The PHAROS Story
David R. Perkins
President
Chief Investment Officer
I founded PHAROS Capital Management, LLC in 2010 after working for several broker-dealers and insurance companies. I decided to start a firm using my own strategies and approach to investment management. I wanted to utilize an approach I believed in rather than being forced to use the buy and hold approach mandated by a particular firm. My program, SYNTHESIS, evolved over time; a result of experience, research, and adapting to changes in the investment environment. It continues to evolve to this day...and will continue to evolve as greater insight is gained and markets continue to evolve over time. Initially the program was strictly a trend following strategy. Shortly after starting my firm, trend following strategies began a multi-year period of under-performance not seen in decades. I needed to adapt. Over time I added other styles of investing/trading and incorporated additional types of analysis. The result is the program as it exists today.
I was first licensed in the securities industry in the late 1990's...right at the end of the NASDAQ bubble. My first experience in the industry was a 50% decline (or more) in the major US equities indices. I again witnessed a 50% decline in the US equity indices during the Great Financial Crisis of 2008-2009. These experiences had a profound impact on me and reinforced the idea that a risk management approach to investing is superior to a buy and hold approach over a complete market cycle. The goal of our approach is simple: maximize returns in good markets and minimize losses in bad markets. We want to ride trends when they are in our favor, and actively manage our exposure when the trend changes. No more holding investments regardless of market conditions.
My background prior to entering the financial services industry includes nearly 13 years on active duty in the US Navy followed by employment in the private sector as a consultant for a major food services company. I earned a bachelors degree in Business Administration while on active duty from Northwood University (Midland, MI).
