Harcourt Investment Consulting AG (Harcourt) has announced the launch of Vonda UCITS Fund.

Vonda UCITS combines the performance of hedge fund investments with the benefits of the UCITS Framework, which provides EU-regulated liquidity, transparency and diversification guidelines.

The Fund aims to produce long term absolute returns, with a target return of Libor + 4% p.a. over a business cycle and a target volatility between 6% and 8% p.a.

The Fund focuses on managed futures (CTAs) and global macro strategies, and aims to provide investors with a sound uncorrelated investment alternative in the UCITS hedge fund universe.

These strategies have proven to produce attractive risk-adjusted returns and to protect balanced multi-asset portfolios during volatile market environments. The selected strategies invest in the most liquid global markets (mainly futures and currency forwards), and maintain characteristics that are representative of the established benchmark hedge funds while conforming to the UCITS investment guidelines. The Fund will invest in 10- 15 managers.

Harcourt Investment Consulting AG has been actively, significantly and successfully invested in systematic managers for a number of years. Harcourt has developed a deep understanding of the strategies and proven to minimize risk through diligent manager selection. Harcourt has a broad network within these strategies, and long-standing research and investment relationships with leading managers.

Vonda UCITS was successfully launched on 01 June 2010 with initial assets of USD 60mn and has additional commitments of USD 50mn.