CLO Alpha Compartment Taunus, a CLO fund managed by CIS Asset Management, took second spot in our rankings with 21.80% returns. The firm focuses on niche CLO equity with an emphasis on US CLOs. Inès Bartsch, owner and portfolio manager, says the majority of capital raised for the strategy came in Q1, meaning the firm could utilise this through the downturn. While most CLO funds struggled with double digit losses in March, CIS was one of only two managers to achieve positive returns in the month (0.19%). “Our investments during the ramp-up period of two CLOs paid off when they closed just before coronavirus restrictions, allowing them to ramp up significant additional par,” Frankfurt- based Bartsch says. “This helped the fund keep its head above water in March and April when other CLO funds struggled.”
