San Francisco, Feb. 19, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Forward (Forward Management, LLC) has announced a significant expansion of its macro investing capabilities with the appointment of Jim Welsh, who will serve as the firm's tactical strategist and co-manage the firm's Forward Tactical Enhanced Fund (FTETX), a quantitative alternative strategy that seeks to outperform the S&P 500 Index with less downside volatility than the broad market.
Welsh, who officially joined Forward in June 2012, brings with him a reputation for prescient macroeconomic insights, via his highly regarded newsletter Macro Tides (formerly known as The Financial Commentator). Welsh will now author a monthly newsletter called Forward Markets: Macro Strategy Review, which is part of Forward's published research and analysis available on www.forwardinvesting.com.
"Investors by now are all too aware that their investments can be impacted by Washington or Beijing as much as what happens on Wall Street," said Alan Reid, CEO of Forward Management. "Bringing someone of Jim's caliber to the firm is our signal to investors that we take the potential impacts of macro events on their portfolios seriously," he concluded.
Welsh previously managed client accounts at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney. Prior to that, he ran his own investment firm, Welsh Money Management, based in Carlsbad, California. Welsh's newsletter, originally launched in 1985, was frequently referenced and quoted by many financial publications and he has frequently appeared as a guest on TV and radio programs to share his insights.
In addition to co-managing the Forward Tactical Enhanced Fund, Welsh will also provide input on new investment strategies developed at Forward to meet the objectives of investors navigating an increasingly challenging global investment landscape.
"I have been impressed with Forward's development of actively managed global strategies in asset classes such as emerging market corporate debt and international real estate, which have traditionally been out of reach for individual investors," said Welsh. "I am excited to work with the investment team here to continue to expand Forward's global investment footprint while at the same time offering our investors access to tactical strategies that may help them better reach their goals than the traditional buy and hold approach."
About Forward
The world has changed, leading investors to seek new strategies
that better fit an evolving global climate. Forward's investment
solutions are built around the outcomes we believe investors need
to be pursuing - non-correlated return, investment income, global
exposure and diversification. With a propensity for unbounded
thinking, we focus especially on developing innovative alternative
strategies that may help investors build all-weather portfolios. An
independent, privately held firm founded in 1998, Forward (Forward
Management, LLC) is the advisor to the Forward Funds. As of
December 31, 2012, we manage more than $5.7 billion in a diverse
product set offered to individual investors, financial advisors and
institutions.
You should consider the investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses of the Forward Funds carefully before investing. A prospectus with this and other information may be obtained by calling (800) 999-6809 or by downloading one from www.forwardinvesting.com. It should be read carefully before investing.
Forward Tactical Enhanced Fund's investment objective is to produce above-average, risk-adjusted returns, in any market environment, while exhibiting less downside volatility than the S&P 500 Index.
S&P 500 Index is an unmanaged index of 500 common stocks chosen to reflect the industries in the U.S. economy. One cannot invest directly in an index.
RISKS
There are risks involved with investing, including loss of principal. Past performance does not guarantee future results, share prices will fluctuate, and you may have a gain or loss when you redeem shares.
Borrowing for investment purposes creates leverage, which can increase the risk and volatility of a fund.
Derivative instruments involve risks different from those associated with investing directly in securities and may cause, among other things, increased volatility and transaction costs or a fund to lose more than the amount invested.
Investing in Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) will subject a fund to substantially the same risks as those associated with the direct ownership of the securities or other property held by the ETFs.
Foreign securities, especially emerging or frontier markets, will involve additional risks including exchange rate fluctuations, social and political instability, less liquidity, greater volatility and less regulation.
Higher portfolio turnover rates will involve greater transaction costs, and may increase the potential for taxable distributions being paid to shareholders.
Short selling involves additional investment risks and transaction costs, and creates leverage, which can increase the risk and volatility of a fund.
Alternative strategies typically are subject to increased risk and loss of principal. Consequently, investments such as mutual funds which focus on alternative strategies are not suitable for all investors.
Jim Welsh is a registered representative of ALPS Distributors, Inc.
Alan Reid is a registered representative of Forward Securities, LLC.
Forward Funds are distributed by Forward Securities, LLC.
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