Abraham Trading Company brings an uncommon sensibility to the complex world of investments.
Abraham Trading Company is a research-driven investment management company managed by Salem Abraham. Since 1988, Abraham Trading Company has managed alternative asset portfolios on behalf of families, individuals, foundations, endowments, and institutions.
Our original program, the Abraham Trading Diversified Program which began trading in 1988, produced an average annual rate of return of 13.10% over its 31-year track record. Today, we operate the Abraham Fortress Fund, a complete investment solution designed to meet the portfolio needs of foundations, endowments, high net worth individuals, and institutional investors.
The Fortress Fund uses a balanced, multi-asset approach which aims to produce consistent returns with low risk. Fortress combines traditional investments in equity and fixed income with diversifying alternative investments in institutional-quality hedge funds.
One of the key differences between Fortress and typical investment portfolios is the amount of equity risk or long economy risk in the portfolio. Many portfolios have equity exposure of 60-80% and do well when times in the economy are good and poorly when times in the economy are bad. The Fortress Fund caps equity exposure at 50%, designed to reduce portfolio risk to the broader economy and Fortress Fund’s exposure to extreme moves in equity markets.
The other key difference between Fortress and typical investment portfolios is the inclusion and selection of diversifying alternatives in the portfolio. Diversifying alternatives are an integral part of Fortress in its effort to produce consistent returns with low risk. Only alternative investments that appear to be resilient through market cycles, exhibit low correlation to the economy and other strategies, and operate with high institutional standards are selected for Fortress.
By combining equity and fixed income investments with multiple sources of value-adding and risk-reducing alternatives, we aim to provide a low risk investment solution that helps clients better meet financial objectives.
Looking for more information? Start by downloading our Investment Strategy Presentation.
Salem Abraham is the President and Founder of Abraham Trading Company. Salem started his investing career as a futures trader, using quantitative models to trade global futures markets from 1987 to 2019. He first began trading futures markets while attending the University of Notre Dame, where he graduated cum laude with a B.B.A. in Finance in 1987. In January of 1988, he began using his systematic approach to trade client investments. He registered as a Commodity Trading Advisor in October 1988 and organized Abraham Trading Company in 1990. Throughout his career, Salem has managed investments in stocks, bonds, options, derivatives, and private equity. In 1999, Salem and the Abraham Trading team became the first company in the world to send computer-generated orders electronically to the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Salem has been featured in Michael Covel's books The Complete Turtle Trader and Trend Following. He has also appeared in Bloomberg Markets, Absolute Return, Barron's, and the NY Times. He held full memberships at both the Chicago Board of Trade and the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Salem is registered with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and is a member of the National Futures Association.
Besides trading, Salem is highly experienced in orchards, farmland, ranchland, wind, water, and energy investments. His first investment experiences were shared with his grandfather, who employed him to buy and sell distressed minerals and ranches in the Texas Panhandle in the late 80s. In total, Salem has bought and sold more than 200,000 acres of land and resources. He manages investments in oil and gas properties, wind rights and residential, commercial, and agricultural real estate properties.
Salem has served on nonprofit investment boards for over 25 years. From 1995-2014, he served on the Amarillo Area Foundation Investment Committee. Since 2004, he has served on the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital Investment Committee. He assists with both large and small nonprofit endowments, with portfolios ranging from $1 million to over $4 billion in assets. His experiences with large and small institutional investors have provided insights into the unique mandates and challenges of managing foundation and endowment portfolios of all sizes. The strategy for the Abraham Fortress Fund was originally used for Salem's half of the Pickens-Abraham Foundation that he started with T. Boone Pickens in 2008. The foundation provided college scholarships to accomplished graduating seniors in the the Texas Panhandle. After the death of T. Boone Pickens in September of 2019, the Pickens Abraham Foundation was split with part of the funds going to the T. Boone Pickens Foundation and part of the funds going to the Salem & Ruth Ann Abraham Foundation. The Salem and Ruth Ann Abraham Foundation is managed by Salem and is invested in the Abraham Fortress Fund.
Salem continues to lead the research efforts at Abraham Trading Company. He resides with his family in Canadian, Texas.
Russell Fry has been with Abraham Trading for 17 years. He is responsible for compliance, operational management, and reporting duties. Russell graduated from Texas Tech University in 1996 magna cum laude with a B.A. in History.
Russell is registered with the CFTC as an associated person of Abraham Trading and is a member of the National Futures Association.
Larry graduated from West Texas A&M University in 1993 with a B.B.A. degree in Finance. Larry joined Abraham Trading in 1995. He has managed back office accounting, the trade desk, computer programming, system research, and risk management. As the Director of Research, he is responsible for strategy research and implementation as well as risk modeling and monitoring.
Larry is registered with the CFTC as an associated person of Abraham Trading and is a member of the National Futures Association.
John has been a member of Abraham Trading's product development and marketing teams since 2016. John has over 5 years of quantitative analysis, trading, structuring, and risk management experience.
Prior to joining Abraham Trading Company, John founded Red Stag Capital, an emerging manager focused on commodity markets. Prior to Red Stag Capital, John was an energy commodity trader for Green Plains. John holds a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from the University of Texas with an emphasis in statistics, data analysis, and financial mathematics.
John is registered with the CFTC as an associated person of Abraham Trading and is a member of the National Futures Association.
LeAnn Sherman is the Director of Accounting at Abraham Trading Company. LeAnn has been a core member of the Abraham Trading team since the start of the company in 1988. Prior to Abraham Trading, she managed bookkeeping and accounting at General Motors and John Deere dealerships. For the past 31 years, she has managed the accounting, bookkeeping, human resources, and back office operations at Abraham Trading.
Dawn Ogren is an Executive Assistant for the Colorado branch of Abraham Trading Company. Dawn's administrative career spans more than 25 years. Her background includes non-profit arts administration, non-profit solar energy education, banking, and property management. Dawn lives in the Roaring Fork Valley in Colorado with her family. She enjoys the outdoors, hiking, and jewelry design and creation.
Christie Spence is an Executive Assistant for the Texas branch of Abraham Trading Company. Christie has extensive experience in mineral management, property management, and information management. She lives in Canadian with her family.
Salem Abraham is the President and Founder of Abraham Trading Company. Salem started his investing career as a futures trader, using quantitative models to trade global futures markets from 1987 to 2019. He first began trading futures markets while attending the University of Notre Dame, where he graduated cum laude with a B.B.A. in Finance in 1987. In January of 1988, he began using his systematic approach to trade client investments. He registered as a Commodity Trading Advisor in October 1988 and organized Abraham Trading Company in 1990. Throughout his career, Salem has managed investments in stocks, bonds, options, derivatives, and private equity. In 1999, Salem and the Abraham Trading team became the first company in the world to send computer-generated orders electronically to the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Salem has been featured in Michael Covel's books The Complete Turtle Trader and Trend Following. He has also appeared in Bloomberg Markets, Absolute Return, Barron's, and the NY Times. He held full memberships at both the Chicago Board of Trade and the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Salem is registered with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and is a member of the National Futures Association.
Besides trading, Salem is highly experienced in orchards, farmland, ranchland, wind, water, and energy investments. His first investment experiences were shared with his grandfather, who employed him to buy and sell distressed minerals and ranches in the Texas Panhandle in the late 80s. In total, Salem has bought and sold more than 200,000 acres of land and resources. He manages investments in oil and gas properties, wind rights and residential, commercial, and agricultural real estate properties.
Salem has served on nonprofit investment boards for over 25 years. From 1995-2014, he served on the Amarillo Area Foundation Investment Committee. Since 2004, he has served on the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital Investment Committee. He assists with both large and small nonprofit endowments, with portfolios ranging from $1 million to over $4 billion in assets. His experiences with large and small institutional investors have provided insights into the unique mandates and challenges of managing foundation and endowment portfolios of all sizes. The strategy for the Abraham Fortress Fund was originally used for Salem's half of the Pickens-Abraham Foundation that he started with T. Boone Pickens in 2008. The foundation provided college scholarships to accomplished graduating seniors in the the Texas Panhandle. After the death of T. Boone Pickens in September of 2019, the Pickens Abraham Foundation was split with part of the funds going to the T. Boone Pickens Foundation and part of the funds going to the Salem & Ruth Ann Abraham Foundation. The Salem and Ruth Ann Abraham Foundation is managed by Salem and is invested in the Abraham Fortress Fund.
Salem continues to lead the research efforts at Abraham Trading Company. He resides with his family in Canadian, Texas.
Russell Fry has been with Abraham Trading for 17 years. He is responsible for compliance, operational management, and reporting duties. Russell graduated from Texas Tech University in 1996 magna cum laude with a B.A. in History.
Russell is registered with the CFTC as an associated person of Abraham Trading and is a member of the National Futures Association.
Larry graduated from West Texas A&M University in 1993 with a B.B.A. degree in Finance. Larry joined Abraham Trading in 1995. He has managed back office accounting, the trade desk, computer programming, system research, and risk management. As the Director of Research, he is responsible for strategy research and implementation as well as risk modeling and monitoring.
Larry is registered with the CFTC as an associated person of Abraham Trading and is a member of the National Futures Association.
John has been a member of Abraham Trading's product development and marketing teams since 2016. John has over 5 years of quantitative analysis, trading, structuring, and risk management experience.
Prior to joining Abraham Trading Company, John founded Red Stag Capital, an emerging manager focused on commodity markets. Prior to Red Stag Capital, John was an energy commodity trader for Green Plains. John holds a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from the University of Texas with an emphasis in statistics, data analysis, and financial mathematics.
John is registered with the CFTC as an associated person of Abraham Trading and is a member of the National Futures Association.
LeAnn Sherman is the Director of Accounting at Abraham Trading Company. LeAnn has been a core member of the Abraham Trading team since the start of the company in 1988. Prior to Abraham Trading, she managed bookkeeping and accounting at General Motors and John Deere dealerships. For the past 31 years, she has managed the accounting, bookkeeping, human resources, and back office operations at Abraham Trading.
Dawn Ogren is an Executive Assistant for the Colorado branch of Abraham Trading Company. Dawn's administrative career spans more than 25 years. Her background includes non-profit arts administration, non-profit solar energy education, banking, and property management. Dawn lives in the Roaring Fork Valley in Colorado with her family. She enjoys the outdoors, hiking, and jewelry design and creation.
Christie Spence is an Executive Assistant for the Texas branch of Abraham Trading Company. Christie has extensive experience in mineral management, property management, and information management. She lives in Canadian with her family.