WSP Model Portfolios are built from our universe of selected active Ucits funds. We manage actively the allocation according to current and expected market conditions and taking into consideration the fund managers’ exposure.
The aim is to demonstrate that an optimal combination of strategies, coupled with a careful selection of active fund managers, have the ability to deliver added-value to investors over the long run, while keeping a full exposure and constant asset allocation within the given investment profiles.
More detailed reporting including portfolio quantitative and qualitative data are available to customers having subscribed to the WS Partners Model Portfolio Services. Would you request more information on this service, please contact us.
Portfolios Structure
- Portfolios are made of 14 to 17 Ucits or Alternative Ucits funds (according to profile).
- Two currency based portfolios ; in US dollar or in Euro.
- Apart one fund with a bi-monthly liquidity, all funds have a daily liquidity.
- Usually we select identical funds either for US dollar or Euro based portfolios, but keeping currency exposure hedge for fixed income funds.
- The performances are shown net of fees, calculated from the cheapest share classes, hence making our Model Portfolios fully replicable.
Strategic Allocations
We keep a constant balance between equity and fixed income strategies according to Model Portfolio profiles and guidelines. We also maintain a neutral currency and regional allocation compare to benchmarks.
The portfolio outperformance should mainly arise from the alpha generated by active management, and to a certain extent to a diversification optimisation. Tactical bets such as investment style (value, growth defensive), sector allocation (e.g., commodities, real estate), interest rate or spread duration may also contribute, time to time, to the value added generation.
A conservative portfolio with a 1/3 equity and 2/3 fixed income allocation.
Within the equity universe we tend to favour yielding strategies rather than pure price appreciation funds.
The objective is to outperform over time a benchmark composed by 1/3 of the MSCI All Country World Index, and by 2/3 of the Barclays Global Aggregate Bond Index.
The portfolio aims to outperform a benchmark made of 50% MSCI All Country World Index, and 50% Barclays Global Aggregate Bond Index in a risk-adjusted return basis and with a capital preservation mindset.
For that reason, we maintain around 33% of the portfolio allocation into Absolute Return strategies, including Alternative Ucits funds.
The most equity oriented portfolio with the aim to beat a benchmark composed by 2/3 of the MSCI All Country World Index and 1/3 of the Barclays Global Aggregate Bond Index. Growth of capital through capital appreciation is the main long term portfolio objective.
Market Review and Outlook
Market Review – January 2022
After a strong 2021, it has been a rough start to the year for equity markets. Inflation, concerns about central bank tightening and tensions in eastern Europe roiled markets and led to a sharp increase in volatility. Developed market equites ended the month down 5.3%, although emerging markets outperformed, ending January down only 1.9%. Rallying oil and gas prices and higher US Treasury yields saw energy and financial stocks significantly outperform the rest of the market, which contributed to the largest monthly outperformance of value versus growth in more than 20 years.
Growth stocks trading on steep valuations came under increased selling pressure, particularly in sectors that had benefited from changing consumer patterns during the pandemic. Market participants rotated out of “stay-at-home” stocks, where the revenue growth of the pandemic years is unlikely to be repeated in the future. Equally harmful for sentiment towards growth stocks was the fear of tightening liquidity and higher financing cost in the coming quarters. Despite this hefty underperformance, growth indices are still trading at a large premium to value indices, particularly compared to pre-pandemic levels.
Global bond markets fell 2% last month, but still outperformed equities. However, January provided a stark warning to investors that in times of heightened inflationary risks, bonds provide less protection to portfolios than in times of recessionary risk.
Commodities provided better protection against this inflationary backdrop, continuing to rally in January. Brent oil reached $90 a barrel for the first time since October 2014, driven by falling oil stockpiles in the US and rising political tensions with Russia. Commodity heavy equity markets like the UK, Latin America and the Middle East outperformed significantly.
Outlook
We made some changes on our equity exposure in January. While growth significantly underperformed value style, we still think that the move could stay for longer. Growth indices still trade at a large premium to value indices. Therefore, we rebalanced some of our equity funds, by removing the most aggressive growth strategies and by adding more blended or value strategies. At this stage, our style exposure is neutral. We remain slightly overweight in small caps and in EM equities. On the fixed income side, we are interest rate duration underweight, spread duration overweight. We are overweighted in emerging markets, both in equities and in bonds. We also have built exposure to uncorrelated fixed income strategies, such as absolute return, microfinance, and cat bonds.
Performance Review – January 2022
Yield & Income Portfolio -3.3% (-63bps vs. the benchmark)
Balanced portfolio -3.5% (-25bps)
Growth portfolio -5.3% (-151bps)
We started the year with a difficult month, both in absolute and relative terms. The growth style effect, which we corrected at the end of the month and the overweight in small caps were the main detracting factors. This was partially compensated by the EM overweight. Overall, the equity positioning contributed negatively by -70bps for the Yield and Income portfolio, for -80bps for the Balanced portfolio and -170bps for the Growth Portfolio.
Fixed Income funds has a neutral effect in January. Alternative strategies such as Cat Bonds, ABS and Loans has a positive contribution, but EM and High Yield credit suffered from the spread widening.
Finally, the absolute return and mixed asset strategies in the balanced portfolio has a positive contribution (+55bps).
US Dollar Portfolios
USD - Yield and Income
Cumulative Performance to end January 2022
Calendar Returns
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | YTD | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portfolio | 2021 | -3,31% | -3,31% | |||||||||||
| Benchmark | -2,68% | -2,68% | ||||||||||||
| Portfolio | 2020 | 0,20% | 0,67% | -0,24% | 2,24% | 0,81% | 0,64% | 0,46% | 1,11% | -1,94% | 1,32% | -1,97% | 1,70% | 5,04% |
| Benchmark | -0,51% | -0,28% | 0,62% | 1,62% | 0,66% | 0,76% | 1,05% | 0,69% | -2,01% | 1,52% | -0,33% | 1,06% | 4,90% | |
| Portfolio | 2020 | 0,19% | -2,47% | -10,45% | 6,50% | 4,71% | 2,76% | 3,30% | 2,59% | -1,03% | -0,48% | 5,95% | 2,77% | 13,96% |
| Benchmark | 0,81% | -1,89% | -5,60% | 4,64% | 1,62% | 1,37% | 2,46% | 1,45% | -0,80% | -0,83% | 4,49% | 1,73% | 9,40% | |
| Portfolio | 2019 | 4,59% | 1,67% | 0,63% | 1,97% | -2,39% | 2,91% | 0,90% | -1,11% | 0,95% | 1,69% | 1,37% | 2,17% | 16,26% |
| Benchmark | 3,39% | 0,96% | 1,58% | 1,16% | -1,02% | 3,11% | 0,61% | 0,71% | 0,37% | 0,79% | 0,72% | 1,01% | 14,14% | |
| Portfolio | 2018 | 2,88% | -1,91% | -0,66% | 0,76% | -0,63% | -0,50% | 1,50% | -0,20% | 0,71% | -3,54% | -0,22% | -2,48% | -4,36% |
| Benchmark | 1,42% | -1,55% | -0,21% | 0,07% | 0,26% | -0,04% | 1,00% | 0,42% | -0,12% | -2,63% | 0,80% | -1,48% | -2,12% | |
| Portfolio | 2017 | 2,15% | 1,58% | 0,72% | 1,01% | 1,27% | 0,19% | 1,55% | 0,03% | 0,58% | 1,05% | 0,61% | 1,07% | 12,45% |
| Benchmark | 0,68% | 1,49% | 0,35% | 0,95% | 1,10% | -0,06% | 1,13% | 0,71% | 0,32% | 0,95% | 0,73% | 0,63% | 9,36% | |
| Portfolio | 2016 | 1,16% | 2,25% | 1,04% | 0,86% | -0,43% | -1,25% | 1,25% | 4,93% | |||||
| Benchmark | 1,04% | 1,81% | 0,06% | 0,17% | -1,23% | -0,86% | 0,84% | 1,81% |
Benchmark: 1/3 iShares MSCI All Country World ETF (EUR) + 2/3 X II Barclays Gbl Agg ETF H EUR
Source: WS Partners, Morningstar
USD - Balanced
Cumulative Performance to end January 2022
Calendar Returns
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | YTD | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portfolio | 2021 | -3,47% | -3,47% | |||||||||||
| Benchmark | -3,22% | -3,22% | ||||||||||||
| Portfolio | 2020 | 0,61% | 1,39% | -0,24% | 1,99% | 0,82% | 0,76% | 0,47% | 0,95% | -1,93% | 1,25% | -1,57% | 1,99% | 6,59% |
| Benchmark | -0,49% | 0,37% | 1,14% | 2,31% | 0,88% | 0,90% | 0,96% | 1,15% | -2,54% | 2,43% | -0,85% | 1,80% | 8,25% | |
| Portfolio | 2020 | -0,68% | -2,98% | -8,44% | 5,95% | 3,34% | 2,14% | 3,08% | 2,52% | -0,96% | -0,17% | 6,33% | 3,04% | 12,93% |
| Benchmark | 0,33% | -3,43% | -7,62% | 6,15% | 2,29% | 1,82% | 3,15% | 2,60% | -1,43% | -1,24% | 6,47% | 2,45% | 11,20% | |
| Portfolio | 2019 | 4,01% | 1,50% | 0,36% | 1,64% | -2,65% | 2,65% | 0,92% | -1,37% | 1,24% | 1,94% | 1,43% | 1,99% | 14,36% |
| Benchmark | 4,50% | 1,38% | 1,48% | 1,71% | -2,24% | 3,97% | 0,54% | -0,06% | 0,80% | 1,28% | 1,15% | 1,63% | 17,18% | |
| Portfolio | 2018 | 2,75% | -1,59% | -0,42% | 0,82% | -0,97% | -0,54% | 1,49% | -0,32% | 0,78% | -3,58% | -0,07% | -2,11% | -3,84% |
| Benchmark | 2,47% | -2,21% | -0,73% | 0,31% | 0,22% | -0,15% | 1,50% | 0,48% | 0,02% | -3,84% | 0,96% | -2,88% | -3,96% | |
| Portfolio | 2017 | 1,85% | 1,21% | 0,74% | 0,84% | 0,87% | 0,64% | 1,73% | 0,04% | 1,19% | 1,03% | 0,93% | 0,66% | 12,35% |
| Benchmark | 1,19% | 1,82% | 0,56% | 1,10% | 1,37% | 0,07% | 1,54% | 0,63% | 0,72% | 1,23% | 1,02% | 0,88% | 12,82% | |
| Portfolio | 2016 | 0,01% | 2,83% | 0,94% | 0,65% | -0,55% | 0,36% | 1,59% | 5,93% | |||||
| Benchmark | 0,62% | 2,43% | 0,12% | 0,28% | -1,35% | -0,46% | 1,17% | 2,81% |
Benchmark: 1/2 iShares MSCI All Country World ETF (USD) + 1/2 X II Barclays Gbl Agg ETF H USD
Source: WS Partners, Morningstar
USD - Growth
Cumulative Performance to end January 2022
Calendar Returns
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | YTD | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portfolio | 2021 | -5,28% | -5,28% | |||||||||||
| Benchmark | -3,77% | -3,77% | ||||||||||||
| Portfolio | 2020 | 0,55% | 1,37% | -0,56% | 2,80% | 0,62% | 0,94% | 0,34% | 1,59% | -2,47% | 2,50% | -2,66% | 1,60% | 6,68% |
| Benchmark | -0,47% | 1,01% | 1,65% | 3,00% | 1,11% | 1,04% | 0,88% | 1,61% | -3,06% | 3,33% | -1,36% | 2,54% | 11,67% | |
| Portfolio | 2020 | -0,68% | -4,30% | -9,68% | 8,05% | 3,42% | 2,83% | 4,24% | 3,53% | -1,30% | -0,43% | 8,50% | 3,72% | 17,74% |
| Benchmark | -0,16% | -4,98% | -9,63% | 7,67% | 2,96% | 2,26% | 3,84% | 3,75% | -2,06% | -1,65% | 8,44% | 3,17% | 12,84% | |
| Portfolio | 2019 | 6,20% | 2,06% | 0,71% | 2,39% | -4,35% | 4,44% | 0,61% | -2,00% | 0,95% | 2,30% | 2,02% | 2,51% | 18,89% |
| Benchmark | 5,61% | 1,81% | 1,38% | 2,27% | -3,47% | 4,83% | 0,46% | -0,83% | 1,23% | 1,77% | 1,57% | 2,25% | 20,23% | |
| Portfolio | 2018 | 3,65% | -2,87% | -1,07% | 0,82% | -0,44% | -1,19% | 1,66% | 0,54% | 0,00% | -6,66% | 0,64% | -4,12% | -9,06% |
| Benchmark | 3,53% | -2,87% | -1,24% | 0,54% | 0,17% | -0,26% | 2,00% | 0,55% | 0,16% | -5,05% | 1,13% | -4,28% | -5,81% | |
| Portfolio | 2017 | 2,83% | 1,52% | 1,28% | 1,65% | 1,88% | 0,46% | 2,48% | -0,28% | 1,77% | 1,50% | 1,22% | 1,64% | 19,45% |
| Benchmark | 1,70% | 2,14% | 0,78% | 1,25% | 1,65% | 0,19% | 1,95% | 0,54% | 1,12% | 1,51% | 1,32% | 1,12% | 16,37% | |
| Portfolio | 2016 | -1,01% | 4,18% | 1,46% | 1,17% | -1,04% | 0,28% | 1,33% | 6,44% | |||||
| Benchmark | 0,21% | 3,05% | 0,19% | 0,39% | -1,47% | -0,06% | 1,50% | 3,80% |
Benchmark: 2/3 iShares MSCI All Country World ETF (EUR) + 1/3 X II Barclays Gbl Agg ETF H EUR
Source: WS Partners, Morningstar
Euro Portfolios
Euro - Yield and Income
Cumulative Performance to end January 2022
Calendar Returns
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | YTD | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portfolio | 2022 | -2,91% | -2,91% | |||||||||||
| Benchmark | -2,28% | -2,28% | ||||||||||||
| Portfolio | 2020 | 0,50% | 0,82% | 0,91% | 1,16% | 0,24% | 1,57% | 0,44% | 1,22% | -1,16% | 1,34% | -1,04% | 1,37% | 7,57% |
| Benchmark | -0,33% | -0,29% | 1,68% | 0,75% | 0,09% | 1,77% | 1,01% | 0,81% | -1,47% | 1,54% | 0,56% | 0,61% | 6,90% | |
| Portfolio | 2020 | 0,53% | -2,09% | -10,15% | 6,30% | 3,67% | 2,35% | 1,21% | 2,25% | -0,37% | -0,38% | 4,70% | 1,75% | 9,15% |
| Benchmark | 1,13% | -1,73% | -5,70% | 4,62% | 1,04% | 1,00% | 0,61% | 1,02% | -0,20% | -0,66% | 3,46% | 0,87% | 5,22% | |
| Portfolio | 2019 | 4,15% | 1,82% | 1,00% | 1,86% | -2,37% | 1,85% | 1,52% | -0,82% | 1,13% | 0,67% | 1,75% | 1,25% | 14,54% |
| Benchmark | 3,06% | 1,06% | 1,89% | 1,05% | -1,02% | 2,15% | 1,22% | 0,92% | 0,56% | -0,15% | 1,00% | 0,23% | 12,58% | |
| Portfolio | 2018 | 1,46% | -1,36% | -1,10% | 1,26% | 0,42% | -0,66% | 1,26% | -0,03% | 0,64% | -2,96% | -0,39% | -2,99% | -4,49% |
| Benchmark | 0,04% | -0,99% | -0,65% | 0,53% | 1,28% | -0,21% | 0,78% | 0,45% | -0,21% | -2,02% | 0,66% | -1,98% | -2,37% | |
| Portfolio | 2017 | 1,24% | 2,08% | 0,35% | 0,20% | 0,10% | -0,38% | 0,23% | -0,41% | 0,61% | 1,46% | -0,20% | 0,56% | 5,97% |
| Benchmark | -0,24% | 2,01% | 0,03% | 0,26% | -0,09% | -0,64% | -0,11% | 0,31% | 0,41% | 1,35% | -0,17% | 0,26% | 3,39% | |
| Portfolio | 2016 | 1,12% | 2,05% | 1,00% | 0,53% | 0,20% | -0,23% | 1,34% | 6,16% | |||||
| Benchmark | 1,03% | 1,51% | 0,11% | -0,22% | -0,52% | 0,14% | 0,92% | 3,00% |
Benchmark: 1/3 iShares MSCI All Country World ETF (EUR) + 2/3 X II Barclays Gbl Agg ETF H EUR
Source: WS Partners, Morningstar
Euro - Balanced
Cumulative Performance to end January 2022
Calendar Returns
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | YTD | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portfolio | 2022 | -3,08% | -3,08% | |||||||||||
| Benchmark | -2,58% | -2,58% | ||||||||||||
| Portfolio | 2020 | 0,84% | 1,41% | 0,73% | 1,03% | 0,35% | 1,67% | 0,41% | 1,08% | -1,33% | 1,17% | -0,78% | 1,75% | 8,60% |
| Benchmark | -0,18% | 0,38% | 2,77% | 1,04% | 0,07% | 2,44% | 0,94% | 1,35% | -1,69% | 2,47% | 0,51% | 1,20% | 11,83% | |
| Portfolio | 2020 | 0,13% | -2,66% | -8,37% | 5,87% | 2,62% | 1,74% | 1,18% | 2,14% | -0,39% | -0,06% | 5,39% | 2,17% | 9,37% |
| Benchmark | 0,88% | -3,11% | -7,66% | 6,19% | 1,46% | 1,29% | 0,45% | 1,98% | -0,50% | -0,95% | 4,95% | 1,22% | 5,63% | |
| Portfolio | 2019 | 3,70% | 1,71% | 0,86% | 1,56% | -2,56% | 1,43% | 1,56% | -1,09% | 1,43% | 0,91% | 1,80% | 1,08% | 12,98% |
| Benchmark | 4,15% | 1,66% | 2,07% | 1,69% | -2,11% | 2,68% | 1,56% | 0,37% | 1,20% | -0,01% | 1,66% | 0,59% | 16,49% | |
| Portfolio | 2018 | 1,08% | -0,82% | -0,93% | 1,60% | 0,42% | -0,67% | 1,30% | -0,19% | 0,71% | -2,76% | -0,21% | -2,66% | -3,17% |
| Benchmark | 0,48% | -1,28% | -1,26% | 1,10% | 1,86% | -0,28% | 1,28% | 0,65% | -0,01% | -2,80% | 0,88% | -3,48% | -2,97% | |
| Portfolio | 2017 | 0,67% | 1,98% | 0,39% | -0,11% | -0,71% | -0,09% | 0,02% | -0,47% | 1,34% | 1,57% | -0,12% | 0,19% | 4,72% |
| Benchmark | -0,12% | 2,65% | 0,16% | 0,13% | -0,33% | -0,72% | -0,22% | 0,12% | 0,93% | 1,91% | -0,23% | 0,41% | 4,72% | |
| Portfolio | 2016 | 0,25% | 2,48% | 1,02% | 0,24% | 0,35% | 1,68% | 1,74% | 8,00% | |||||
| Benchmark | 0,67% | 2,03% | 0,27% | -0,24% | -0,20% | 1,13% | 1,38% | 5,13% |
Benchmark: 1/2 iShares MSCI All Country World ETF (EUR) + 1/2 X II Barclays Gbl Agg ETF H EUR
Source: WS Partners, Morningstar
Euro - Growth
Cumulative Performance to end January 2022
Calendar Returns
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | YTD | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portfolio | 2022 | -4,44% | -4,44% | |||||||||||
| Benchmark | -2,88% | -2,88% | ||||||||||||
| Portfolio | 2020 | 1,06% | 1,44% | 1,41% | 1,03% | -0,23% | 2,81% | 0,30% | 1,90% | -1,24% | 2,42% | -1,02% | 1,20% | 11,57% |
| Benchmark | -0,02% | 1,05% | 3,86% | 1,32% | 0,05% | 3,11% | 0,86% | 1,90% | -1,90% | 3,41% | 0,46% | 1,79% | 16,94% | |
| Portfolio | 2020 | 0,07% | -3,39% | -8,86% | 7,92% | 2,08% | 2,18% | 0,65% | 2,86% | -0,13% | -0,14% | 6,55% | 2,18% | 11,49% |
| Benchmark | 0,63% | -4,49% | -9,63% | 7,76% | 1,88% | 1,58% | 0,28% | 2,94% | -0,80% | -1,24% | 6,45% | 1,57% | 5,91% | |
| Portfolio | 2019 | 5,86% | 2,49% | 1,58% | 2,40% | -4,08% | 2,86% | 1,94% | -1,50% | 1,46% | 0,72% | 2,68% | 1,14% | 18,65% |
| Benchmark | 5,24% | 2,25% | 2,25% | 2,32% | -3,20% | 3,21% | 1,90% | -0,19% | 1,84% | 0,12% | 2,32% | 0,94% | 20,48% | |
| Portfolio | 2018 | 1,10% | -1,62% | -1,70% | 1,97% | 1,78% | -1,28% | 1,39% | 0,87% | 0,07% | -5,27% | 0,55% | -4,81% | -7,06% |
| Benchmark | 0,93% | -1,56% | -1,86% | 1,67% | 2,43% | -0,35% | 1,78% | 0,85% | 0,20% | -3,58% | 1,10% | -4,97% | -3,61% | |
| Portfolio | 2017 | 1,24% | 2,58% | 0,76% | 0,29% | -0,22% | -0,54% | 0,21% | -0,93% | 2,03% | 2,43% | -0,28% | 0,98% | 8,82% |
| Benchmark | 0,00% | 3,28% | 0,29% | 0,00% | -0,56% | -0,81% | -0,34% | -0,08% | 1,45% | 2,46% | -0,29% | 0,57% | 6,05% | |
| Portfolio | 2016 | -0,95% | 3,88% | 1,55% | 0,66% | 0,46% | 2,35% | 1,69% | 9,98% | |||||
| Benchmark | 0,31% | 2,56% | 0,42% | -0,26% | 0,12% | 2,13% | 1,83% | 7,28% |
Benchmark: 2/3 iShares MSCI All Country World ETF (EUR) + 1/3 X II Barclays Gbl Agg ETF H EUR
Source: WS Partners, Morningstar