Artemis has launched the Artemis Atlas Fund, which will be managed by former hedge fund equity analyst Ambrose Faulks, marking a first step into the market neutral, long-short equity space for the UK-based active investment manager.

The new UCITS vehicle aims to generate positive returns across market cycles with minimal correlation to equity benchmarks.

The strategy, which balances long and short positions to maintain near-zero net exposure, will focus primarily on UK equities while retaining flexibility to invest up to 49% in developed international markets.

“With its market neutral structure, the fund is designed to perform in a variety of macroeconomic conditions", said Faulks. "That doesn’t mean it will make money every month, but on a rolling 12-month view, the aim is to deliver a positive return.

“Importantly this fund aims to have very low correlation to equity markets – what people are investing in is our ability to spot mis-pricings and manage risk effectively.”

Faulks, who joined Artemis in 2013, also manages the Artemis UK Select fund alongside Ed Legget, and will be supported by the firm's wider UK and global equity teams, sharing ideas with the over 30 investment professionals.

The launch is part of Artemis’ broader push to diversify its product set and offer more defensive, alpha-focused vehicles.

The fund carries an OCF of 0.87% for the retail share class and includes a 20% performance fee over the Bank of England base rate, subject to a high-water mark.

The launch reflects a broader trend of traditional managers entering hedge fund-style strategies as investors seek uncorrelated returns in more volatile markets.