Harcourt launches actively-managed alternative funds

 

Harcourt, the alternative business of Vontobel Asset Management, expands its offering with the launch of two UCITS funds, the Vontobel Fund - Pure Momentum Strategy and the Vontobel Fund - Pure Dividend Strategy. They reflect the company’s commitment to provide investors with more transparent, liquid and cost-efficient alternative strategies.

 

In the past investors could only access alternative risk premiums, those returns that can be achieved by investing in alternative strategies, through hedge funds or funds of hedge funds. After the outbreak of the financial crisis in 2008 hedge funds have come under pressure while the demand for investments that offer low correlation to traditional asset classes like equity or fixed income remains constant. However, such investments must now be more transparent, more liquid and more cost efficient than traditional hedge funds.

 

The first two funds, which will be complemented by a new product at a later stage, can offer state-of-the-art diversification benefits to institutional and private clients in periods of stress in financial markets. The funds are part of Harcourt’s new product line called "Research-Driven Strategies". This name indicates that alternative risk premiums are mostly a reflection of a given trading strategy followed by an investor, in contrast to traditional funds, in which performance reflects any fluctuations in asset classes such as equities and bonds.

 

Both funds are actively managed, with investments made strictly according to rule-based methodologies that aim to capture clearly defined alternative risk premiums. The funds aim to achieve a risk-adjusted return exceeding the 3-months LIBOR by 3 to 5%.

 

The Vontobel Fund - Pure Momentum Strategy aims to benefit from trends in the global financial markets. The fund invests primarily in various liquid asset classes such as equities and fixed income. The goal is to achieve consistent returns by combining various momentum strategies to capture and exploit the observable trends in the market.

 

The Vontobel Fund - Pure Dividend Strategy strives to systematically participate in the dividend stream of high-payout companies whilst at the same time reducing equity-market risk significantly by managing derivatives actively. The fund invests globally in companies with higher-than-expected average dividend yields with the aim to provide stable returns during times of low interest rates.

 

"The improved macroeconomic climate has created significant new opportunities for investors to benefit from market upswings", said Jan Viebig, CEO of Harcourt and portfolio manager of the Vontobel Fund - Pure Momentum Strategy; "we believe these two funds are ideally placed to support traditional portfolio allocations while delivering the enhanced diversification investors require in the post financial crisis world."

 

Harcourt has four core competencies in the field of alternative investments: commodity funds, funds of hedge funds, advisory and "Research-Driven Strategies".

 

Vontobel Fund - Pure Momentum Strategy

Fund domicile	Luxembourg
Portfolio Manager:	Jan Viebig, PhD, CFA
Fund currency:	USD
Management fee in % p.a.:	Retail share class: 1.50% Institutional share classes: 0.75%
Performance fee in % p.a.:	10% of relative outperformance vs. benchmark
Benchmark:	3-Months-LIBOR
Share classes:	ISIN B: LU0971937973 I: LU0971938195 H-CHF: LU0971938278 HI-CHF: LU0971938351 H-EUR: LU0971938435 HI-EUR: LU0971938518

 

Vontobel Fund - Pure Dividend Strategy

Fund domicile:	Luxembourg
Portfolio Manager:	Martin Tschunko, PhD, CFA
Fund currency:	USD
Management fee in % p.a.:	Retail share class: 1.50% Institutional share classes: 0.75%
Benchmark:	3-Months-LIBOR
Share classes:	ISIN B: LU0971937114 I: LU0971937205 H-CHF: LU0971937387 HI-CHF: LU0971937460 H-EUR: LU0971937544 HI-EUR: LU0971937627

 

Harcourt Investment Consulting AG

Harcourt Investment Consulting AG (Harcourt) is part of the Vontobel Asset Management division and an internationally established provider of alternative investment solutions. Harcourt is specialised in transparent and innovative products and services in the field of fund of hedge funds and commodities. Their aim is to generate added value for their institutional and private clients. Harcourt manages assets in excess of CHF 3.4bn as of 30 June 2013.

 

Vontobel

Vontobel's mission is to protect and build the wealth our clients have entrusted to us over the long term. Specialising in active asset management and tailor-made investment solutions, we provide responsible and forward-looking advice. In doing so, we are committed to Swiss quality and performance standards. With their good name, our owner family has stood by these principles for generations. As of 30 June 2013, Vontobel held CHF 160 bn of assets. Around 1,400 employees worldwide provide first rate, customized services for clients with an international focus. The registered shares of Vontobel Holding AG are listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange. The Vontobel families and the Vontobel Foundation hold the majority of shares and votes in the company. www.vontobel.com

 

Disclaimer

This document is for information purposes only and does not constitute an offer to subscribe for shares of the Fund. Subscriptions of the Vontobel Fund, an investment fund under Luxembourg law (SICAV), should in any event be made solely on the basis of the current offering prospectus, the Key Investor Information Document (KIID), the articles of incorporation and the most recent annual or semi-annual report (for Italy also the "Modulo di Sottoscrizione") and after seeking the advice of an independent finance, legal, accounting and tax specialist. Interested parties may obtain the above-mentioned documents, as well as the list of changes in portfolio during the year and the list of benchmarks free of charge from the representative in Switzerland: Vontobel Fonds Services AG, Gotthardstrasse 43, 8022 Zurich, the paying agent in Switzerland: Bank Vontobel AG, Gotthardstrasse 43, 8022 Zurich, the paying agent in Austria Erste Bank der oesterreichischen Sparkassen AG, Graben 21, A-1010 Wien, the paying agent in Germany: B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. KGaA, Grosse Gallusstrasse 18, 60311 Frankfurt/Main, from the authorized distribution agencies and from the offices of the fund at 69, route d’Esch, L-1470 Luxembourg. They may also download these documents from our website at funds.vontobel.com.

 

The Fund and its subfunds are included in the register of Netherland's Authority for the Financial Markets as mentioned in article 1:107 of the Financial Markets Supervision Act (Wet op het financiële toezicht). In Spain, funds authorized for distribution are recorded in the register of foreign collective investment companies maintained by the Spanish CNMV (under number 280). The funds authorized for distribution in the United Kingdom can be viewed in the FCA register under the Scheme Reference Number 466623. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of current or future performance. Performance data take no account of the commissions and costs charged when units are issued and redeemed. The return of the Fund may go down as well as up due to changes in rates of exchange between currencies.

 

An investment in a sub-fund of the Vontobel Fund carries various risks which are explained in the sales prospectus. In particular, we wish to draw your attention to the following risks:

 

Investments in the securities of emerging market countries may exhibit considerable price volatility and – in  addition to the unpredictable social, political and economic environment – may also be subject to general operating and regulatory conditions that differ from the standards commonly found in industrialised countries. The currencies of emerging market countries may exhibit wider fluctuations.

 

Investments in riskier, higher yielding bonds are generally considered to be more speculative in nature. These bonds carry a higher credit risk and their prices are more volatile than bonds with superior credit ratings. There is also a greater risk of losing the original investment and the associated income payments. Commodity investments can be very volatile and are prone to sudden swings over the long run. Governments may at times intervene directly in certain commodity markets. These interventions can cause significant swings in the prices of different commodities. Investments in derivatives are often exposed to the risks associated with the underlying markets or financial instruments, as well as issuer risks. Derivatives tend to carry more risk than direct investments.

 

Contact

Media Relations:

Reto Giudicetti

+41 (0)58 283 61 63