About Robert Karofsky
Robert Karofsky Joins AllianceBernstein on Buy Side
March 2011
After nearly two decades on the sell side of the market, Robert Karofsky joins AllianceBernstein on the buy side as the Global Head of Equity Trading for the New York investment firm. Mr. Karofsky reports to Patrick Whalen, a fellow veteran of Morgan Stanley.
Robert Karofsky established his trading career at Morgan Stanley, where he began as an Analyst, eventually rising to the position of Head of North American Equity Risk. In 2005, he joined Deutsche Bank as the Global Head of Program Trading, Global Head of Direct Market Access and jointly leading the company’s cash equities strategy in America. After three years with Deutsche Bank, he received a promotion, becoming the Co-Head of Global Equities.
An acknowledged expert in market-making and the evolution of the exchanges, Robert Karofsky balances electronic execution with hands-on, human trading. An advocate for greater transparency in regards to high-frequency trading, he creates buy side trading strategies for AllianceBernstein that take into consideration the risk of toxic intermediation from high-volume, computer-generated trading algorithms. Using transaction cost analysis, Mr. Karofsky determines whether it is better for AllianceBernstein to acquire a stock rapidly through electronic trading or to establish a position through a more passive approach.
Mr. Karofsky studied Economics at Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, New York. He received his MBA in Finance and Statistics from the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago.