Investment management built on discipline, diversification, and insight.

At Crossing Point, our six Managed Portfolio Service (MPS) strategies share the same disciplined investment framework: a globally diversified asset-allocation model supported by rigorous research and ongoing monitoring. 

While Passive Enhanced and Growth focus on efficient market access and long-term growth, and Green Path and Heritage provide thematic and actively managed options, Guardian and Fusion add an additional layer of risk management through a trend-following overlay which is designed to help preserve capital and smooth returns, particularly for investors drawing income.

Asset Allocation

Our range of Managed Portfolio Service (MPS) portfolios provides access to global stock market growth through a traditional, diversified asset allocation model. This approach is enhanced by market intelligence drawn from our proprietary trend data analysis and market sentiment indicators, which help to inform and refine our asset allocation decisions.

We monitor a wide range of indicators — including interest rates, inflation, currency movements, GDP growth, Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) data, the VIX, trading volumes, employment levels, and bond yields — to provide a real-time assessment of the global economy. These measures act as a valuable barometer when managing equity and bond exposure.

Our Guardian and Fusion portfolios incorporate a trend-following overlay designed to help manage downside risk. By analysing patterns in average fund price movements, we can identify potential opportunities: rising trends may indicate a buying signal, while falling trends may suggest reducing exposure. This strategy has been found to reduce volatility and limit maximum drawdowns.

Fund Selection

Each asset we select is a vital building block in our portfolios. Using Morningstar and FE Analytics research, we rigorously screen index-tracking funds, ESG strategies, carefully chosen active funds, and investment trusts for quality, risk, and performance. Across both active and passive funds, we analyse fund-management ratings, technical data, risk metrics, relative performance, and a full breakdown of management and transactional fees. We select high-quality active strategies where we believe they can deliver strong value for money, enhance returns, or improve diversification within their sector.

All Green Path investment funds undergo additional screening for their environmental, social, and governance (ESG) credentials. Providers within the Green Path range must be signatories to the Principles for Responsible Investment and apply either positive or negative screening — or a combination of both — within their processes. We also use Morningstar sustainability data, aiming for funds with four or five Sustainability Globes wherever possible.

Importantly, every fund we select — including passive holdings — is assessed using our proprietary trend-following analysis and measured against our internal Consumer Duty ratios. This ensures all investments, regardless of style or strategy, meet the same rigorous standards for performance potential, cost efficiency, and suitability within the portfolio.

Risk Control

We manage risk and aim to reduce volatility through a dynamic blend of asset allocation, market monitoring, and tactical trading. Our proactive, data-driven approach is designed to support steady long-term returns while smoothing market fluctuations.

The first layer of risk management is diversification through asset allocation. We maintain a global mix of investments across asset classes, sectors, and uncorrelated assets — a key driver of portfolio returns and an effective way to limit volatility. This process is also trend-informed and guided by our proprietary economic indicators, helping us to spot areas of strength or weakness and adjust allocations accordingly.

A second layer applies only to our Guardian and Fusion portfolios, where we use a disciplined trend-following overlay. By responding to shifts in market momentum, these portfolios can move away from risk assets when negative trends emerge and reinvest as conditions improve, helping to limit large losses and reduce sequence-of-returns risk.

Guardian and Fusion Volatility Management

Trend-following plays two roles in our investment process. It helps inform fund selection across all portfolios, and in Guardian and Fusion it also acts as a risk-management overlay. 

By analysing patterns in average fund price movements, we can identify when market momentum turns negative and shift from risk assets to safer holdings, helping to limit large losses. When trends reverse and positive momentum returns, we reinvest to participate in market recoveries.

Research shows that trend-following strategies can help reduce volatility, sequence-of-returns risk, and maximum drawdowns across full business cycles. This evidence supports our use of trend-following as a disciplined way to manage downside risk while maintaining flexibility to capture gains as conditions improve.

While the trend-following model is based on historic price data, we also consider a range of macroeconomic indicators to guide broader asset allocation and provide context on overall market sentiment.

Chief Investment Officer

Tomiko Evans

"We analyse the movement of stock market prices over differing time periods in order to decide if a market has rising momentum and should be bought or falling momentum and should be sold."

Decumulation Strategy

A key risk for long-term income investors is the damaging impact of early market falls on pension fund values, known as sequence-of-returns risk. This effect is magnified when income withdrawals are required, as falling markets reduce both the capital base and the value of assets being sold. Research shows that losses early in retirement can have a lasting impact on capital, potentially threatening the sustainability of income over time. Selling assets to fund withdrawals during downturns can further erode long-term capital.

The Guardian and Fusion portfolios are designed to help minimise sequence-of-returns risk, volatility, and maximum drawdowns. By combining diversified asset allocation with a disciplined trend-following approach, they aim to smooth returns over full market cycles and protect capital in adverse conditions.

These strategies can be particularly effective for income-paying portfolios, giving retired investors greater confidence that their withdrawals can be sustained even through periods of market stress.

  • Guardian Trend Following During A Crisis

    Guardian trend following during a crisis document shows how the strategy worked in back testing during the 2008 crisis and live through the Covid-19 crisis.

    Guardian Trend Following

  • Guardian Decumulation Strategy

    The Guardian decumulation strategy document displays the effectiveness of the Guardian portfolios as a decumulation strategy.

    Guardian Decumilation