Clear Street launched its own outsourced trading desk, tapping former UBS executive Morgan Ralph to lead the expansion from its new office at 4 World Trade Center.
Through its latest offering, Clear Street aims to combine real-time trading tools with better execution services for hedge funds, asset managers, and family offices seeking to optimize operations without expanding in-house trading teams.
New Leadership for the New Platform
Morgan Ralph joins the company as Head of Outsourced Trading, bringing nearly 20 years of industry experience. He most recently led business development and platform management for outsourced trading at UBS. His previous roles include senior positions at State Street Global Markets, Brown Brothers Harriman, and Lehman Brothers.
“I am beyond thrilled to join Clear Street and to work alongside the excellent team here to bring forward the premier outsourced trading platform on the market,” Ralph commented. “The blend of world-class proprietary technology and an incredibly experienced team of professionals gives us a distinct edge, and our clients will benefit significantly from the unique set of resources this firm can offer. We also have imminent plans to grow, with several exciting hires soon to be announced.”
Aiming for Flexible Solutions
The outsourced trading platform is designed for a range of fund types, from emerging managers to well-established firms. The offering spans partial to full outsourcing, giving clients the ability to scale their trading operations in response to market conditions.
Clear Street’s solution is built around its proprietary Studio platform, which integrates real-time risk, portfolio, and trade management tools into a single cloud-based system. This architecture enables seamless communication between portfolio managers and traders, even across different locations.
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The outsourced trading team will operate out of Clear Street’s newly secured office space at 4 World Trade Center. The company said additional hires are on the way as the rollout of this and other new services accelerates.
Backed by a team with experience from firms like UBS, Wells Fargo, and State Street, the division will focus on delivering personalized execution and scalable trading solutions across asset classes. As competition intensifies in outsourced trading, Clear Street is betting on its mix of technology and talent to attract clients looking for efficiency, cost control, and operational flexibility.
Meanwhile, Clear Street announced plans to acquire an algorithmic execution solutions firm focusing on the US and Canadian equities last year.
The firm entered into an agreement to buy Instinet’s Fox River algorithmic trading business in a step aimed at offering solutions for buy-side and sell-side firms, especially quant-driven funds in the US and Canadian equities markets.