Ekins Guinness LLP manages two FCA-authorised investments funds
which are available to professional and retail investors either via platforms or directly
WS Enigma Dynamic Growth Fund
The Fund aims to be invested in Equities, Bonds, Gold and/or Commodities for long term capital growth. It adopts a dynamic asset allocation strategy – it can be fully invested in Equities to try and capture positive returns during bull markets but can reduce significantly to try to minimise losses during bear markets. Equity and Bond investments are implemented through liquid low-cost ETFs which reduces stock specific risk.
The investment methodology is based on Value and Price Trends which we consider to be the two most important factors for making global investment decisions. These provide an objective framework to identify Opportunities and Risks in global markets. We implement our process systematically, based on facts and data, thus avoiding the use of opinions, emotion and forecasts.
This Fund could be of interest to investors who do not wish to make their own asset allocation decisions and who prefer a more defensive allocation if an equity bear market is expected.
WS Enigma Global Sector Rotation Fund
The Fund aims to provide long term capital growth by investing in Global Equities. It focuses on Sector selection because of the opportunities presented by differences in performance of different Sectors and the regular changes in Sector leadership. These occur because different sectors are often driven by different factors (e.g. Energy, Financials, Technology, Consumer Staples, Industrials etc). The Sector emphasis will change according to varying market conditions, thus avoiding any style bias. Concentrated Sector allocations are implemented through liquid low-cost ETFs which enables sector rotation to be implemented efficiently and reduces stock specific risk.
The investment methodology is based on Value and Price Trends which we consider to be the two most important factors for making global investment decisions. These provide an objective framework to identify Opportunities and Risks in global markets. We implement our process systematically, based on facts and data, thus avoiding the use of opinions, emotion and forecasts.
This Fund could be of interest to investors who wish to remain fully invested in equities with a sector/thematic focus and minimal stock specific risk.
WS EkinsGuinness Global Investors Fund
The Fund seeks long term capital growth and income by investing at least 70% in global equities, with up to 20% invested in higher risk emerging markets. The Fund may also invest in government securities, fixed income and collective investment schemes, money market instruments, deposits, cash and near cash.
The Fund focuses on the thematic investment opportunities that arise from the needs and wants of the growing global middle-class population. We believe this growing population is a homogeneous and borderless group of people with broadly similar demands and aspirations.
This Fund is a diversified stock-picking fund that focuses on six key growth themes: Transition from carbon, Food & Raw Materials, 5G Digitalisation, Consumer Goods & Healthcare.
Introduction
Ekins Guinness LLP has developed a data-driven framework for identifying investment Opportunities and Risks. It covers asset allocation, sector and regional equity selection, bond markets, currencies and commodities. We use our measurements and models to manage two funds, and also provide investment strategy ideas to professional investors.
Our investment approach is based on a rules-based interpretation of Value and Price Trends, which we consider to be the two most important measurements for global investing. The importance of Value is self-evident but often markets do not follow Value in the short term – it is a more important measurement for the medium/long term, and especially when extreme. Price Trends (including overbought and oversold measurements) are better indicators of future market direction but can be dangerous if Value is ignored (otherwise, for example, one might follow a rising Price Trend into a valuation bubble). Value and Trends work best when combined. We use Trends primarily to dictate whether to be long/short or over/underweight, and we use Value primarily to dictate position sizing.
The result is an objective framework for global investing. It is logical and systematic, thus avoiding opinion, emotion and forecasting. It also avoids style bias – the investment focus changes according to market conditions and opportunity.
Team
Charles Ekins
Founder & CEO
Charles is the founder and Chief Executive of Ekins Guinness LLP. Previously he was Chief Investment Officer at Valu-Trac Investment Management, prior to which he spent 19 years at Morgan Grenfell (Deutsche) Asset Management where he was a portfolio manager, member of the Investment Policy Committee and client director. He read Maths with Computing Science at Bristol University and has an MBA from the City University Business School. Charles is a Director of the Herald Worldwide Technology Fund (Dublin OEIC).
Jasper Falk
Partner
Jasper has over 20 years experience in Investment Banking. He established and managed JPMorgan’s Global Inflation trading business which assisted Pension Funds and Asset Manager clients in hedging and managing their liabilities. He was also a member of the Fixed Income Management Committee. Jasper read Engineering and Management Studies at St Catharine’s College Cambridge, and holds the Financial Times Non-Executive Director Diploma.
Tim Guinness
Partner
Tim is Founder and Chief Investment Officer of Guinness Asset Management in the UK and Guinness Atkinson Asset Management in the USA. He is co-manager of the Guinness Global Energy Fund and the Guinness Global Money Managers Fund. Previously he founded Guinness Flight Global Asset Management and was lead manager of the Investec Global Energy Fund. Tim graduated from Cambridge University with a degree in engineering and completed a Master’s Degree in Management Science at the Sloan School M.I.T. in the USA.
William Maltby
Chairman
William is non-executive Chairman of Ekins Guinness. He is Chairman of NB Private Equity Partners Limited, was previously Chairman of Mithras Investment Trust and was vice chairman of Investment Banking at Deutsche Bank where he worked for 32 years. He qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Peat Marwick Mitchell and has a law degree from Cambridge University.
Richard Thompson
Partner
Richard has over 30 years experience in the asset management industry, working in marketing sales and distribution. Richard founded Spring Capital Partners in 2004 which was successful in raising substantial assets under management for a number of early-stage managers. He exited the business in 2021. Previously Richard worked at GT Management in the 1990s and then Invesco, serving as Managing Director of International Development before leaving in 2003. He has joined Ekins Guinness as a partner to help and advise with sales, distribution and product development.
Nick Evans
Associate Partner
Nick is an experienced investment analyst and portfolio manager. He trained as an analyst at the British Steel Pension Fund, was Managing Director (Equities) at Deutsche Asset Management, Head of Investment Trusts at M&G Group and until recently was a partner at MSK Capital Partners.