Portfolio Strategies

David J. Abner serves as both CEO and Chief Investment Officer, making him the singular architect of the firm's investment process. He previously ran ETF trading at BNP Paribas and held leadership roles at WisdomTree, bringing deep exchange-traded-product execution expertise. The firm's investment committee structure centers on his model-driven signals rather than large-group consensus (per public record).

The firm relies on proprietary momentum and trend-following models to rotate capital across equity, fixed income, commodity, and alternative asset classes. Portfolios are implemented primarily through ETFs and mutual funds, making the vehicle selection itself part of the tactical allocation decision. This approach aims to capture persistent factor premiums while managing drawdown risk.

Portfolio Strategies does both. It manages direct separate accounts for clients and also licenses its tactical allocation models to external registered investment advisors through platforms like SMArtX. This dual model allows the firm to scale its intellectual property without requiring those advisors to adopt a fully outsourced chief investment officer relationship.

Abner is a recognized figure in the exchange-traded fund industry, having authored 'The ETF Handbook' and led institutional ETF trading desks at major banks including BNP Paribas. He also served as CEO of a digital asset exchange-traded product issuer, reflecting a career shaped by product structure and market microstructure rather than traditional fundamental analysis (per public record).

The firm's systematic models are designed to identify deteriorating trends and rotate away from them, so avoidance is algorithmic rather than stated as a permanent exclusion. During extended sideways markets that lack clear momentum, the strategy has historically shifted toward cash or short-duration fixed income to preserve capital, as indicated by their tactical allocation discipline.