Hawksbill Capital Management is an alternative investment management firm that specializes in managed futures. Hawksbill uses a systematic, technically-based approach to trade a diversified portfolio of more than 50 global financial and commodity futures markets with a discretionary overlay. With its ability to take long or short positions in a wide variety of markets, and its lack of dependence on favorable economic conditions, Hawksbill’s returns have historically shown low to no correlation to bond and stock markets, thus offering the potential to diversify an investor’s portfolio. Tom Shanks, Hawksbill’s president, has managed client capital in the futures market for over 25 years. From January 1985 to May 1988, he managed capital for Richard Dennis in the successful and well-known “Turtle-Program.” In November 1988 he began managing client assets through Hawksbill, a U.S. registered Commodity Trading Advisor (CTA) and Commodity Pool Operator (CPO), offering its Global Diversified Program (GDP). Hawksbill also offers GDP Low Vol, a program that mirrors the Global Diversified Program, except that position sizes are approximately 50% smaller. (There are currently no accounts traded pursuant to this program.) There are two ways to access Hawksbill’s services: individually managed accounts, and private limited partnership interests via Legacy Futures Fund, L.P. Both are open to U.S. and non-U.S. investors.
| Year or YTD |
Program |
SP500 TR |
| 2016 |
0.06 |
11.98 |
| 2015 |
-0.77 |
1.41 |
| 2014 |
22.11 |
13.69 |
| 2013 |
-19.68 |
32.41 |
| 2012 |
-13.66 |
15.98 |
| 2011 |
-9.37 |
2.12 |
| 2010 |
57.58 |
15.06 |
| 2009 |
-15.30 |
26.45 |
| 2008 |
96.36 |
-36.99 |
| 2007 |
20.48 |
5.50 |
| 2006 |
-6.37 |
15.79 |
| 2005 |
1.24 |
4.89 |
| 2004 |
-8.84 |
10.87 |
| 2003 |
27.59 |
28.69 |
| 2002 |
36.37 |
-22.10 |
| 2001 |
22.76 |
-11.88 |
| 2000 |
24.76 |
-9.09 |
| 1999 |
-24.55 |
21.04 |
| 1998 |
43.72 |
28.58 |
| 1997 |
73.51 |
33.38 |
| 1996 |
-27.10 |
22.96 |
| 1995 |
-7.86 |
37.57 |
| 1994 |
11.48 |
1.32 |
| 1993 |
114.26 |
10.08 |
| 1992 |
17.24 |
7.65 |
| 1991 |
-29.92 |
30.47 |
| 1990 |
252.61 |
-3.10 |
| Average |
24.40 |
10.92 |
| Stock Indexes |
2% |
| Interest Rates |
39% |
| Currencies |
20% |
| Metals |
9% |
| Energies |
14% |
| Softs |
9% |
| Grains |
4% |
| Meats |
3% |
| Forex |
No |
| Technical |
Yes |
| Trend Following |
Yes |
| Systematic |
95% |
| Discretionary |
5% |
| Diversified |
Yes |
| Sector Specialist |
No |
| Managed Account Minimum: |
$5,000,000 |
| Margin / Equity Ratio: |
18% |
| Managed Account Availability: |
Open |
| Manager Name: |
Hawksbill Capital Management |
| Address: |
1314 North Dearborn Parkway, The Carriage House |
| City: |
Chicago |
| State: |
IL |
| Zip: |
60610 |
| Country: |
USA |
A. Thomas Shanks, the President of Hawksbill, has traded futures professionally for over 23 years. He oversees the overall activities of Hawksbill and has primary responsibility for the ongoing research and development of the firm’s trading systems and methodology. Mr. Shanks (born in 1950) is a graduate of the American College of Switzerland. In 1983, he was employed as a commodity trading systems research programmer for Hull Trading, a firm which specializes in trading equity options. From January to December 1984, he served as operations manager of Options Research, a time-sharing service which supplied equity options values to its clients. Mr. Shanks began trading futures professionally in January 1985 when he was hired by Richard J. Dennis, Jr., a well-known futures speculator, to trade for Mr. Dennis’s personal account. As an employee of Mr. Dennis, Mr. Shanks received extensive training in the management of futures accounts. In mid-1986, Mr. Shanks formed QuickSilver Commodities, Inc. and continued trading for Mr. Dennis as a self-employed trader. QuickSilver Commodities, Inc., traded exclusively for Mr. Dennis and later clients affiliated with Mr. Dennis until May 1988. It was at this time that Mr. Dennis and related parties decided to close all such managed accounts. Between May and November, QuickSilver Commodities reorganized in order to manage other accounts for multiple clients. On November 23, 1988, the firm resumed its trading activities as a registered CTA. In November 1989, Mr. Shanks changed the name of his firm from QuickSilver Commodities, Inc. to Hawksbill Capital Management.
Christopher Coppinger, Vice President of Hawksbill, is responsible for the day-to-day execution of Hawksbill’s trades and the operation of Hawksbill’s trading systems. Mr. Coppinger (born 1964) is a graduate of the Leonard N. Stern School at New York University with degrees in Economics and Statistics. In February 1990, he was an Assistant Treasurer in Risk Management at Chase Manhattan Bank in New York until he left in December 1993 to begin employment with Hawksbill. He has held various positions of increasing responsibility since joining Hawksbill in January 1994. Mr. Coppinger has been registered in his individual capacity as a commodity trading advisor since December 1988; he has no accounts under management. Mr. Shanks is the only employee of Hawksbill who may trade for his own account. Because this trading is often experimental in nature, the records will not be open to client inspection. Except for its investment in Legacy Futures Fund Limited Partnership (“Legacy”), in which Hawksbill acts as the general partner, CTA and CPO, Hawksbill does not intend to trade for its own account. Records of Legacy are open to inspection.
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Regards,
Peter Knight Advisor
Asset Investment Management
