Welcome! We are the first active equity manager to systematically combine in all our funds:
A higher probability of outperformance by investing in stocks with superior fundamental attributes
Higher ESG & Sustainability scores
A sustainable investment objective in line with the Paris-Climate Agreements resulting in funds with low carbon footprints and classified as Article 9 SFDR
Investment Strategy
Unique Portfolio Characteristics Deliver Superior Performance
The higher outperformance probability comes from systematically investing in companies with high scores in the following 5 dimensions:
Growth – is the company successfully expanding its business?
Profitability – does the company operate efficiently?
Financial Health – is the company in good financial condition?
Valuation – is the market price of the company attractive?
Sustainability – does the company excel in terms of ESG scores?
Our proprietary research on relevant fundamental selection criteria is the foundation of our fundamental model. We published the key results in the Wilmott Magazine
Companies with high ESG scores will outperform those with low ESG scores, because:
High ESG scores are a good proxy for superior management teams
They will attract significant institutional capital flows
They better manage Investment & Reputation Risk
What makes our Approach to ESG unique?
„Best-in-class“ ESG strategies often invest with a sole focus on ESG. This can result in undesirable sector and country biases including buying over-priced stocks. We create portfolios with superior fundamental characteristics and very high ESG Scores and very low Carbon Footprint at the same time.
What is the expected Performance impact of ESG?
We believe sustainable investing only works if the financial performance is good. There is no reason to accept lower performance for the sake of investing in a sustainable manner. Our own ARTICO ESG factor, developed on the basis of MSCI ESG scores, is a good predictor of future outperformance
Serafin Asset Management AG is a signatory of the UN PRI. The ARTICO Equity Team follows the engagement work and the exclusion list of the SVVK (Swiss Association for Responsible Investments), fully supports the PARIS agreement on climate change and is also a supporter of the TCFD (Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures).
Published ARTICO Research:
Is sustainable investing a positive or negative contributor to outperformance? And how patient do investors need to be to capitalize on any positive effects? Our research results answer these questions and our conclusions on the required time horizon may come as a surprise for investors hesitating to introduce sustainable investing.
As Chairman of ARTICO Partners, Ulrich oversees the business strategy, the product development and the investment activities of the firm. Operationally, he is directly responsible for Risk Management and Compliance. Ulrich is a Founding Partner of ARTICO.
Ulrich has more than 30 years of investment experience and started his career as quantitative research analyst in 1986 at the then Swiss Bank Corporation. His various functions at SBC and later UBS Global Asset Management included: Chief Investment Officer, Co-CEO Switzerland, Chairman of the Swiss Business and Head of the Alternative Investment Management Business (Private Equity, Hedge Funds, Infrastructure). Ulrich holds a PhD in Nuclear Physics from University of Basle.
Dr. Gabriel Herrera
Senior Partner
As CEO of ARTICO Partners, Gabriel is responsible for all aspects of the business including the product development, client relationships and the investment activities of the firm. Gabriel is a Founding Partner of ARTICO.
Gabriel has more than 30 years of investment experience and started his career as equity research analyst in 1987 at the then Swiss Bank Corporation. His various functions at SBC and later UBS Global Asset Management included: Head of Equity Research, Co-CEO Switzerland and then CEO Europe Middle East & Africa. Gabriel holds a PhD in Economics from University of Basle.
Tero Toivanen
Senior Investment Advisor
As former Chief Investment Officer Tero was responsible for the research and development of investment strategies and portfolios. His responsibilities included the continued development of the investment platform and the portfolio management of ARTICO funds. Tero is now an independent senior advisor to the firm.
Tero’s background contains several years of experience in global equity portfolio management and prior experience in the areas of software development, quality management and team leadership. Tero holds MsC in computer science from the Helsinki University of Technology and MBA from the Purdue University. Tero is also a CFA Charterholder.
Michael Brenneis
CIO and Partner
Michael’s main responsibility is the portfolio management of ARTICO funds. His further responsibilities include the development of the investment platform, and research and development of investment products and strategies.
Michael holds diploma certificate in electrical engineering and MBA from the university of South Australia. He has several years of experience in global equity portfolio management and prior experience in software development in the areas of telecommunications, medical engineering and finance.
Andreas Konrad
COO and Partner
As Chief Operating Officer of ARTICO, Andreas is responsible for the operational part of the investment management, including the fund operations and trading activities.
Andreas‘ background involves several years of work experience in the finance industry, mainly in global equity trading and operations functions. He is holder of Swiss federal diploma in business organization and a diploma in applied psychology.
„The Winner Takes It All“ – Or How Concentration Risk Is Mounting
• Strong rally in US equities after the clear election outcome which fueled hopes about significant tax cuts and a stronger US economy
• Heightened risk of tariffs and a trade war were negatively impacting China and emerging markets
• In November, developed large cap equities gained 4.6%, global small caps advanced 6.5% and emerging markets were down 3.6%
• YTD equity markets show a positive performance, particularly in the US, while small caps and emerging markets are lagging behind
• Europe (Germany, France) is increasingly in a political messy situation amidst sluggish economic growth
• China will need time to redress the economic momentum and deal with its structural real estate and demographic challenges
• Therefore, the US has been, is and most likely will continue to be the bright spot to be for investors
• Representing a record 65% of the MSCI All Country World Index weight, the US stock market stands for increasing concentration
• Also within the US stock market, the same concentration phenomenon has been observed around the few mega-caps
• Will this concentration process continue or reverse?
• In the longer term such processes tend to reverse
• Short term, we expect these trends to persist for a while
• The US is likely to continue to shine, while European core countries will struggle
• Long-term investors should consider building up positions in global small caps and emerging markets given their increased catch-up potential
• We recommend investing in robust investment strategies considering multiple factors and not overly depended on one particular scenario
• ARTICO Sustainable Equity Funds (all Paris-aligned and classified as Article 9 SFDR) follow a high-quality, systematic investment strategy with a unique combination of:
• a) superior fundamental characteristics,
• b) very high ESG/Sustainability Scores and
• c) very low carbon footprint aligned with Paris-climate objectives
ARTICO is „Best Sustainable Equity Manager Switzerland 2024“ by cfi.co
We are delighted to share with you that our win as “Best Sustainable Equity Manager Switzerland 2024” has been officially announced.
We believe our approach of combining superior fundamental criteria with high sustainability scores and a clear decarbonization path continues to be a unique feature which sets us apart from others
New Strategic Partnership for ARTICO with SERAFIN Asset Management
Today we can announce the formation of a strategic partnership with SERAFIN Asset Management, ensuring the continuation and further development of our ARTICO Sustainable Equity Funds. It will also provide our entire ARTICO team a broader base to operate in terms of research as well as marketing resources. The leadership, the ARTICO team and the investment process of our ARTICO Sustainable Equity Funds will remain unchanged.
Background and Rationale: We have built a good track record with the ARTICO team over the past 12 years by systematically investing in fundamentally good companies. Since 2019, we have expanded our investment criteria to include a high ESG rating and a low carbon footprint. The result is remarkable, as we not only retained the above-average fundamental properties, but were also able to achieve top ratings for both ESG and carbon footprint at the same time. With ARTICO Sustainable Equity Funds, the investor does not have to make any compromises in terms of performance or diversification and can pursue all three goals of “good performance“, “high sustainability“ and “low CO2 footprint“ at the same time.
Our unique positioning potentially appeals to many investors. However, Artico Partners is often regarded as too small by institutional investors to be able to win larger mandates. Our funds have also not yet had wider public distribution. For some time now, we have therefore come to the conclusion that ARTICO Partners cannot exploit its full potential stand-alone, but must look for a strategic partner with whom the next step will be possible. We have now found the right partner.
Last Friday we agreed on a strategic partnership with SERAFIN Asset Management, which not only brings us synergies in the areas of databases and quantitative research, but also gives us a decisive boost in sales and marketing. SERAFIN Asset Management is a young and entrepreneurial German asset management group with 1 billion AuM, which is already on the map with two asset management teams in Frankfurt and Zug. Besides its quantitative focus, it has one particular investment focus on „innovation“ as a key specialty. Subject to FINMA approval, SERAFIN will initially acquire 51% of ARTICO Partners. The entire ARTICO Partners team will remain together and will become the sustainability specialist within the SERAFIN Group.
ARTICO funds get approval for classification under Article 9 SFDR
• Luxembourg regulator approved classification of all ARTICO funds as article 9 SFDR.
• This means the highest sustainability category: Our funds follow a clear decarbonisation objective
• Many impact funds are concentrated on a particular sector or theme and are therefore only suitable for a marginal investment allocation
• ARTICO Sustainable Funds can replace a larger portion of traditional investments for more impact as they do not compromise on investment performance nor on diversification
• Besides the positive impact, the inclusion of ESG & Carbon Footprint criteria will also benefit future outperformance as it is a good proxy for better managed companies
