FERI continues the success story of volatility strategies - flagship fund US EquityFlex outperforms the S&P 500 again on its 10th anniversary

Regular alpha thanks to inefficiencies on the options markets: This is what the FERI volatility strategy US EquityFlex (ISIN: LU1138397838) has been successfully implementing for ten years now. The multi-award-winning strategy, which recently won the HFM European Performance Award once again, has continuously outperformed its benchmark, the US benchmark index S&P 500.

In 2024, the fund achieved an annual performance of 27.7% - 2.7% more than the S&P 500. Since its launch in 2014, the US EquityFlex has outperformed the benchmark by 74 percentage points with a performance of around 296%, which corresponds to an average performance of 14.75% p.a. This means that the US EquityFlex regularly tops the rankings of renowned publications as one of the best-performing equity funds for the S&P 500. Around USD 1.73 billion in client assets are currently managed in this strategy.

“With volatility strategies such as the US EquityFlex, we offer our clients an alternative source of return with the opportunity to outperform the US equity market through our proven option premium strategy. The focus is on risk management through a very broad diversification of options, for example in terms of maturities and strike prices. As a result, we regularly collect volatility premiums and also trade systematically, which makes our portfolio independent of daily market influences. In this way, we significantly stabilize the performance through permanent hedging,” explains Horst Gerstner, Lead Portfolio Manager of the FERI Flex strategies.

“We at FERI were one of the first to recognize the potential of volatility as an asset class in its own right,” adds Carsten Hermann, Head of Investment Management and one of the initiators of the FERI Flex strategies. “With the multi-award-winning US EquityFlex, we have set standards in the field of volatility strategies and shown how innovative strategies can be used successfully for our clients.”

Volatility as a central building block in FERI's multi-asset investment strategy

FERI manages more than three billion euros in volatility strategies with a team of seven. The volatility family, which currently comprises three funds, has received numerous awards over the years and regularly achieves top positions in relevant industry rankings. “Volatility strategies are a fundamental component of our multi-asset investment approach. Building on our many years of experience and expertise, we will expand these investment strategies and add further innovations,” explains Dr. Marcel V. Lähn, CEO & CIO of FERI AG. “The aim is to continue to open up the opportunities offered by alternative sources of return to our clients as a supplement to traditional investment approaches in the future.”

Due to their size and highly efficient processes, the funds offer very attractive conditions. In contrast to some competitors, FERI acts as a direct portfolio manager, which ensures greater efficiency and security for investors. All key processes are mapped in-house and options orders are placed directly on the trading floor of the Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE). For investors, this means having a very high-performance product in this important asset class in their portfolio from all risk and return perspectives.