Sarasin, the Swiss private bank, has launched a new UK equity fund called the Sarasin EquiSar – UK Thematic Opportunities Fund.

The fund, which is an FSA UK open-ended investment company sub-fund, is aiming to outperform its benchmark – the FTSE All Share Index – by at least 3 per cent, net of fees. The investment timeframe for the fund, which will invest predominantly in a portfolio of UK transferable securities, will be three to five years.

Stock selection for the fund will follow a thematic investment process whereby the firm first identifies drivers of long term growth which will help companies to increase their earnings, what Sarasin calls “opportunity sets”. Having identified the companies that could benefit from these factors, the firm then applies what it believes to be core investment themes to narrow down this roster of companies and pick individual stocks. A portfolio of around 40-50 stocks will be selected.

Managing the fund is Rohini Rathour, with Jennifer Ramsey as her deputy.

The annual management charge for the fund’s A shares is 1.5 per cent, plus a performance fee of 15 per cent of positive outperformance over the hurdle rate of the FTSE All Share Index, plus 2 per cent for each share class. Minimum investment is £1,000 ($1,615) in a lump sum, or £100 for regular savings.