Investment Strategy
Berenberg Financial Bonds is a benchmark-independent, flexible fixed income fund with an investment focus on financial bonds and a regional focus on Europe. The aim of the investment strategy is to generate both an attractive return and steady coupon income by investing across the entire capital structure. In the medium term, the aim is to develop a total return character. In order to identify attractive opportunities and market inefficiencies, the fund management utilises a broad and flexible toolbox from the entire capital structure. The focus is on fundamental analysis and single bond picking. Interest rate, credit and currency risks can be actively managed through the use of derivatives.
- Diversified and flexible financial bond portfolio focussing on European issuers
- The fund operates independently of benchmarks
- Targeted reduction of volatility and drawdowns through a maximum CoCo quota of 30% and exclusion of CCC-rated bonds
- Wide range of instruments includes individual bonds, funds and derivatives
Learn more about our Berenberg Fixed Income investment philosophy
Further details on the opportunities and risks of this fund can be found in the sales prospectus.
Indexed performance
Performance in 12-month periods
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Top Holdings
Monthly market comment
In January, risk-free interest rates in Europe developed unevenly after rising significantly towards year-end 2025. The yield on 10-year German government bonds was around 2.80% at the end of the month, slightly below the level at the end of December. In the meantime, robust economic data and a brisk start to the issuance sea-son had provided upward pressure before weaker inflation figures from the eurozone eased the situation. The European Central Bank left its key interest rates unchanged and reaffirmed its data-dependent course. While short-term market expectations for interest rate cuts increased slightly over the course of the year, long-term yields remained relatively stable in view of high government refinancing requirements and persistent budget deficits. European credit markets got off to a constructive start to the new year. Credit spreads in the invest-ment-grade segment narrowed slightly, supported by solid corporate fundamentals and buoyant demand for new issues. The primary market was unusually active for the start of the year, as many issuers took early ad-vantage of the favorable market environment. Investment grade rated senior financial bonds demonstrated a total return of 75 basis points, subordinated financials a total of 87 basispoints while AT1s rallied 1.42%. Overall, the technical environment remained supportive, even though increased issuance activity led to a slight widen-ing of spreads at times.
Portfolio Management
Christian Bettinger
Christian Bettinger has been with the company since June 2009 and heads the Portfolio Management Fixed Income department. As fund manager of the mutual funds Berenberg Euro Bonds and Berenberg Financial Bonds, he is responsible for the selection of corporate bonds. He trained as a banker and then studied business administration at the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt. In 2010, the business graduate was taken on early from the Berenberg trainee program as a fund manager with a focus on derivatives and bonds. Bettinger is a CFA Charterholder, Certified Financial Engineer (CFE) and authorized Eurex trader.
Gerald Deutsch
Gerald Deutsch has been with the company since 2021. As fund manager of the mutual funds Berenberg Financial Bonds and Berenberg Euro Bonds, he is responsible for the selection of corporate bonds, with a focus on high-yield and financial bonds. As part of his graduate programme at Berenberg, he held various positions in discretionary equity and bond portfolio management, fixed income research and institutional fund sales in Germany and Switzerland. The CFA charterholder exited the Berenberg graduate program early in 2022 and became a portfolio manager with a focus on corporate credit. He holds a Master of Finance from the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management and a Bachelor of Psychology from the University of Kent.
