MANAGER SPOTLIGHT

Hedging Strategies for a Volatile Market

Equities are the growth engine of a well-diversified portfolio and a necessary component of a long-term financial plan. Historically, equities have rewarded the patient investor, but it has not been without volatility. Market drawdowns occasionally happen, stocks recover, and the cycle repeats. Reducing some of that downside risk can result in a smoother ride along the way and favorably impact asset accumulation over the long term.

Following are three different hedge strategies that may contribute to reducing risk and smoothing out returns over market cycles. They can be effectively used together as a “hedge basket,” or independently as a hedging tool in a diversified portfolio.

Swan Defined Risk

Launched in 1997, Defined Risk Strategy (DRS) was designed to offer long-term investors a way to pursue portfolio growth while seeking to define, or minimize, the risk of losing big with its three-step approach:

  1. Stay invested in equities – Passively invest in low-cost ETFs with 90% of the assets
  2. Hedge the equities – Actively manage long-term put options with 10% of assets to mitigate risk of loss
  3. Seek additional return to cover the hedge cost – Actively manage short-term options using a disciplined, rules-based approach

Catalyst Millburn Hedge Strategy Fund

Founded in 2015, the Fund’s objective is long-term capital appreciation, pursued through:

  • Complementary active and passive investment strategies, with the goal of outperforming typical long-only equity investments, including reducing drawdowns during protracted periods of stress.
  • A diverse portfolio of global equity, currency, and interest rate instruments, as well as futures contracts on commodities in the energy, metal, and agriculture sectors.
  • A 100% systematic strategy with the potential to invest in over 125 markets and is comprised of active long-short futures and strategic equity components.

ABR 75/25 Volatility Strategy

ABR Dynamic Funds was founded in 2015. Its flagship 75/25 fund is a trend-following volatility strategy that utilizes systematic, model-driven exposures in a simple portfolio consisting of VIX futures, S&P futures, U.S. Treasuries, and cash.

The strategy incorporates a 75% allocation to long volatility exposure that targets significant gains in extended periods of high volatility (Crisis Alpha) along with a 25% allocation to short volatility exposure that seeks to harvest the volatility risk premium in normal markets. With both long and short exposures to volatility, the ABR 75/25 Volatility Strategy has the potential to produce positive returns in various market conditions.

 

EQIS is not affiliated with the money managers above. This is not a solicitation to buy or sell securities.

 

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