Investment Strategy
Prof. Dr. Bernd Meyer, Ulrich Urbahn and Philina Kuhzarani are responsible for the Berenberg Variato, a flexible multi-asset fund focused on high potential individual ideas. Long term positions in niche capital market segments are supplemented by thematic investments and tactical opportunities. Investments are made across all asset classes and regions and are deliberately benchmark-agnostic. This flexible concept is thus not tied to any predefined asset weights or asset classes. The fund’s goal is to generate sustainable and attractive returns with reduced participation in strong drawdowns while tolerating short to medium-term fluctuations in value. With multi-level risk management it targets an above-average risk/return ratio.
- Flexible-opportunistic multi-asset concept with focus on capital market niches, megatrends and tactical ideas
- The fund is not managed with regards to a market benchmark.
- Target return min. 4% p.a. after costs over a medium-term period of five years
- Dynamic und flexible allocation based on the current market environment
- The investment universe comprises individual securities, funds, ETFs and derivatives
Learn more about our Berenberg Multi Asset 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
Currencies
Asset classes
Top Holdings
Equities - Sectors
Equities - Countries
Bonds - Sectors
Bonds - Countries
Monthly market comment
The recovery in global risk assets continued in June, particularly in the US. US politics played a key role in this, both in terms of trade tariffs and fiscal policy measures. However, the news was much more positive than in the previous month. Even the growing tensions in the Iran-Israel conflict only weighed on the financial markets for a short time. Overall, global equity markets extended their gains, with European equities becoming more favoured than US equities in June, and credit spreads continued to narrow. Macroeconomic data from the US was mixed amid trade uncertainties, but this led to a decline in US government bond yields. Both short-term and long-term yields on US government bonds fell to a similar extent. In contrast, 2-year and 10-year German government bonds rose slightly compared with the previous month. The decline in US yields also had a positive effect on emerging market bonds. The increased risk appetite was also clearly reflected in the credit market. Spreads in the high-yield segment narrowed noticeably in both the euro and US dollar segments. The US dollar continued its weakness over the course of the month, while the price of gold was volatile, similar to May, and fluctuated sideways. This was mainly due to increasing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. In this environment, Variato achieved a slightly positive return thanks to core investments in European micro caps and thematic investments in US technology stocks, Asian emerging market equities and copper, thereby further extending its positive performance since the beginning of the year. Tactical investments in Turkish bonds, Japanese equities and silver, as well as partial USD hedging in the overlay, also contributed positively to performance. By contrast, core investments in gold and Berkshire Hathaway, as well as thematic investments in individual stocks such as Keyence Corp. and AstraZeneca Plc, made a negative contribution.
Portfolio Management

Prof. Dr. Bernd Meyer
Prof. Dr. Bernd Meyer has been Chief Investment Strategist at Berenberg Wealth and Asset Management since October 2017, where he is responsible for discretionary multi-asset strategies and wealth management mandates. Prof. Dr. Meyer was initially Head of European Equity Strategy at Deutsche Bank in Frankfurt and London and, from 2010, Head of Global Cross Asset Strategy Research at Commerzbank. In this role Prof. Dr. Meyer has received several awards. In the renowned Extel Survey from 2013 to 2017, he and his team ranked among the top three multi-asset research teams worldwide. Prof. Dr. Meyer is DVFA Investment Analyst, Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and guest lecturer for "Empirical Research in Finance" at the University of Trier. He has published numerous articles and two books and received three scientific awards.

Ulrich Urbahn
Ulrich Urbahn has been working for Berenberg since October 2017 and is responsible for quantitative analyses and the devel-opment of strategic and tactical allocation ideas, and is involved in capital market communications. He is a member of the Asset Allocation Committee and portfolio manager of the Berenberg Variato. After graduating in economics and mathematics from the University of Heidelberg, he worked for more than 10 years at Commerzbank, among others, as a senior cross asset strate-gist. Mr Urbahn is a CFA charterholder and was part of the three best multi-asset research teams worldwide in the renowned Extel survey for many years.