La Financière de l’Échiquier launches an absolute return solution, Echiquier Absolute Return Credit

Paris, 9 September 2025 Ӏ To meet the needs of investors seeking flexible and opportunistic bond management in an uncertain environment, La Financière de l’Échiquier (LFDE) is continuing to develop its fixed income/credit range by offering an absolute return fund: Echiquier Absolute Return Credit[1] , a feeder fund of the master fund LBP AM ISR Absolute Return Credit[2] . This new absolute return fund illustrates LFDE’s desire to provide investors with flexible, diversified management solutions adapted to all market conditions.

Management capable of adapting to all market conditions

Led by an experienced management team comprising two fund managers, five credit analysts and one quantitative analyst, this strategy operates across the entire bond spectrum. It utilises a wide range of instruments, including investment grade and high yield credit bonds, floating rate bonds, futures and options. It is based on an active management approach, with no exposure constraints, allowing the portfolio to be quickly adjusted to different market conditions. The investment process incorporates rigorous risk management, governed by a risk budget that is allocated and monitored at each stage.

Strong diversification

With more than 150 securities in its portfolio, the master fund is focused on diversification. It has a wide variety of performance drivers that enable it to capture upward or downward credit movements, arbitrage interest rate or credit products, benefit from volatility strategies, or gain exposure to market segments that are more sensitive to credit fluctuations (high beta)[3] .

A resilient investment process

Since its launch, the master fund has combined resilience with low volatility, with annualised volatility below 2%. The feeder fund targets a performance of €stR[4] +2.30% for the G share of the feeder fund, and €stR+1.70% for the A share. This strategy has considerable latitude in terms of exposure levels, with a sensitivity range of -3 to +3 for rates and -6 to +6 for credit.

Olivier de Berranger, CEO of La Financière de l’Echiquier, said: “The launch of this strategy once again illustrates the relevance of the strategic alliance between LBP AM and LFDE. We pool our expertise and tools to serve our clients. This absolute return strategy offers a structural diversification solution for investors seeking consistent performance and limited volatility in uncertain environments.”

Benjamin Canlorbe, CGP Sales Director at La Financière de l’Échiquier, adds: “This absolute return strategy, which has proven itself in all market conditions, has a long track record of high-quality performance, which we are now pleased to offer to LFDE’s clients, particularly our CGP partners. This approach is a complementary solution to euro-denominated funds in life insurance contracts, term deposits and dated funds.”

Disclaimer. Echiquier Absolute Return Credit, a feeder fund of LBP AM ISR Absolute Return Credit managed by LBP AM, is mainly exposed to capital loss risk, credit risk, interest rate risk, risk associated with holding securities with low or no ratings, liquidity risk and sustainability risk. Investors should note that they are investing in the shares or units of the UCI and not in the underlying securities (equities, debt securities, derivatives, UCIs) that make up the UCI’s portfolio. Before subscribing and for further information on the characteristics, risks and costs of the fund, please read the regulatory documents available at www.lfde.com.
About La Financière de l’Echiquier (www.lfde.com)
Created in 1991 and a subsidiary of LBP AM since July 2023, La Financière de l’Échiquier (LFDE) is one of the main conviction-based asset management companies in France. LFDE draws on its know-how and expertise in generating strong added value to offer its institutional clients, private clients and distributors products and solutions adapted to their financial and non-financial goals. LFDE has assets under management over EUR 25 billion (30 June 2025), with over 170 employees spread across establishments in Germany, Austria, Spain, Italy, Switzerland and Benelux.
[1] Effective since 12 May 2025
[2] Managed by LBP AM, launched in November 2018 and SRI-certified.
[3] Beta: indicator of a security’s variation relative to that of a market or index. A high beta illustrates greater variations in a security relative to those of its benchmark market.
[4] Euro Short-Term Rate