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

Eric Sturdza Group
Eric Sturdza Investments, part of the Geneva-based Eric Sturdza Group, is extending its partnership with Crawford Fund Management with the launch of a long-only version of the Strategic Long Short Fund, the firm said in a statement.

The new fund specialises in US owner operators and follows the long short strategy since inception in November 2022.

Owner-operated firms, which are frequently companies with little coverage by Wall Street analysts, represent 10 to 15 per cent of the publicly traded equity universe in the US, mostly in the small and mid-cap space.

Although proprietary analysis into whether a company satisfies the team’s ‘owner-operator’ criteria is a pre-requisite for investment, it is not enough on its own. Crawford also looks closely into the positioning of a company with reference to the environment in which it operates, free cash flow generation potential, the quality of its balance sheet, its fundamental valuation, and the quality of its management. The Strategic US Opportunities Fund’s portfolio will hold between 20 and 50 positions.

“We’re looking for the ‘crème de la crème’ of US small and mid caps,” Christopher Crawford, chief information officer at Crawford Fund Management, said. “We are continually seeking companies with the right business model at the right price and run by the right people.”

“The fund offers a unique way to invest in stellar companies in the US. Our goal is to continue to outperform the US market, as Crawford has done over the last 15 years,” Andreas Söderholm, head of Eric Sturdza Investments, added.

Arcmont, Carne
Arcmont Asset Management, (or Arcmont), a European private debt investment house based in London, has secured regulatory approval from the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority to launch a Long-Term Asset Fund. Carne Global Fund Managers (UK) Ltd – or Carne – is the LTAF’s Authorised Corporate Director.

The LTAF is open-ended, providing an element of liquidity to investors and exposure to European direct lending opportunities via a Luxembourg fund. Only professional investors will gain access to the LTAF.

Carne, founded in 2004, operates across a number of countries. It operates as one of Europe’s most prominent third-party management firms, working with more than 650 clients from boutique fund managers to global institutional investors.

In 2023, Arcmont was acquired by Nuveen, the investment manager of TIAA. Arcmont, which was founded in 2011 – originally as the private debt division of BlueBay Asset Management – has raised more than €29 billion ($31.1 billion).