Top spot in the BILANZ ranking: Lakefield Partners wins in the balanced category
In the latest asset manager ranking by business magazine BILANZ, Lakefield Partners takes first place in the balanced category with the ‘Lakefield Classic Balanced’ strategy. A success based on our disciplined, data-driven risk management and sophisticated quantitative model.
As part of the latest coverage of the renowned Swiss asset manager ranking, we had the opportunity to speak with the BILANZ editorial team about our investment philosophy, the challenges in the markets and the outlook for the future. The performance comparison carried out by Firstfive AG is based on the analysis of real client portfolios and is regarded as one of the toughest and most objective tests in the industry. We are therefore all the more delighted that our daily work has been impressively confirmed by this top ranking.
Outstanding performance with minimal risk
The investment year 2025 demanded a great deal from all market participants. After a positive start, geopolitical tensions and surprising tariff announcements on the US-American ‘Liberation Day’ led to sudden turbulence and sharp price falls on global markets. In such an environment, the wheat is separated from the chaff: for us, it is more important than ever to consistently minimise losses in order to protect the long-term substance of your portfolios.
This is exactly what we achieved over the past year. Our ‘Lakefield Classic Balanced’ strategy delivered a return of 12.62 per cent – with exceptionally low volatility of just 5.26 per cent. This risk-adjusted outperformance secured us first place in the ranking for the balanced category, which is particularly widely used by investors.
A model that remains calm even in a crash
The foundation of this success lies in our quantitative approach, which we have developed over many years and designed to be crisis-resistant. Human emotions and the daily flood of market reports often lead to irrational misjudgements in turbulent phases. Our model, by contrast, operates purely on a data-driven basis. It deliberately ignores emotional doomsday scenarios or common market narratives and instead focuses on measurable signals and empirical facts. While the market turmoil caused many participants to lose their bearings, we were able to rely fully on the system.
We always stick to the plan. The model leads us out of difficult situations. That is what we rely on.
Forward-looking positioning pays off
That this approach works in practice was shown clearly in the run-up to the recent market downturn. Our model registered a sharp rise in risk in good time, which is why we reduced the equity allocation preventively to 30 per cent. As a result, we got off relatively lightly compared with the overall market.
Industry expert Matthias Hunn, Swiss representative of Firstfive and founder of FinGuide, confirms our implementation in the BILANZ article: ‘Lakefield Partners lost significantly less; they positioned themselves very well before the decline.’
In addition, the model also demonstrated a good touch in stock selection on the Swiss market and in bonds. While fixed-income securities have been a losing proposition for many money managers in recent years, we were also able to generate positive contributions here through the targeted use of funds in the emerging markets and high-yield segments. The result of our long-term work: overall, 15 of our 17 strategies have outperformed their respective benchmarks over the past five years.
Focus on risk management
For us, the top ranking is no coincidence, but the result of a crystal-clear set of priorities. Our founder Vinicio Marsiaj puts it succinctly:
‘Once the decision has been made to invest in equities, the basic return expectation in the portfolio is largely set – and with it the risk profile. The rest is disciplined, data-driven risk management.’
Avoiding losses makes sense to us for a simple mathematical reason: if a price falls by 50 per cent, it then needs to double by 100 per cent just to make up the loss again. That is why avoiding major setbacks is our top priority.
Confident outlook and continuous adaptation
When asked about future developments, our team looks ahead with optimism. As the conditions in the financial markets are constantly changing, we deliberately avoid rigid forecasts stretching many years into the future – our model analyses the dynamics step by step and always focuses on the coming quarters.
For the near future, our quantitative system continues to signal a robust market environment. It identifies short-term opportunities for solid returns and flexibly adjusts the allocation of investments. Our partner Bilal Jusufi sums up this dynamic approach: ‘The model senses where the best opportunities for good returns lie in the short term, and continuously adjusts our positioning.’ The main drivers are established core markets such as the USA and the Swiss domestic market, supported by selected, forward-looking sectors.
With this clear, data-driven compass behind us and the proven flexibility of our model, we feel ideally equipped to manage our clients’ assets successfully, stably and with a careful eye on risk through all market phases.
