Stockholm (HedgeNordic) – Whereas European stocks were down 4.5 percent month-to-date through the end of last week, Stockholm-based long/short equity fund Bodenholm was up 4.2 percent mid-month. Bodenholm is now up 14 percent year-to-date through August 15.

Earlier this month, Bodenholm’s founder and Chief Investment Officer, Per Johansson (pictured), featured among the 50 rising fund managers in Tomorrow’s Titans report issued by the Hedge Fund Journal. The 50 managers in this report are rising stars who “are on the cusp of being, or have the potential to become, leading managers within their strategies” according to the opinion of the Hedge Fund Journal team.

Bodenholm gained 14 percent year-to-date through mid-August after advancing 4.2 percent month-to-date and 5.3 percent in May, the fund’s best monthly performance since launching in September 2015. The MSCI Europe Index, meanwhile, was up 6.6 percent this year through mid-August following a 4.5 percent-decline in the first half of this month. This year, Bodenholm is the second-best performing fund in the portfolio of funds backed by Brummer & Partners. Systematic trend-following fund Lynx is leading the pack with a year-to-date gain of 24.5 percent.

Commenting on the fund’s performance for the first half of August, Per Johansson tells HedgeNordic that “long positions in Adevinta (the spin-off from Schibsted), as well as US spin-offs IAA and Perspecta, have been positive contributors.” Short bets on Burford Capital and Danish companies ISS and Ambu also paid off. “The month is not over yet,” emphasizes Johansson.

Bodenholm employs a Europe-focused fundamental equity long/short strategy with a global mandate and maintains a concentrated portfolio of idiosyncratic ideas both on the long and short side using bottom-up stock selection. Bodenholm has a team dedicated to finding short positions comprised of four investment analysts and two forensic accountants.