The folks at an 18-year-old, New York City area liquid alts specialist recently teamed up with a systematic asset manager in London. Together they built a multi-strategy U.S. mutual fund that combines a managed futures portfolio with a 60-40 (i.e. balanced fund) portfolio, plus cash.

Jerry Szilagyi Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC President, CEO, Co-Founder

Yesterday, Jerry Szilagyi, president and CEO of Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC [profile], and Anthony Todd, co-founder and CEO of Aspect Capital Limited, unveiled the launch of the Catalyst/Aspect Enhanced Multi-Asset Fund. The actively managed open-end fund is a series of Mutual Fund Series Trust, and its inception date was December 23.

The new Catalyst/Aspect mutual fund comes in three flavors. A shares (CASAX) include a maximum upfront load of 575 basis points, a maximum deferred load of 100bps, and an expense ratio of 229bps. C shares (CASCX) are no-load and include an expense ratio of 304bps. And I shares (CASIX) include an expense ratio of 204bps. (All three expense ratios bake in a 40bps fee waiver promised through October 31, 2025.)

Huntington, New York-based Catalyst serves as investment advisor for the new fund, and London-based Aspect serves as subadvisor. The fund's PM team includes four Aspect folks: Martin Lueck, research director; Christopher Reeve, director of risk; Max Xu, portfolio manager; and Todd.

"We were impressed not only with the breadth of knowledge that exists at Aspect, but also with how well their investment approach fits into our product lineup and differentiated philosophy," Szilagyi states. "We believe the use of multiple non-correlated asset classes in this strategy should lead to a more attractive risk-return profile than a traditional 60/40 approach."

Todd puts the launch of the fund in the context of investors "increasingly looking for diversifying, liquid, and cash efficient investment strategies" amid "one of the most challenging economic backdrops in several decades."

"By combining Catalyst's long-term experience in the retail fund marketplace with our expertise in developing quantitative investment solutions, we are confident that the Catalyst/Aspect Enhanced Multi-Asset Fund is well positioned to meet investors' requirements," Todd states.

The new fund's other service providers include: Cohen & Company, Ltd. as independent accounting firm; MFundServices LLC, a sister company to Catalyst, as chief compliance officer provider; Thompson Hine LLP as counsel; U.S. Bank National Association as custodian; Ultimus Fund Solutions, LLC as administrator, dividend disbursing agent, fund accountant, shareholder servicing agent, and transfer agent; and Ultimus affiliate Northern Lights Distributors, LLC as distributor and principal underwriter. 

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