Merriman Curhan Ford has hired Joe Minton as managing director and head of derivatives to launch an agency options trading desk for institutional investors.
Merriman’s new agency options platform complements its equity trading desks in San Francisco and New York to help institutional investors incorporate options into their funds and portfolios.
Options trading can help institutions manage risk and volatility, especially when trading small-cap equities.
"I’m pleased to welcome Joe to the firm. He has quickly established a quality options trading platform which enhances our equity trading experience for institutional investors," says Jon Merriman, chief executive officer of Merriman Holdings. "Joe is a highly experienced derivatives expert for portfolio managers who need to design strategies tailored to protecting their small-cap equity trading positions. Our options trading desk is already meeting the demand of our institutional investors to help increase and stabilise their returns."
Prior to joining Merriman, Minton worked for Parallax Fund as an options trader, responsible for market making and volatility trading.
He was also a trader for Group One, where he made markets and traded volatility on the PCX and CBOE.
Minton is based in Merriman’s San Francisco office.
