NEWS - 26

Salus Alpha Analyst Award 2012

Analyst Award for courage and innovation

(LEFT TO RIGHT) Christian Drastil (Christian Drastil Comm.), Franz Hörl (Erste Group), Stefan Maxian (RCB), Günther Schneider (Salus Alpha), Thomas Neuhold (Kepler), Christine Reitsamer (Baader Bank), Richard Schenz (Kapitalmarktbeauftragter)

(Vienna/Mauren) On the 12th December 2012 the exclusive location of the Viennese “Haus der Industrie” became home to the 13th edition of the Salus Alpha Analyst Award 2012 – an event honoring analysts who have achieved the best research results in the Austrian Equity market. Salus Alpha is the main partner since 2011.

The laudatio was held by Günther Schneider, Head of Global Business Development at Salus Alpha: „We are proud of such excellent analysts, of their courage and innovation. We have once again looked for the best and we are proud to say we found them. Analysts who see themselves solely as advisor of the customer, thus, of the fund and asset manager, and who act accordingly have to be supported. At the end of the day you have to be more than just a good analyst to generate alpha.”

Salus Alpha and the Analyst Award have been connected quite a while. Roland Neuwirth, Fund Manager at Salus Alpha, is a 5-time winner of the Analyst Award. Therefore it was an especially great pleasure for Günther Schneider to present the winners of this year’s ceremony with their awards. The winners included among others Franz Hörl (Erste Group), Stefan Maxian (RCB), Thomas Neuhold (Kepler), Christine Reitsamer (Baader Bank).

About Salus Alpha

Salus Alpha, an Alternative Investments Manager, has established itself as a top expert in quantitative, systematic Asset Management over the past decade. The funds range from Long/Short Equities, Relative Value, Arbitrage to Managed Futures. The company’s extensive Know-How in the field of Alternative Investments is a characteristic of the company. The client base of Salus Alpha consists of institutional clients in Europe and Asia. Up to now the assets under management (AUM) of Salus Alpha have reached 1.1 billion USD. The company operates from a network of global offices including Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, the Netherlands, Singapore, India, Sweden, USA, and Hong Kong. 

For further information on our products or distribution please contact: 

Salus Alpha Financial Services GmbH, Mag. Günther Schneider

Wegacker 42, 9493 Mauren, Liechtenstein

Tel: +423 399 03 29; invest@salusalpha.com

For further information, charts and graphical material please contact:

Salus Alpha Group Services GmbH, Ms. Jacqueline Nagy

Scherffenberggasse 3/8, 1180 Vienna, Austria

Tel: +43 1 9572587-42 ; public.relations@salusalpha.com

To know more click here - Salus Alpha Analyst Award 2012 - Complete report

NEWS - 9

Hedge Funds Review – Video: interview with Günther Schneider, hedge fund specialist, Salus Alpha

Salus Alpha, with $1.1 billion under management, believes investors want regulated products and has been offering its hedge funds and funds of hedge funds as onshore products since 2001.

From inception Salus Alpha was keen to offer investors transparency and liquidity, according to Günther Schneider, head of global business development and a hedge fund specialist at Salus Alpha Financial Service (Europe). He is proud of the fact that Salus Alpha, now with over $1.1 billion of assets under management in a variety of vehicles, was one of the first managers to offer daily liquid Ucits funds in all its hedge fund strategies.

“Ucits has become such a strong story recently,” said Schneider, but he believes investors need to approach alternative products by looking at the strategy as well as the asset managers’ capabilities to deliver performance. “Sometimes people talk too much about the vehicle and do not concentrate on the asset strategy under management,” he noted.

When asked if daily liquidity is more of a marketing ploy, Schneider is adamant that liquidity is “becoming more important” for investors. “If you look at markets and market conditions, people like the idea of having liquid portfolios. We’ve been offering daily liquid alternative investments since 2003 so we’ve been used to structuring products like that and offering it to investors. Yes, they like it. As soon as they see it is possible, they take advantage of [daily liquidity],” he stated.

In a wide-ranging interview, Schneider explained how he could offer an event driven strategy in a Ucits format as well as offering advice to other managers on the benefits of having an extensive network of offices close to investors. He said it was important to have a “presence on the ground”, particularly in the Asian markets. Salus Alpha has offices in Singapore and Hong Kong.

On the question of regulation, Schneider admitted new laws will “have an impact on all asset managers but hedge funds/alternative managers are more in the focus [as far as regulators are concerned] than others”. This, he said, was a good thing as he believes some of the issues being pushed by regulators, like transparency and liquidity, will be good for investors and the market in general. He advocated co-operation with lawmakers and active engagement, rather than sitting on the sidelines as politicians draw up new rules.

Schneider also talked about the attractions of managed futures for investors. He thinks investors will become more discriminating of which CTA/managed future fund managers they choose in future as those who do well in less favourable markets continue to offer strong performance compared with others.