Exhibit 10.02
ML FUTURESACCESS(SM) ADVISORY AGREEMENT
among
ML ASPECT FUTURESACCESS(SM) LLC
ML ASPECT FUTURESACCESS(SM) LTD.
XXXXXXX XXXXX ALTERNATIVE INVESTMENTS LLC
and
ASPECT CAPITAL LIMITED
Dated as of May 28, 2004
ML FUTURESACCESS(SM) ADVISORY AGREEMENT
Table of Contents
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Section Page
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1. Undertakings of the Trading Advisor in Connection with
Offering....................................................2
2. Duties of the Trading Advisor...............................3
3. Trading Advisor Independent.................................6
4. Commodity Broker; Floor Brokers.............................6
5. Management Fee..............................................7
6. Incentive Fee...............................................7
7. Term and Termination........................................8
8. Right to Advise Others; Uniformity of Acts and Practices....9
9. Additional Undertakings by the Trading Advisor..............9
10. Representations and Warranties.............................10
11. Entire Agreement...........................................13
12. Indemnification............................................13
13. Assignment.................................................14
14. Amendment; Waiver..........................................14
15. Severability...............................................14
16. Notices....................................................15
17. Governing Law..............................................15
18. Consent to Jurisdiction....................................16
19. Remedies...................................................16
20. Survival...................................................16
21. Counterparts...............................................16
22. No Waiver..................................................16
23. Rules of Interpretation....................................16
24. Binding Effect; Benefit; Third-Party Beneficiary...........17
25. Confidentiality............................................18
26. Advisers Act Compliance....................................18
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Appendix A -- List of Commodity Interests Traded by
Trading Advisor.................................A-1
Appendix B -- Commodity Trading Authority......................B-1
ML FUTURESACCESS(SM) ADVISORY AGREEMENT
THIS ADVISORY AGREEMENT (the "Agreement"), made as of this ___ day
of May, 2004, among ML ASPECT FUTURESACCESS(SM) LLC, a Delaware limited
liability company, ML ASPECT FUTURESACCESS(SM) LTD., a Cayman Islands exempted
company (the "Onshore Fund" and the "Offshore Fund," respectively, and
collectively, the "Fund"), XXXXXXX XXXXX ALTERNATIVE INVESTMENTS LLC, a
Delaware limited liability company (the "Manager"), and ASPECT CAPITAL LIMITED
(the "Trading Advisor");
W I T N E S S E T H:
- - - - - - - - - -
WHEREAS, the Fund is one of the "family" of privately-offered
managed futures funds sponsored by the Manager as part of the "ML
FuturesAccessSM Program," which provides for investors to invest in, and
exchange their investments among, different funds in the ML FuturesAccessSM
Program (each of which is currently a single-advisor fund), as well as among
the various "hedge funds" in the ML HedgeAccessSM Program (the ML
FuturesAccessSM Program and the ML HedgeAccessSM Program being collectively
referred to as the "Program");
WHEREAS, the Fund has been formed in order to trade, buy, sell or
otherwise acquire, hold or dispose of forward contracts, futures contracts for
commodities, financial instruments and currencies, rights pertaining thereto
and options thereon or on physical commodities and engage in all activities
incident thereto (the foregoing forms of investment being collectively
referred to herein as "commodity interests") under the direction of the
Trading Advisor;
WHEREAS, the Onshore Fund intends, subject to the terms and
conditions set forth herein, to offer units of limited partnership interest in
the Fund ("Units") for sale to investors in an offering exempt from
registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "1933 Act"), as
described in the Onshore Fund's Confidential Private Placement Offering
Memorandum, as amended from time to time (the "Onshore Memorandum"), which has
been filed with the National Futures Association (the "NFA") pursuant to the
Commodity Exchange Act, as amended (the "CEA"), the commodity pool operator
and commodity trading advisor regulations promulgated under the CEA by the
CFTC (the "Commodity Regulations"), and NFA rules promulgated under the CEA
(the "NFA Rules");
WHEREAS the Offshore Fund intends, subject to the terms and
conditions set forth herein, to offer redeemable participating shares
("Shares"; and collectively with the Units, "Interests") for sale exclusively
to Non-"United States persons," pursuant to Regulation S under the 1933 Act,
as described in the Offshore Fund's Confidential Offering Memorandum, as
amended from time to time (the "Offshore Memorandum," and collectively, with
the Onshore Memorandum, the "Memorandum"). The Manager has filed a Form 18-96
Notice with the NFA exempting the Offshore Fund from filing the Offshore
Memorandum with the NFA;
WHEREAS, the Manager acts as manager of the Fund;
WHEREAS, the Trading Advisor is engaged in the business of, among
other things, making trading decisions on behalf of investors in the purchase
and sale of certain commodity interests;
WHEREAS, the Manager has sponsored the Fund in order that the
Trading Advisor, upon the terms and conditions set forth herein, act as the
trading advisor for the Fund, making commodity interests investment decisions
for the Fund on a discretionary basis; and
WHEREAS, the Trading Advisor is willing to manage the Fund's
commodity interests trading.
NOW, THEREFORE, the parties hereto do hereby agree as follows, for
good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are
hereby acknowledged, and in entering into this Agreement the parties intend to
be legally bound:
1. Undertakings of the Trading Advisor in Connection with
Offering.
(a) Trading Advisor to Provide Current Information. The Trading
Advisor agrees to use its reasonable best efforts to cooperate with the Fund
and the Manager in preparing the Memorandum, including without limitation by
providing, as promptly as may be reasonably practicable, all information (if
any) regarding the Trading Advisor, its "principals," "trading principals,"
and "trading program" (each of the foregoing as defined in Section 4.10 of the
Commodity Regulations) and "affiliates" (as defined in the Securities Act)
which the Manager reasonably believes to be necessary or advisable to include
in the Memorandum.
(b) Solicitation Material; "Roadshow" Participation. None of the
Trading Advisor and its affiliates, and their respective owners, principals,
directors, officers, employees, representatives or controlling persons
("Trading Advisor Parties") shall use, publish, circulate or distribute the
Memorandum or any related solicitation material nor shall any Trading Advisor
Party engage in any marketing, sales or promotional activities in connection
with the offering of Interests, except as may be requested by the Manager and
agreed to by Trading Advisor.
(c) Trading Advisor personnel will, to the extent reasonably
requested by the Manager, use reasonable best efforts to participate in "road
shows," seminars, presentations and other marketing activities relating to the
Fund as reasonably requested by the Manager, such participation to be at the
expense of the Trading Advisor.
(d) Performance Information.
(i) While any of the Interests continue to be offered, the
Trading Advisor, at its own expense, shall use its reasonable best
efforts to promptly provide the Fund and the Manager with complete and
accurate monthly performance information (in form and substance
consistent with Sections 4.25 and 4.35 of the Commodity Regulations and
with the NFA Rules) reflecting the actual performance of the accounts
directed by the Trading Advisor up to the latest practicable date
(consistent with Sections 4.25 and 4.35 of the Commodity Regulations),
together with any reports or letters relating to such performance data
received from accountants and in the possession of the Trading Advisor.
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(ii) The Manager acknowledges receipt, on behalf of both itself
and the Fund, of the disclosure document required to be delivered by the
Trading Advisor pursuant to applicable Commodity Regulations or NFA
Rules.
(e) Access to Books and Records. Upon reasonable notice to the
Trading Advisor, Xxxxxxx Xxxxx shall have the right to have access to the
Trading Advisor's offices in order to inspect and copy such books and records
during normal business hours as Xxxxxxx Xxxxx may reasonably deem necessary in
connection with the transactions contemplated hereby (in each case, subject to
such restrictions as the Trading Advisor may reasonably deem necessary or
advisable so as to preserve the confidentiality of proprietary information and
the identity of the Trading Advisor's clients). Such right of access shall
terminate upon the termination of the Letter Agreement (other than to the
extent that Xxxxxxx Xxxxx reasonably deems necessary or advisable to resolve
outstanding issues hereunder) and shall not include any right to access
records, data or programs or other information used in making trading
decisions.
(f) General Assistance.
(i) The Trading Advisor acknowledges and agrees that Xxxxxxx
Xxxxx will be expending substantial resources in preparing the Fund for
marketing as well as in marketing the Interests. The Trading Advisor
agrees to cooperate with Xxxxxxx Xxxxx in doing so to the fullest extent
reasonably practicable, as contemplated by the provisions hereof.
(ii) In consideration of Xxxxxxx Xxxxx'x reliance on the Trading
Advisor's availability and ability to manage the Fund's commodity
interest account, the Trading Advisor agrees promptly to notify the
Manager in the event that the Trading Advisor reasonably believes that
the Trading Advisor may not be able or willing to do so to the full
extent set forth herein.
(iii) The Trading Advisor agrees not to accept other client
capital or accounts, if doing so could reasonably be expected by the
Trading Advisor to impair the Trading Advisor's ability to manage the
Fund as contemplated by the Memorandum, assuming that the Fund has a
minimum capitalization of $300 million.
(iv) The Trading Advisor will assist the Manager, at the
Manager's reasonable request, with the Manager's "anti-money laundering"
and all related obligations.
(v) The Trading Advisor acknowledges that the Manager is
registered as an "investment adviser" with the Securities and Exchange
Commission and agrees to take such steps as the Manager may reasonably
request to ensure that the Fund is operated in full compliance with the
Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (the "Advisers Act").
2. Duties of the Trading Advisor.
(a) Trading for the Fund. The Trading Advisor shall act as a
trading advisor for the Fund. The Trading Advisor, the Manager and the Fund
agree that in managing the Fund, the Trading Advisor shall implement the
Trading Advisor's Diversified Program as described in the Trading Advisor's
Disclosure Document dated August 14, 2003 (the "Trading Program").
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The Trading Advisor shall have sole and exclusive authority and responsibility
for directing the Fund's trading, subject to the Manager's fiduciary authority
to intervene to overrule or unwind trades if the Manager reasonably deems that
doing so is necessary or advisable for the protection of the Fund. The Fund or
the Manager may also override the trading instructions of the Trading Advisor
to the extent necessary: (i) to fund any distributions or redemptions of Units
to be made by the Fund; (ii) to pay the Fund's expenses; and/or (iii) to
comply with speculative position limits; provided that the Fund and the
Manager shall permit the Trading Advisor three days in which to liquidate
positions for the purposes set forth in clauses (i)-(ii) prior to exercising
its override authority. The Trading Advisor will have no liability for the
results of any of the Manager's interventions hereunder.
The Trading Advisor shall give the Fund prompt written notice of
any proposed material change in the Trading Program or the manner in which
trading decisions are to be made or implemented and shall not make any such
proposed material change without the Manager's consent. The addition and/or
deletion of commodity interests from the Fund's portfolio managed by the
Trading Advisor shall not be deemed a change in the Trading Advisor's trading
approach and prior written notice to the Fund or the Manager shall not be
required therefor, except as set forth in Section 2(b) below.
(b) List of Commodity Interests Traded by the Trading Advisor.
(i) The Trading Advisor shall provide the Fund and the Manager
with a complete list of all non-currency, off-exchange commodity
interests which it intends to trade on the Fund's behalf. All commodity
interests other than regulated futures contracts and options on
regulated futures contracts traded on a qualified board or exchange
shall be listed on Appendix A to this Agreement. The addition of
commodity interests (other than forward contracts on foreign currencies
and exchange-traded futures) to the Fund's portfolio managed by the
Trading Advisor as set forth in Appendix A to this Agreement shall
require prior written notice to the Fund or the Manager and an amendment
to Appendix A.
(ii) The Trading Advisor acknowledges and agrees that U.S.
investors are prohibited from trading in certain instruments -- for
example, certain "contracts for differences," and certain non-U.S. stock
index futures and related options. The Trading Advisor agrees not to
trade any such prohibited instruments identified by the Manager for the
Onshore Fund, as well as for the Offshore Fund, should the Manager so
request.
(c) Speculative Position Limits.
(i) To the extent that the Trading Advisor's trading is subject
to speculative position limits or other comparable capacity limitations,
the Trading Advisor agrees that it will reserve for the Fund sufficient
trading capacity that the Fund's trading would be unrestricted by such
limits were the Fund's capital to total $300 million. The Trading
Advisor also agrees to consult with the Manager in the event that,
notwithstanding the undertaking in the preceding sentence, the Manager
believes that speculative position limits or comparable capacity
restrictions may affect the Trading Advisor's strategy on behalf of the
Fund.
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(ii) If the Trading Advisor (either alone or aggregated with the
positions of any other person, if such aggregation shall be required by
the CEA, the CFTC or any other regulatory authority having jurisdiction)
shall exceed applicable limits in any commodity interest traded for the
Fund, the Trading Advisor shall immediately take such action as the
Trading Advisor may deem fair and equitable to comply with the limits,
and shall immediately deliver to the Fund a written explanation of the
action taken to comply with such limits. If such limits are exceeded by
the Fund, the Manager may require the Trading Advisor to liquidate
positions as required.
(d) No Authority to Invest Assets Held in Securities and Cash.
The Fund and the Manager, and not the Trading Advisor, shall have the sole and
exclusive authority and responsibility with regard to the investment,
maintenance and management of the Fund's assets other than in respect of the
Trading Advisor's trading of the Fund's assets in commodity interests.
(e) Trading Authorization. Prior to the Fund commencing
operations, the Fund shall deliver to the Trading Advisor a trading
authorization in the form of Appendix B hereto appointing the Trading Advisor
as an agent of the Fund and attorney-in-fact for such purpose.
(f) Delivery of Disclosure Documents and Reports. The Trading
Advisor shall, during the term of this Agreement, deliver to the Fund copies
of its current disclosure document in final form as filed with the NFA and
prepared by the Trading Advisor promptly following preparation of such
disclosure document.
(g) Trade Reconciliations. The Trading Advisor acknowledges its
obligation to review its commodity interest positions on a daily basis and to
notify the Fund and the Manager promptly of any errors committed by the
Trading Advisor or any trade which the Trading Advisor believes was not
executed in accordance with its instructions and which cannot be promptly
resolved. The Trading Advisor shall not be responsible or have any liability
for errors or acts of executing or clearing brokers selected by the Trading
Advisor.
(h) Onshore and Offshore Fund Trading Accounts. At the request
of the Manager, the Trading Advisor agrees to trade separate accounts for each
of the Onshore and the Offshore Funds, a single account for both or any
combination of the two, as the case may be.
(i) Trade Information. The Trading Advisor shall use reasonable
efforts to provide trade information to OMR Systems by electronic file by 4:30
p.m., New York City time, on the date of any trade made on behalf of the Fund.
(j) Letter Agreement. As of the date hereof, the Manager,
Xxxxxxx Lynch, Pierce, Xxxxxx & Xxxxx Incorporated ("Xxxxxxx Xxxxx") and the
Trading Advisors are entering into a Letter Agreement (the "Letter Agreement")
setting forth the legally binding agreements with respect to certain matters
relating to the organization and marketing of the Fund. This Agreement, which
deals primarily with the Trading Advisor's management of the Fund's trading,
is to be read and interpreted in conjunction with the Letter Agreement, and
vice versa.
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(k) No Guarantee of Profits. The Fund and the Manager both
specifically acknowledge that in agreeing to manage the Fund, the Trading
Advisor is in no respects making any guarantee of profits or of protections
against loss, but it is undertaking to use commercially reasonable efforts to
trade profitably on behalf of the Fund.
3. Trading Advisor Independent. For all purposes of this
Agreement, the Trading Advisor shall be deemed to be an independent contractor
and shall have no authority to act for or represent the Fund in any way and
shall not otherwise be deemed to be an agent of the Fund. Nothing contained
herein shall create or constitute the Trading Advisor, the Fund or the Manager
as a member of any partnership, joint venture, association, syndicate,
unincorporated business or other separate entity, nor shall 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. The parties acknowledge that
the Trading Advisor has not been an organizer or promoter of the Fund.
4. Commodity Broker; Floor Brokers
(a) (i) Clearing of All Trades. The Trading Advisor shall clear
orders for all commodity interest transactions for the Fund through such
commodity broker or brokers as the Fund shall designate from time to
time in its sole discretion (the Fund currently so designating Xxxxxxx
Xxxxx). The Trading Advisor will not, without the consent of the
Manager, trade on a "give up" basis through floor brokers not affiliated
with Xxxxxxx Xxxxx. The Manager will review and approve or disapprove
all executing brokers proposed by the Trading Advisor for the Fund's
account. If an executing broker is approved, the Fund will not hold the
Trading Advisor liable for any error or breach of contract by any such
executing broker, barring negligence, misconduct or bad faith on the
part of the Trading Advisor. Irrespective of whether floor brokers
unaffiliated with Xxxxxxx Xxxxx receive the Manager's consent to execute
trades on behalf of the Fund, all such trades will be "given-up" to be
carried by Xxxxxxx Xxxxx. The Trading Advisor shall receive copies of
all daily and monthly brokerage statements for the Fund directly from
Xxxxxxx Xxxxx.
(ii) The Fund will be subject to round-turn commission rates as
determined from time to time by Xxxxxxx Xxxxx and consistent with
disclosures made to investors.
(b) Forward Trading.
(i) All forward trades for the Fund shall be executed through
the forward dealer(s) (which may be affiliates of the Manager)
designated by the Manager, provided that at the request of the Trading
Advisor, the Manager may consent to other forward trading arrangements,
which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld.
(ii) If necessary for the Trading Advisor to trade pursuant to
the Trading Program, the Fund shall provide adequate dealing lines of
credit for the Trading Advisor to place orders for spot and forward
currency contracts on behalf of the Fund.
(iii) Any "F/X prime brokerage" arrangements which the Trading
Advisor may wish to establish for the Fund shall be subject to the
approval of the Manager.
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(c) The Trading Advisor acknowledges that the Fund shall be
subject to the brokerage commissions and administrative fees specified in the
Memorandum.
(d) Floor Brokerage Costs. The "floor brokerage," "give-up" fees
and other transaction costs charged by any floor broker, other xxxx Xxxxxxx
Xxxxx, to effect Fund transactions shall be subject to the approval of Xxxxxxx
Xxxxx, which shall pay such costs, such approval not to be unreasonably
withheld provided that such fees and transaction costs are competitive with
Xxxxxxx Xxxxx'x standard rates.
5. Management Fee. As of the last Business Day of each calendar
month, the Fund shall pay the Trading Advisor a Management Fee, calculated and
payable in U.S. dollars, equal to 0.1667% (a 2% annual rate) of the aggregate
gross asset value (for the avoidance of doubt, prior to reduction for any
accrued Incentive Fees or for the Management Fee being calculated) of the
Fund. Such Management Fee shall be pro rated in the case of partial calendar
months, but shall not be subject to rebate once paid.
6. Incentive Fee.
(a) The Fund will pay to the Trading Advisor, as of each
December 31 ("Incentive Fee Calculation Date"), an Incentive Fee, calculated
and payable in U.S. dollars, equal to 20% of any New Trading Profit recognized
by the Fund as of such Incentive Fee Calculation Date.
(b) "Trading Profits" equals any profits earned from the futures
and forward trading of the Onshore Fund and the Offshore Fund, determined
separately, in each case after deduction for all fees and expenses incurred by
the Onshore Fund and the Offshore Fund, respectively, other than the Incentive
Fee itself.
(c) "New Trading Profit" equals any increase in the Net Asset
Value of the Fund as of the current Incentive Fee Calculation Date over the
High Water Xxxx attributable to each of the Onshore Fund and the Offshore
Fund, respectively.
(d) (i) The High Water Xxxx attributable to each of the Onshore
Fund and the Offshore Fund, respectively, shall be equal to the highest
Net Asset Value attributable to each of the Onshore Fund and the
Offshore Fund, respectively, after reduction for the Incentive Fee then
paid, as of any preceding Incentive Fee Calculation Date. The High Water
Xxxx shall be increased dollar-for-dollar by new subscriptions and
decreased proportionately when Capital Withdrawals are made by the Fund
(other than to pay expenses). The proportionate High Water Xxxx
reduction made as a result of Capital Withdrawals shall be calculated by
multiplying the High Water Xxxx in effect immediately prior to such
Capital Withdrawal by the fraction the numerator of which is the Net
Asset Value of the Onshore Fund and the Offshore Fund, as the case may
be, immediately following such reallocation and the denominator of which
is the Net Asset Value of the Onshore Fund and the Offshore Fund, as the
case may be, immediately before such Capital Withdrawal, in each case
prior to reduction for any accrued Incentive Fee.
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(ii) If an Incentive Fee is paid as of an Incentive Fee
Calculation Date, the High Water Xxxx is reset to the Net Asset Value of
the Offshore Fund or the Onshore Fund, as the case may be, immediately
following such payment.
(iii) For the avoidance of doubt, the High Water Xxxx shall be
determined on the basis of the Onshore Fund or the Offshore Fund, as the
case may be, not on the basis of any individual investors or group of
investors in either.
(e) When there is an accrued Incentive Fee at the time any
Capital Withdrawal is made, the Incentive Fee attributable to such
reallocation will be paid. Such Incentive Fee shall be determined by
multiplying the Incentive Fee that would have been paid had the date of the
Capital Withdrawal been an Incentive Fee Calculation Date by the fraction the
numerator of which is the amount of the Capital Withdrawal and the denominator
of which is the Net Asset Value of the Fund immediately prior to the Capital
Withdrawal, in each case prior to reduction for the accrued Incentive Fee.
Such Incentive Fee will be paid from the amount of the Capital Withdrawal.
(f) Net Asset Value for purposes of calculating the Incentive
Fee shall not include any interest income earned by the Fund (although such
interest income shall increase Net Asset Value for purposes of determining the
value of the Interests). For the avoidance of doubt, no Incentive Fee shall be
payable on any interest income earned by the Fund.
(g) The termination date of this Agreement shall be treated as
an Incentive Fee Calculation Date.
(h) The Trading Advisor will, at the request of the Manager,
receive the Incentive Fee either as a fee or as a profit allocation.
(i) The Manager shall calculate the Management and Incentive
Fees promptly after each date as of which either of such Fees is due. The
Manager will deliver to the Trading Advisor a reasonably detailed summary of
the Manager's calculation of such Fees, and such calculation shall be binding
and conclusive among all affected parties unless the Trading Advisor objects
in writing to such calculation by the close of business in New York on the
second full New York business day following the delivery of such summary.
7. Term and Termination.
(a) Term and Renewal. This Agreement shall continue in effect
until the seventh December 31 after the effectiveness of this Agreement.
Thereafter, this Agreement shall be automatically renewed for successive
three-year periods, on the same terms, unless terminated at any time by either
the Trading Advisor or the Fund upon 90 days' written notice to the other
party. For the avoidance of doubt, the Trading Advisor recognizes that the
resources which the Manager has and will commit to the sponsorship and
marketing of the Fund are only economically justifiable for Xxxxxxx Xxxxx if
Xxxxxxx Xxxxx can rely on a long-term commitment from the Trading Advisor to
manage the Fund, and the Trading Advisor hereby commits to do so (subject to
the terms and conditions set forth herein.)
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(b) Termination.
(i) Notwithstanding Section 7(a) hereof, this Agreement shall
terminate immediately if the Fund shall terminate and be dissolved as
determined by the Manager;
(ii) Either the Manager or the Trading Advisor may terminate this
Agreement upon 30 days' notice as of the end of the first full calendar
quarter subsequent to the twelfth month-end after the date of this Agreement
if, as of such twelfth month-end, the Fund does not have an aggregate
capitalization of at least $25 million.
(iii) The Fund and/or the Manager, on the one hand, or the Trading
Advisor, on the other, may terminate this Agreement as a result of a material
breach hereof by the other party, after due notice and a reasonable
opportunity to cure.
8. Right to Advise Others; Uniformity of Acts and Practices.
During the term of this Agreement, the Trading Advisor Parties shall, subject
to the capacity undertaking set forth herein and the exclusivity undertaking
of the Letter Agreement, be free to advise other investors as to the purchase
and sale of commodity interests, to manage and trade other investors'
commodity interests accounts and to trade for and on behalf of their own
proprietary commodity interests accounts. However, under no circumstances
shall any Trading Advisor Party knowingly and deliberately favor any commodity
interests account directed by any of them (regardless of the date on which
they began or shall begin to direct such account) over the Fund's account,
giving due consideration to the trading program which the Manager has
requested the Trading Advisor to trade on behalf of the Fund. For the
avoidance of doubt, no Trading Advisor Party shall be deemed to be favoring
another commodity interest account over the Fund's account if the Trading
Advisor Party, in accordance with specific instructions of the owner of such
account, trade such account at a degree of leverage or in accordance with
trading policies which shall be different from that which is normally applied
to the Trading Advisor's other accounts or shall not trade certain futures or
securities for certain accounts based on the amount of equity in such
accounts. The Trading Advisor Parties, on behalf of other accounts, shall be
free to trade on the basis of the same trading approach employed on behalf of
the Fund's account or an approach that is materially different from that
employed on behalf of the Fund's account, and shall be free to compete for the
same futures and securities as the Fund's account or take positions opposite
to those taken on behalf of the Fund's account, provided such actions do not
knowingly or deliberately favor any such other accounts over the Fund's
account.
At the request of the Fund, the Trading Advisor shall promptly
deliver to the Fund a satisfactory written explanation, in the judgment of the
Fund, of the differences, if any, in the performance between the Fund's
account and such other commodity interest accounts traded utilizing the same
program or portfolio (subject to the need to preserve the confidentiality of
proprietary information concerning the Trading Advisor's trading systems,
methods, models, strategies and formulas and the identity of the Trading
Advisor's clients).
9. Additional Undertakings by the Trading Advisor. No Trading
Advisor Party or its respective successors or assigns shall: (i) use or
distribute for any purpose the names and/or any other information about any of
the investors in the Fund; (ii) knowingly solicit any
9
Fund investor for any business purpose whatsoever (unless such investor is
already a client of the Trading Advisor); or (iii) knowingly accept as a
client, other than through Xxxxxxx Xxxxx, any person who has been an investor
in the Fund at any time during the twenty-four full calendar months prior to
such acceptance.
10. Representations and Warranties.
(a) The Trading Advisor hereby represents and warrants to the
other parties as follows:
(i) The Trading Advisor is an entity duly organized and validly
existing and in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its
organization and in good standing in each other jurisdiction in which
the nature or conduct of its business requires such qualification and
the failure to be duly qualified would materially affect the Trading
Advisor's ability to perform its obligations under this Agreement. The
Trading Advisor has full corporate, partnership or limited liability
company (as the case may be) power and authority to perform its
obligations under this Agreement.
(ii) This Agreement has been duly and validly authorized,
executed and delivered on behalf of the Trading Advisor and constitutes
a valid, binding and enforceable agreement of the Trading Advisor in
accordance with its terms.
(iii) The Trading Advisor has all Federal and state governmental,
regulatory and commodity exchange licenses and approvals and has
effected all filings and registrations with Federal and state
governmental and regulatory agencies required to conduct its business
and to act as described herein or required to perform its obligations
hereunder (including, without limitation, registration of the Trading
Advisor as a commodity trading advisor under the CEA, and membership of
the Trading Advisor as a commodity trading advisor in NFA), and the
performance of such obligation will not violate or result in a breach of
any provision of the Trading Advisor's certificate of incorporation,
by-laws or any agreement, instrument, order, law or regulation binding
on the Trading Advisor. The principals of the Trading Advisor are duly
listed as such on its commodity trading advisor Form 7-R registration.
(iv) The Trading Advisor's implementation of the its trading
program will not, to the best of its knowledge and belief, infringe any
other person's copyrights, trademark or other property rights.
(v) The execution and delivery of this Agreement, the incurrence
of the obligations herein set forth and the consummation of the
transactions contemplated herein will not constitute a breach of, or
default under, any instrument by which the Trading Advisor is bound or,
to the best of its knowledge, any order, rule or regulation application
to the Trading Advisor of any court or any governmental body or
administrative agency having jurisdiction over the Trading Advisor.
(vi) Other than as may have been disclosed in writing to the
Manager by the Trading Advisor, there is not pending, or to the best of
the Trading Advisor's knowledge threatened, any action, suit or
proceeding before or by any court or other governmental
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body to which the Trading Advisor is a party, or to which any of the
assets of the Trading Advisor is subject, which might reasonably be
expected to result in any material adverse change in the condition,
financial or otherwise, business or prospects of the Trading Advisor.
The Trading Advisor has not received any notice of an investigation or
warning letter from NFA or CFTC regarding non-compliance by the Trading
Advisor with the CEA or the regulations thereunder.
(b) The Manager hereby represents and warrants to the other
parties as follows:
(i) The Manager is duly organized and validly existing and in
good standing under the laws of its jurisdiction of formation and in
good standing under the laws of each other jurisdiction in which the
nature or conduct of its business requires such qualification and the
failure to so qualify would materially adversely affect the Manager's
ability to perform its obligations hereunder.
(ii) The Manager has the corporate power and authority under
applicable law to perform its obligations hereunder.
(iii) This Agreement has been duly and validly authorized,
executed and delivered by the Manager and constitutes a legal, valid and
binding agreement of the Manager enforceable in accordance with its
terms.
(iv) The execution and delivery of this Agreement, the incurrence
of the obligations set forth herein and the consummation of the
transactions contemplated herein will not constitute a breach of, or
default under, any instrument by which the Manager is bound or any
order, rule or regulation applicable to the Manager of any court or any
governmental body or administrative agency having jurisdiction over the
Manager.
(v) There is not pending, or, to the best of the Manager's
knowledge threatened, any action, suit or proceeding before or by any
court or other governmental body to which the Manager is a party, or to
which any of the assets of the Manager is subject, which might
reasonably be expected to result in any material adverse change in the
condition (financial or otherwise), business or prospects of the Manager
or is required to be disclosed pursuant to applicable CFTC regulations.
The Manager has not received any notice of an investigation or warning
letter from NFA or CFTC regarding non-compliance by the Manager with the
CEA or the regulations thereunder.
(vi) The Manager has all federal and state governmental,
regulatory and commodity exchange approvals and licenses, and have
effected all filings and registrations with federal and state
governmental agencies required to conduct its business and to act as
described herein or required to perform its obligations hereunder
(including, without limitation, registration as a commodity pool
operator under the CEA and membership in NFA as a commodity pool
operator), and the performance of such obligations will not contravene
or result in a breach of any provision of its certificate of
incorporation, by-laws or any agreement, order, law or regulation
binding upon it. The
11
principals of the Manager are duly registered as such on the Manager's
commodity pool operator Form 7-R registration.
(c) Each of the Onshore Fund and the Offshore Fund represents
and warrants as of the date of its formation and as of the date of
commencement of its trading operations to the other parties as follows:
(i) The Fund is duly organized and validly existing and in good
standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its formation and in each
other jurisdiction in which the nature or conduct of its business
requires such qualification and the failure to so qualify would
materially adversely affect the Fund's ability to perform its
obligations hereunder.
(ii) The Fund has the power and authority under applicable law to
perform its obligations hereunder.
(iii) This Agreement has been duly and validly authorized,
executed and delivered by the Fund and constitutes a legal, valid and
binding agreement of the Fund enforceable in accordance with its terms.
(iv) The execution and delivery of this Agreement, the incurrence
of the obligations set forth herein and the consummation of the
transactions contemplated herein will not constitute a breach of, or
default under, any instrument by which the Fund is bound or any order,
rule or regulation applicable to the Fund of any court or any
governmental body or administrative agency having jurisdiction over the
Fund.
(v) There is not pending, or, to the best of the Fund's
knowledge threatened, any action, suit or proceeding before or by any
court or other governmental body to which the Fund is a party, or to
which any of the assets of the Fund is subject, which might reasonably
be expected to result in any material adverse change in the condition
(financial or otherwise), business or prospects of the Fund or is
required to be disclosed pursuant to applicable CFTC regulations. The
Fund has not received any notice of an investigation or warning letter
from NFA or CFTC regarding non-compliance by the Fund with the CEA or
the regulations thereunder.
(vi) The Fund has all federal and state governmental, regulatory
and commodity exchange approvals and licenses, and has effected all
filings and registrations with federal and state governmental agencies
required to conduct its business and to act as described herein or
required to perform its obligations hereunder and the performance of
such obligations will not contravene or result in a breach of any
provision of its certificate of formation, organization agreement or any
agreement, order, law or regulation binding upon it.
(d) The foregoing representations and warranties shall be
continuing during the entire term of this Agreement and, if at any time, any
event shall occur which would make any of the foregoing representations and
warranties of any party no longer true and accurate, such party shall promptly
notify the other parties.
12
General
-------
11. Entire Agreement. This Agreement and the Letter Agreement
constitutes the entire agreement between the parties hereto with respect to
the matters referred to herein, and no other agreement, verbal or otherwise,
shall be binding as between the parties unless it shall be in writing and
signed by the party against whom enforcement is sought.
12. Indemnification. (a) The Fund shall indemnify, defend and
hold harmless the Trading Advisor Parties from and against any and all losses,
claims, damages, liabilities (joint and several), costs and expenses
(including any investigatory, legal and other expenses incurred in connection
with, and any amounts paid in, any settlement; provided that the Fund shall
have approved such settlement) resulting from a demand, claim, lawsuit, action
or proceeding relating to (i) any of such person's actions or capacities
relating to the business or activities of the Fund pursuant to this Agreement,
(ii) any activities of the Fund, or (iii) any activities of the Xxxxxxx Xxxxx
Parties (defined below) relating to the business or activities of the Fund;
provided that the conduct (if any) of such indemnified person which was the
subject of the demand, claim, lawsuit, action or proceeding did not constitute
negligence, misconduct or a material breach of this Agreement and was done in
good faith and in a manner such person reasonably believed to be in, or not
opposed to, the best interests of the Fund. The termination of any demand,
claim, lawsuit, action or proceeding by settlement shall not, in itself,
create a presumption that the conduct in question was not undertaken in good
faith and in a manner reasonably believed to be in, or not opposed to, the
best interests of the Fund.
(b) The Trading Advisor Parties shall not be liable to the Fund
or the Manager for conduct subject to indemnification pursuant to Section
12(c).
(c) The Trading Advisor shall indemnify, defend and hold
harmless the Fund, the Manager, their respective affiliates and its respective
directors, officers, employees, representatives and controlling persons
("Xxxxxxx Xxxxx Parties") from and against any and all losses, claims,
damages, liabilities (joint and several), costs and expenses (including any
reasonable investigatory, legal and other expenses incurred in connection
with, and any amounts paid in, any settlement resulting from a demand, claim,
lawsuit, action or proceeding relating to any action or omission of the
Trading Advisor Parties relating to the business or activities of such person
under this Agreement or relating to the management of a commodity interest
account of the Fund; provided the conduct of such Trading Advisor Party which
was the subject of the demand, claim, lawsuit, action or proceeding
constituted negligence or misconduct or a material breach of this Agreement or
was an action or omission taken otherwise than in good faith and in a manner
reasonably believed to be in, or not opposed to, the best interests of the
Fund.
(d) The foregoing agreements of indemnity shall be in addition
to, and shall in no respect limit or restrict, any other remedies which may be
available to an indemnified party.
(e) Any indemnification required by this Section 12, unless
ordered or expressly permitted by a court, shall be made by the indemnifying
party only upon a determination by independent legal counsel mutually
agreeable to the parties hereto in a written opinion that the conduct which is
the subject of the claim, demand, lawsuit, action or proceeding
13
with respect to which indemnification is sought meets the applicable standard
set forth in this Section 12.
In the event that a person entitled to indemnification under this
Section 12, is made a party to an action, suit or proceeding alleging both
matters for which indemnification may be due hereunder and matters for which
indemnification may not be due hereunder, such person shall be indemnified
only in respect of the former matters.
Promptly after receipt by any of the indemnified parties under
this Agreement of notice of any demand, claim, lawsuit, action or proceeding,
the indemnified party shall notify the indemnifying party in writing of the
commencement thereof if a claim in respect thereof is to be made under this
Agreement. Except to the extent that the indemnifying party is not materially
prejudiced thereby, the omission so to notify shall relieve the indemnifying
party from any obligation or liability which it may have to any such
indemnified party under this section. In the event that such demand, claim,
lawsuit, action or proceeding is brought against a person indemnified under
this Agreement, and the indemnified party is notified of the commencement
thereof, the indemnifying party shall be entitled to participate therein and,
to the extent that the indemnifying party may wish, to assume the defense
thereof, with counsel selected by the indemnifying party and approved by the
indemnified person (provided that approval may not be unreasonably withheld),
and after notice from the indemnifying party to such indemnified person of the
indemnifying party's election so as to assume the defense thereof, the
indemnifying party shall not be liable to such person under this section for
any legal or other expenses subsequently incurred by such person in connection
with the defense thereof, unless (i) the indemnifying party approves the
employment of separate counsel by such person or (ii) the action has been
brought against both such person and the indemnifying party and such person's
counsel has advised it or him that it or he has legal defenses different from
or in addition to those of the indemnifying party (it being understood,
however, that the indemnifying party shall not be liable for legal or other
expenses of more than one separate firm of attorneys for all such persons
indemnified hereunder, which firm shall be designated in writing by the
Trading Advisor or the Manager, as the case may be).
13. Assignment. This Agreement shall not be assigned by any of
the parties hereto without the prior express written consent of the other
parties hereto.
14. Amendment; Waiver. This Agreement shall not be amended
except by a writing signed by the parties hereto. No waiver of any provision
of this Agreement shall be implied from any course of dealing between the
parties hereto or from any failure by either party hereto to assert its rights
hereunder on any occasion or series of occasions.
15. Severability. If any provision of this Agreement, or the
application of any provision to any person or circumstance, shall be held to
be inconsistent with any present or future law, ruling, rule or regulation of
any court or governmental or regulatory authority having jurisdiction over the
subject matter hereof, such provision shall be deemed to be rescinded or
modified in accordance with such law, ruling, rule or regulation, and the
remainder of this Agreement, or the application of such provision to persons
or circumstances other than those as to which it shall be held inconsistent,
shall not be affected thereby.
14
16. Notices. Any notice required or desired to be delivered
under this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be delivered by courier
service, facsimile, e-mail, any form of electronic file transfer, mail,
postage prepaid mail or other similar means and shall be effective upon actual
receipt by the party to which such notice shall be directed, addressed as
follows (or to such other address as the party entitled to notice shall
hereafter designate in accordance with the terms hereof):
if to the Fund:
ML ASPECT FUTURES ACCESS, LLC
ML ASPECT FUTURES ACCESS LTD.
c/o Merrill Xxxxx Alternative Investments LLC
Manager
Princeton Corporate Campus
000 Xxxxxxxx Xxxx Xxxx
Xxxxxxx 0X
Xxxxxxxxxx, Xxx Xxxxxx 00000
Attn: Xxxxx Xxxxxxxxx
if to the Manager:
XXXXXXX XXXXX ALTERNATIVE INVESTMENTS LLC
Princeton Corporate Campus
000 Xxxxxxxx Xxxx Xxxx
Xxxxxxx 0X
Xxxxxxxxxx, Xxx Xxxxxx 00000
Attn: Xxxxx Xxxxxxxxx
if to the Trading Advisor:
ASPECT CAPITAL LIMITED
8/th/ Floor
Nations House
000 Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx
Xxxxxx, X0X 0XX
England
Attn: Legal Department
copy to:
Xxx Xxxxx
Fax: (000) 000-0000
17. Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by and
construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York without regard
to principles of conflicts of law.
15
18. Consent to Jurisdiction. The parties hereto agree that any
action or proceeding arising directly, indirectly or otherwise in connection
with, out of, related to or from this Agreement, any breach hereof or any
transaction covered hereby, shall be resolved, whether by arbitration or
otherwise, within the County of New York, City of New York, and State of New
York. Accordingly, the parties consent and submit to the jurisdiction of the
federal and state courts and any applicable arbitral body located within the
County of New York, City of New York, and State of New York. The parties
further agree that any such action or proceeding brought by either party to
enforce any right, assert any claim, or obtain any relief whatsoever in
connection with this Agreement shall be brought by such party exclusively in
federal or state courts, or if appropriate before any applicable arbitral
body, located within the County of New York, City of New York, and State of
New York.
19. Remedies. In any action or proceeding arising out of any of
the provisions of this Agreement, the Trading Advisor, the Manager and the
Fund agree that they shall not seek any prejudgment equitable or ancillary
relief. Such parties also agree that their sole remedy in any such action or
proceeding shall be to seek actual monetary damages for any breach of this
Agreement; provided, however, that the Fund agrees that the Trading Advisor
and the Manager may seek declaratory judgment with respect to the
indemnification provisions of this Agreement.
20. Survival. The provisions of Sections 9, 12, 17, 18, 19, 23,
24 and 25 of this Agreement and the obligation to settle accounts shall
survive the termination hereof with respect to any matter arising while this
Agreement shall be in effect.
21. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in one or more
counterparts, each of which shall, however, together constitute one and the
same document. Facsimile signature pages shall have the same binding force and
effect as original copies.
22. No Waiver.
(a) No failure or delay on the part of a party hereto in
exercising any right, power or remedy hereunder shall operate as a waiver
thereof, nor shall any single or partial exercise of any such right, power or
remedy preclude any other or further exercise thereof or the exercise of any
other right, power or remedy. Failure on the part of a party hereto to
complain of any act of the other or to declare the other in default under this
Agreement, irrespective of how long such failure continues, shall not
constitute a waiver by such party of its rights with respect to such default
until the applicable statute-of-limitations period has run.
(b) Any waiver granted hereunder must be in writing and shall be
valid only in the specific instance in which given.
23. Rules of Interpretation. In this Agreement, unless
inconsistent with the context or the contrary intention appears, a reference
to:
(a) "May" shall be construed as permissive;
(b) A "notice" means written notice unless otherwise stated;
(c) "Shall" shall be construed as imperative;
16
(d) The singular includes the plural and vice versa;
(e) The masculine includes the feminine and neuter respectively;
(f) Writing includes typewriting, printing, lithography,
photography and other modes of representing or reproducing words in a legible
and non-transitory form;
(g) Any reference to a law, agreement or a document shall be
deemed also to refer to any amendment, supplement or replacement thereof;
(h) Whenever this Agreement refers to a number of days, such
number shall refer to calendar days unless such reference specifies Business
Days;
(i) The term "and/or" is used herein to mean both "and" as well
as "or." The use of "and/or" in certain contexts in no respects qualifies or
modifies the use of the terms "and" or "or" in others. "Or" shall not be
interpreted to be exclusive, and "and" shall not be interpreted to require the
conjunctive -- in each case, unless the context otherwise requires;
(j) The terms "include" and "including" are to be construed as
non-exclusive (so that, by way of example and for the avoidance of doubt,
"including" shall mean "including without limitation");
(k) Whenever it is provided or contemplated herein that the
Manager is to determine or decide any matter, the Manager (on its own behalf
as well as on behalf of the Fund) shall do so in its sole and absolute
discretion, unless otherwise expressly provided herein;
(l) In addition to the authority granted to the Manager pursuant
to this Agreement, the Manager may, but shall have no obligation to, take any
action that the Manager deems necessary or advisable to ensure that the Fund
is not in violation of law or in breach of any contractual provisions;
(m) The table of contents to and the headings in this Agreement
are for convenience of reference only and are to be ignored in construing this
Agreement;
(n) Any reference to "payable" or "paid" or any derivative
thereof shall mean credited to the deferred compensation account, as the
context may require;
(o) No provision of this Agreement shall be construed in favor
of or against any person by reason of the extent to which any such person, its
affiliates, or their respective employees or counsel participated in the
drafting thereof; and
(p) In the event of any inconsistency between the provisions of
this Agreement and of the constituent documents, the Manager shall determine
which provisions shall control.
24. Binding Effect; Benefit; Third-Party Beneficiary. This
Agreement shall be binding upon and shall inure to the benefit of the parties
hereto, all persons indemnified
17
hereunder and their respective estates, permitted successors, transferees,
custodians, executors, administrators, legal representatives, heirs and
permitted assigns.
(a) To the fullest extent permitted by law (and, for the
avoidance of doubt, whether or not such law is currently in effect), the
Manager shall be a third-party beneficiary of the Articles.
25. Confidentiality.
(a) The parties hereto each acknowledge that the business and
assets of the Xxxxxxx Xxxxx Parties and of the Trading Advisor Parties are
confidential and involve a wide range of proprietary information, including
trade secrets and financial or commercial information.
(b) All information with respect to the Fund (including
investment and trading) activities and assets shall be presumed confidential
and proprietary unless the Manager or the Trading Advisor, as the case may be,
otherwise so indicates in writing. The Fund and the Manager acknowledge that
the Trading Advisor's strategies and trades constitute proprietary data
belonging to the Trading Advisor and agree that they will not disseminate any
confidential information regarding the foregoing, except as required by law,
and that any such information is to be used solely in connection with the
management and monitoring of the Fund's commodity interest account and for no
other purpose. Each party covenants that it has and it shall at all times keep
confidential and not, directly or indirectly, disclose, divulge, furnish or
make accessible to anyone, or use in any manner that would be adverse to the
interests any other party, any confidential or proprietary information to
which the former party has been or shall become privy relating to the business
or assets of any of such other parties except with the prior written approval
of such other party or except for information that is otherwise publicly
available (other than information made publicly available by breach of this
contract) or required to be disclosed by law. Each party may, however, share
such information with such party's service providers, accountants and
attorneys ("Permitted Confidants"); provided, that the Fund's Permitted
Confidants undertake to hold such information strictly confidential to the
same extent set forth herein, and not in any manner or respect to use any of
such information for their personal gain.
26. Advisers Act Compliance. Any provisions of this Agreement
which are construed to violate the Advisers Act shall be deemed null and void
ab initio. For the avoidance of doubt, no provision of this Agreement shall be
deemed to constitute a waiver of any person's rights or claims under any
federal or state securities laws.
18
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Agreement has been executed for and on
behalf of the undersigned on the day and year first written above.
ML ASPECT FUTURESACCESS(SM) LLC
By: Xxxxxxx Xxxxx Alternative
Investments, LLC,
Manager
By: /s/ Xxxxxx X. Xxxxx
------------------------------------------
Name: Xxxxxx X. Xxxxx
Title: Chief Operating Officer
ML ASPECT FUTURESACCESS(SM) LTD.
By: /s/ Xxxxxx X. Xxxxx
--------------------------------------------
Name: Xxxxxx X. Xxxxx
Title: Director
XXXXXXX XXXXX ALTERNATIVE
INVESTMENTS LLC
By: /s/ Xxxxxx X. Xxxxx
------------------------------------------
Name: Xxxxxx X. Xxxxx
Title: Chief Operating Officer
ASPECT CAPITAL LIMITED
By: /s/ Xxxxxxx Xxxx
--------------------------------------------
Name: Xxxxxxx Xxxx
Title: Director
19
APPENDIX A
COMMODITY INTERESTS TRADED BY
ASPECT CAPITAL LIMITED
The undersigned represents that the following is a complete list
of all commodity interests which the undersigned intends to trade on behalf of
ML ASPECT FUTURESACCESS(SM) LLC/ML ASPECT FUTURESACCESS(SM) LTD. other than
regulated futures contracts and options on regulated futures contracts traded
on a qualified board of trade or exchange:
Contract Type
(futures, forward,
option on futures) Exchange Contract
------------------ -------- --------
ASPECT CAPITAL LIMITED
By: /s/ Xxxxxxx Xxxx
------------------------------------
Name: Xxxxxxx Xxxx
Title: Director
Dated as of May 28, 0000
X-0
XXXXXXXX X
COMMODITY TRADING AUTHORITY
ASPECT CAPITAL LIMITED
8/th/ Floor
Nations House
000 Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx
Xxxxxx, X0X 0XX
Xxxxxxx
Dear Advisor:
ML ASPECT FUTURESACCESS(SM) LLC/ML ASPECT FUTURESACCESS(SM) LTD.
(collectively, the "Fund") does hereby make, constitute and appoint you as its
attorney-in-fact to buy and sell commodity futures and forward contracts
(including foreign futures and options contracts) in accordance with the ML
FuturesAccess(SM) Advisory Agreement among us and certain others.
Very truly yours,
ML ASPECT FUTURESACCESS(SM) LLC
ML ASPECT FUTURESACCESS(SM) LTD.
By: Xxxxxxx Xxxxx Alternative
Investments LLC,
Manager
By: /s/ Xxxxxx X. Xxxxx
------------------------------------------
Name: Xxxxxx X. Xxxxx
Title: Chief Operating Officer
Dated as of May 28, 2004
B-1
