The latest news on investment offerings, financial products and other services relevant to wealth advisors and their clients.

Carmignac
Carmignac has launched Carmignac Portfolio Human Xperience, a thematic equity fund investing in companies that demonstrate high levels of customer and employee satisfaction.

With the support of the firm’s investment team, the fund is managed by Obe Ejikeme who has nearly 20 years of experience in financial services and a background in data science and analytics.

The fund is based on the conviction that companies with strong customer and employee satisfaction are likely to experience better retention rates and superior financial returns over the long term, the firm said.

It aims to outperform its benchmark over five years and is designed for investors wanting to have a positive impact on society, focusing on the “S” of ESG investing, the firm added. It has a measurable sustainable objective and, as a result, is registered under Article 9 of Europe’s Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation.

The fund looks at the financial and societal benefits of both employee and customer satisfaction, the firm added. Companies are assessed via Carmignac’s proprietary database, which uses multiple sources of data from artificial intelligence for customer satisfaction surveys, employee feedback, as well as financial reports and corporate filings. Eligible firms are rated on their social contributions, with input from Carmignac’s sector specialists to assess return potential and risk, the firm said. The result is a concentrated, low-turnover portfolio from across global equity markets.

The dual theme of the new fund is closely aligned with Carmignac’s corporate ethos and belief that positive client and employee experiences will lead to superior outcomes for its investors.

“Environmental investing has been popular with investors for some time and while analysis of social factors is gathering momentum, little attention has been paid to how companies can improve the experience of customers and employees and the consequent impact on financial performance,” Ejikeme said.

“With businesses globally enhancing their data disclosure, driven by regulatory and societal pressure, and capital flow into socially aware investments accelerating, we believe now is a great time to make the Carmignac Portfolio Human Xperience fund available, allowing our clients to benefit,” he added.

The fund is the fourth thematic fund from Carmignac, giving investors access to the investment trends the firm has identified as long-term structural drivers of growth. The Carmignac Portfolio Human Xperience complements the existing products, with the business now offering thematic funds addressing the E, S and G of ESG investing, the firm said. The other thematic funds include Carmignac Portfolio Green Gold (focused on climate change transition and mitigation – the “E”) Carmignac Portfolio Family Governed (investing in family-owned businesses – the “G”) and Carmignac  Investissement (multi-thematic), the firm added.

The Carmignac Portfolio Human Xperience fund is registered in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.