, incentive
or advisory fees) directly or indirectly from any person or entity
other than the Fund.
|
|
|
|
|
d.
|
Timing of
Payment of Fees. Any
Management Fees payable to the Trading Advisor in accordance with
this Agreement shall be paid by the Fund to the Trading Advisor
within thirty (30) days after the finalization of the net asset
value of the Fund’s Allocated Assets. Management Fees are
calculated monthly and payable in arrears. Any Incentive Fees
payable to the Trading Advisor in accordance with this Agreement
shall be paid by the Fund to the Trading Advisor within forty-five
(45) calendar days after the finalization of the net asset value of
the Fund’s Allocated Assets. Incentive Fees are calculated at
the end of each Incentive Allocation Period subject to
th
|
|