Investment Strategy
The investment objective of the fund is to achieve an appropriate and steady performance. In order to achieve this objective, at least 70% of the fund is invested in euro-denominated corporate bonds with an investment grade rating. Bonds are selected on the basis of fundamental aspects, risk/return factors and sustainability criteria. The strategy pursues an active management approach in conjunction with continuous risk management. Derivatives can also be used to manage interest rate, credit and currency risks.
- Core portfolio positioned close to the index plus our best ideas in the high-conviction portfolio
- Adding bonds with a rating below investment grade possible
- Integration of sustainability in the investment process and company analysis
- Risk management at portfolio and individual bond level
Further details on the opportunities and risks of this fund can be found in the sales prospectus.
Monthly market comment
US President Donald Trump's announcement that he would impose high tariffs on the EU from August 1, 2025, brought new momentum to the negotiations. Ultimately, the EU and the US agreed on a tariff rate of 15% for goods from the EU. In addition, the EU committed to investing in the US and purchasing energy worth EUR 750 billion from the US. The capital markets had already anticipated an agreement. As a result, credit risk spreads fell significantly, reaching their lowest level in five years. By contrast, German government bond yields rose as economic risks were partially priced out. Seasonally, there was a decline in new issuance activity in July. However, at almost EUR 40 billion, the volume was higher than one year ago. Once again, many US companies were active, taking advantage of the refinancing benefits in euros.
Portfolio Management
Felix Stern
Felix Stern joined Berenberg Asset Management more than 25 years ago as a fixed income portfolio manager. Today, the Senior Portfolio Manager heads the Fixed Income Euro Balanced team and is responsible for the selection of defensive bonds from the investment grade segment as well as specializing in short-dated bond concepts. He is also the main portfolio manager responsible for several Berenberg mutual funds. After several years in the market research department of British American Tobacco (Germany) GmbH, the trained industrial clerk switched to fixed income portfolio management at the beginning of 2000. The graduate in business administration completed his studies part-time at the distance learning university in Hagen and also obtained a degree as CCrA - Certified Credit Analyst (DFVA) as well as CESGA – Certified ESG Analyst (DVFA).
Dr. André Meyer-Wehmann
André Meyer-Wehmann has been with the company since October 2024. His focus is on the quantitative selection of investment grade bonds. Before joining Berenberg, he worked as a quantitative multi-asset portfolio manager at MainSky Asset Management and as a Credit Risk Methodology Specialist at Deutsche Bank. He holds a PhD in Finance and a Master of Science in Quantitative Finance from Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, where he is a lecturer. Prior to that, he completed a Bachelor of Science in General Management at EBS Business School. Mr. Meyer-Wehmann is also a CFA charterholder.