Thematic Innovation

Overview

This strategy aims to deliver long-term capital growth through exposure to U.S. corporations that benefit from dominant positions in their markets or that benefit from innovation trends.

Benchmark

100% S&P 500 Index

Philosophy and process

  • Focus is on companies that benefit from structural changes caused by technological innovation while avoiding those that are negatively impacted by it.
  • The strategy uses a custom-built thematic investment universe consisting of more than 900 companies across four selected innovation themes: intelligent connectivity; enterprise digitization; next-generation healthcare; and smart energy. These four main categories lead to 40+ identified innovation investment sub-themes from which securities are selected.
  • Portfolio construction is based on a barbell strategy, with exposure to both thematic innovators and dominant firms.
  • The security-selection process combines bottom-up fundamental analysis with a dynamic approach to incorporate new available data points as well as market signals. The process aims to identify securities of companies that offer undervalued cash-flow generation potential from structural growth, business model innovation and/or resilience facing an accelerating pace of change.
  • The portfolio is managed with an active risk profile that is typically lower than the median of U.S. equity peers.

Why invest in these strategies?

  • A thematic investment style, differentiated from traditional equity strategies, and focused on long-term innovation trends with the objective of adding value over a full business cycle.
  • Increased exposure to U.S. companies that benefit from technological advances and in corporations that have sustainable business models in a perpetually evolving environment.
  • Well-diversified strategy and disciplined investment process with a strong emphasis on risk management.

How to invest?

Portfolio Manager(s)

Maxime Houde

Senior Director, Portfolio Manager, Thematic Investing

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