New Proprietary Strategies Aimed At Fight Against Pandemic and Inflation

Orion Advisor Solutions, the premier provider of financial advisor technology and enhanced investment solutions, announces the creation of two market-relevant, thematic stock and direct indexing strategies, U.S. Biotechnology and U.S. Metals and Mining, designed and managed through Orion's SMA portfolio optimization tool, ASTRO.

The new strategies, which are available through Communities, Orion's model marketplace, and Orion Portfolio Solutions, a leading Turnkey Asset Management Program (TAMP), draw on first-hand biotechnology and mineral expertise within the Orion Investment Team to enable advisors and their clients to tap into a rising demand to both support the global fight against the COVID-19 virus, and address long-term inflation concerns.

Orion Senior Quantitative Portfolio Manager, Horacio Carias, CFA, called on his experience as a biomedical research scientist and pharmaceutical industry consultant to develop the U.S. Biotechnology stock and direct indexing portfolios. The strategy is distinguished from other biotech offerings with its equally weighted composition and strong focus on companies developing vaccines, antivirals, and other treatments for COVID-19. By creating this strategy, Orion gives advisors a unique approach to a highly competitive sector, with low market correlation, benefiting from subsidies funded by governments and private organizations combating a global pandemic.

But equally important to being aligned with timely market opportunity, the strategy is designed to be nimble. While ultra-relevant in our current pandemic, Biotechnology has notably outperformed the broader technology sector over the last decade. Accordingly, the Biotechnology strategy was created not just as a short-term trend play, but a long-term source of diversified growth opportunity for the well-balanced portfolio.

Like the U.S. Biotechnology strategies, the U.S. Metals and Mining stock and direct indexing portfolios offer exposure to small-cap equities with low market correlation. Orion Director, Investment Technology and Solutions, Chris Romano, CFA, created this strategy from a direct understanding of mining and energy markets, borne from trading commodity-linked equities for more than six years. His strategy seeks opportunities in gold and other mineral commodities as a hedge against inflation.

"It is gratifying to work alongside a team with the agility to develop in-house strategies that speak to the rapidly evolving needs of advisor clients," Carias said. "We have created highly-targeted, diversified solutions rooted in our direct experience with these industries."

"Not only is our platform home to a growing selection of model portfolios from industry-leading strategists. We can also call on our own investment management team's hands-on expertise and proactive thought leadership," said Rusty Vanneman, CFA, CMT, and Chief Investment Officer of Orion. Rusty Vanneman, CFA, CMT. "Horacio and Chris are using leading-edge portfolio optimization technology to create these strategies with real industry and market insight, and address real demands in a way advisors and clients won't find anywhere else."

To learn more about Orion Portfolio Solutions' U.S. Biotechnology strategy, and why now might be a time to consider biotech exposure, join us for an interactive webinar on Tuesday, July 14, 2020, at 4:00 p.m. ET. Click here to register.

About Orion Advisor Solutions

Orion Advisor Solutions offers a personalized financial management platform at scale, including best-in-class financial technology, comprehensive investment solutions and responsive support services to help fiduciary-minded advisors and firms of all sizes realize their unique visions for success. Through our subsidiary organizations, Orion Advisor Tech, Orion Portfolio Solutions, CLS Investments and Constellation Trust Company, our clients range from boutique RIAs to enterprise-level firms, all of which use Orion's continuum of solutions and integrations to better serve their clients, gain a competitive edge in a crowded marketplace and build strong, profitable businesses. Learn more at www.orion.com or follow news and insights via our blog.

1618-OPS-6/23/2020