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Meet Seraina

Seraina Benz CFA®

Head of Investment Solutions Team / Senior Client Portfolio Manager

9 years with Vontobel

Zurich

Vontobel Asset Management AG

Genferstrasse 27

CH-8022 Zurich

Switzerland

Seraina Benz joined Vontobel in 2016. Since 2024, she heads the Investment Solutions Team, covering equity, fixed income, and multi-asset strategies. In addition, she acts as Senior Client Portfolio Manager for quantitative and multi-asset investments. Before that, she held various roles within Investment Communications and as a Client Portfolio Manager.

Prior to joining Vontobel, she worked as a relationship manager at SIX Swiss Exchange, where she was responsible for Swiss equity issuers and new equity listing candidates. She started her career at Thomson Reuters in Geneva within the client service unit.

Seraina holds a Master’s degree in International Relations from King's College London. She is also a CFA® charterholder.

Related perspectives

Quantitative Investments

2019_ma_vescore_teaser

Nov 28 2023 Outlook

Vescore Global Market Outlook December 2023

Markets surged in early November as the Fed appeared more dovish and the US economy showed signs of cooling. This could turn out to be a false dawn but currently the odds seem favorable for the bulls to maintain control – at least for now. In response, our allocation models are making notable shifts: ceasing equity overweight reduction and establishing a small bond overweight – the first since May.

Quantitative Investments

2019_ma_vescore_teaser

Sep 28 2023 Outlook

Vescore Global Market Outlook October 2023

The September Fed meeting was a surprise with its hawkish tilt which went hand in hand with upward GDP forecast revisions and lower recession risks. The question now is whether the Fed's willingness to keep rates 'higher for longer' is a calculated risk in combating inflation or a policy misstep. Our models estimate that a recession may not be immediate but cannot be ruled out, especially for H1 2024. In response, they continue to reduce their equity overweight as well as their bond underweight.

Quantitative Investments

2019_ma_vescore_teaser

Aug 02 2023 Outlook

Vescore Global Market Outlook August 2023

For now the much-feared recession has been staved off thanks to a resilient consumer. However, the risk is not off the table yet which has prompted our models to take a small step back from maximum equity allocations. While they stay optimistic, they have now started to treat the asset class with a grain of salt while bonds don’t seem to be able to find their way out of the dog’s house.

Quantitative Investments

2019_ma_vescore_teaser

Jul 03 2023 Outlook

Vescore Global Market Outlook July 2023

Nothing seems to be able to derail equities on their way up, despite risk factors such as the US debt ceiling or the surprisingly hawkish Fed communiqué in June. A major reason for the calm is the continuously surprising resilience of the consumer, which still argues for an equity overweight.

Quantitative Investments

2019_ma_vescore_teaser

Jun 01 2023 Outlook

Vescore Global Market Outlook June 2023

Markets keep ignoring the economic deterioration in the US, as first cracks in the US banking system increase the likelihood of a Fed pivot over the upcoming months. At the same time Chinese recovery boosts the growth outlook for the APAC region. While growth perspectives and sentiment seem to diverge, our models stick to their equity overweight.

Quantitative Investments

2019_ma_vescore_teaser

Mar 29 2023 Outlook

Vescore Global Market Outlook April 2023

The tightening cycle has started to bite by taking down three US lenders and sending jitters through the banking sector as a whole. While swift Fed action convinced our models to quickly reject 2007/08 comparisons, a true Fed pivot might be needed to support market sentiment further down the line.