General Development
In March 2025, the fund price recorded a decline of 6.34% after a brief recovery of 10% from the low on March 12. However, this recovery proved unsustainable – by the end of the month, the gains had been completely surrendered. The pattern is reminiscent of the development in previous months: Positive company news, as well as the German infrastructure package passed in March with funds amounting to 100 billion euros for the climate fund, provided short-term impetus, but a sustained turnaround was still pending. Please refer to our fact sheet for complete performance details.
Additional pressure came from the erratic announcements of the Trump administration, particularly with regard to new US tariffs. These political uncertainties significantly increased market volatility. For example, the S&P 500 lost over 10% within just 16 trading days – the fifth-fastest correction since 1950. Historically, such market declines are followed by an average recovery of around 13 percent. The fund saw net inflows of around 300,000 euros in March – a clear sign that investors are specifically taking advantage of the currently attractive entry prices.
Fund Performance
The development in March shows a mixed picture
In March, eleven of our portfolio values recorded gains, while seventeen values suffered losses. The largest positive contributions came from German companies such as Aumann, SFC Energy, SMA Solar, Enapter, Voltabox and thyssenkrupp nucera.
The largest individual losses were recorded by JinkoSolar, Canadian Solar, Plug Power, Wolfspeed, Daqo, QuantumScape, Ceres Power and PowerCell Sweden. At the end of March, the equity ratio of our portfolio was 90 percent.
Targeted allocation: European overweight as a strategic opportunity compared to the USA
With a current weighting of 27% in Germany, the fund is, in our view, well positioned to benefit from the expected positive impulses of the 500 billion euro infrastructure package. At the same time, the low weighting of US values at just 16% compared to major global indices opens up the opportunity to benefit disproportionately from a possible relative recovery of Europe compared to the USA.
Company Examples
SMA Solar
SMA Solar: Beneficiary of climate investments and growth driver in the large-scale storage segment
With the special fund decided in mid-March, the German government is investing specifically in infrastructure and climate protection in order to achieve climate neutrality by 2045. 100 billion euros will flow into the Climate and Transformation Fund (KTF), from which companies such as SMA Solar could benefit significantly.
SMA is strategically positioning itself with the new battery inverter “Sunny Central Storage”, which achieves higher efficiency through the use of silicon carbide semiconductors and is now available in Europe and the USA. Although the company recorded declines in the area of home storage and commercial applications in 2024, this decline was significantly offset by strong development in the large-scale project segment. Sales in this area rose by 39.1 percent to 1.18 billion euros, which accounts for 76.9 percent of total sales. Particularly pleasing: The profit in this segment could be increased to 227 million euros – with a robust profit margin of 19.3 percent.
The initiated restructuring and transformation program is expected to take effect as early as 2025. One example of this is a cooperation with Rheinenergie: Together, several hundred megawatts of battery storage will be connected to the grid by the beginning of 2026. Such projects are essential to improve the integration of renewable energies and strengthen security of supply – in particular through grid-proximate placement at substations. Rheinenergie sees the marketing of electricity from battery storage as a dynamically growing field for the future. The SMA subsidiary Altenso will be responsible for the construction and maintenance of the storage solutions.
An additional signal of confidence is the recent announcement of share purchases by a member of the SMA Solar Management Board – a clear sign of confidence in the company’s own business model and the low valuation on the capital market.
Aumann
Aumann impresses with strong annual results and strategic focus on future markets
Aumann has presented convincing business figures for 2024 and at the same time made groundbreaking decisions for the coming years. Despite a challenging market environment, the company was able to increase sales by 7.9% to €312.3 million. The strong increase in profit by 73.4% to €35.8 million, which corresponds to a significantly improved profit margin of 11.5%, is particularly noteworthy. With net financial liquidity of €138.2 million, financial strength remains on a solid foundation.
Aumann signals future potential above all in the Next Automation segment, which addresses forward-looking fields of application such as Clean Tech, aerospace and life sciences. This strategic expansion is expected to provide new growth impetus in the medium term – also against the background of continuing uncertainties in the automotive sector. A planned share buyback of around 10% of the share capital underlines the company’s confidence in its own strength and is also intended to sustainably increase the value per share.
SFC Energy
SFC Energy breaks the 100 million euro sales threshold in the fuel cell business
SFC Energy is continuing its successful growth course and, in the 2024 financial year, achieved sales in the three-digit million range for the first time in the fuel cell segment. The company’s total sales rose to 145 million euros, with the fuel cell business increasing by 27% to 100 million euros. SFC Energy also recorded a new record in order backlog with an increase of 34% to 167.7 million euros. The increase in the profit margin is also pleasing: At 10.7%, the company reached a double-digit value for the first time.
For 2025, SFC Energy is forecasting further significant sales growth of 11 to 25%, which would correspond to annual sales of up to €180.9 million. The company expects the greatest growth impetus from North America and Asia.
A concrete example of this dynamic is a new follow-up order for more than 5 million Canadian dollars that SFC Energy received in March 2025 from a Canadian government organization. The order includes EFOY fuel cells that are combined with solar and wind energy. With this technology, up to 500 watts of power can be provided around the clock, maintenance-free, for a period of 12 to 18 months in extreme weather conditions. This technology opens up new opportunities for reliable energy supply, especially for remote regions.
Management Commentary
Management Commentary – April 4, 2025
General Development
In March 2025, the fund price recorded a decline of 6.34% after a brief recovery of 10% from the low on March 12. However, this recovery proved unsustainable – by the end of the month, the gains had been completely surrendered. The pattern is reminiscent of the development in previous months: Positive company news, as well as the German infrastructure package passed in March with funds amounting to 100 billion euros for the climate fund, provided short-term impetus, but a sustained turnaround was still pending. Please refer to our fact sheet for complete performance details.
Additional pressure came from the erratic announcements of the Trump administration, particularly with regard to new US tariffs. These political uncertainties significantly increased market volatility. For example, the S&P 500 lost over 10% within just 16 trading days – the fifth-fastest correction since 1950. Historically, such market declines are followed by an average recovery of around 13 percent. The fund saw net inflows of around 300,000 euros in March – a clear sign that investors are specifically taking advantage of the currently attractive entry prices.
Fund Performance
The development in March shows a mixed picture
In March, eleven of our portfolio values recorded gains, while seventeen values suffered losses. The largest positive contributions came from German companies such as Aumann, SFC Energy, SMA Solar, Enapter, Voltabox and thyssenkrupp nucera.
The largest individual losses were recorded by JinkoSolar, Canadian Solar, Plug Power, Wolfspeed, Daqo, QuantumScape, Ceres Power and PowerCell Sweden. At the end of March, the equity ratio of our portfolio was 90 percent.
Targeted allocation: European overweight as a strategic opportunity compared to the USA
With a current weighting of 27% in Germany, the fund is, in our view, well positioned to benefit from the expected positive impulses of the 500 billion euro infrastructure package. At the same time, the low weighting of US values at just 16% compared to major global indices opens up the opportunity to benefit disproportionately from a possible relative recovery of Europe compared to the USA.
Company Examples
SMA Solar
SMA Solar: Beneficiary of climate investments and growth driver in the large-scale storage segment
With the special fund decided in mid-March, the German government is investing specifically in infrastructure and climate protection in order to achieve climate neutrality by 2045. 100 billion euros will flow into the Climate and Transformation Fund (KTF), from which companies such as SMA Solar could benefit significantly.
SMA is strategically positioning itself with the new battery inverter “Sunny Central Storage”, which achieves higher efficiency through the use of silicon carbide semiconductors and is now available in Europe and the USA. Although the company recorded declines in the area of home storage and commercial applications in 2024, this decline was significantly offset by strong development in the large-scale project segment. Sales in this area rose by 39.1 percent to 1.18 billion euros, which accounts for 76.9 percent of total sales. Particularly pleasing: The profit in this segment could be increased to 227 million euros – with a robust profit margin of 19.3 percent.
The initiated restructuring and transformation program is expected to take effect as early as 2025. One example of this is a cooperation with Rheinenergie: Together, several hundred megawatts of battery storage will be connected to the grid by the beginning of 2026. Such projects are essential to improve the integration of renewable energies and strengthen security of supply – in particular through grid-proximate placement at substations. Rheinenergie sees the marketing of electricity from battery storage as a dynamically growing field for the future. The SMA subsidiary Altenso will be responsible for the construction and maintenance of the storage solutions.
An additional signal of confidence is the recent announcement of share purchases by a member of the SMA Solar Management Board – a clear sign of confidence in the company’s own business model and the low valuation on the capital market.
Aumann
Aumann impresses with strong annual results and strategic focus on future markets
Aumann has presented convincing business figures for 2024 and at the same time made groundbreaking decisions for the coming years. Despite a challenging market environment, the company was able to increase sales by 7.9% to €312.3 million. The strong increase in profit by 73.4% to €35.8 million, which corresponds to a significantly improved profit margin of 11.5%, is particularly noteworthy. With net financial liquidity of €138.2 million, financial strength remains on a solid foundation.
Aumann signals future potential above all in the Next Automation segment, which addresses forward-looking fields of application such as Clean Tech, aerospace and life sciences. This strategic expansion is expected to provide new growth impetus in the medium term – also against the background of continuing uncertainties in the automotive sector. A planned share buyback of around 10% of the share capital underlines the company’s confidence in its own strength and is also intended to sustainably increase the value per share.
SFC Energy
SFC Energy breaks the 100 million euro sales threshold in the fuel cell business
SFC Energy is continuing its successful growth course and, in the 2024 financial year, achieved sales in the three-digit million range for the first time in the fuel cell segment. The company’s total sales rose to 145 million euros, with the fuel cell business increasing by 27% to 100 million euros. SFC Energy also recorded a new record in order backlog with an increase of 34% to 167.7 million euros. The increase in the profit margin is also pleasing: At 10.7%, the company reached a double-digit value for the first time.
For 2025, SFC Energy is forecasting further significant sales growth of 11 to 25%, which would correspond to annual sales of up to €180.9 million. The company expects the greatest growth impetus from North America and Asia.
A concrete example of this dynamic is a new follow-up order for more than 5 million Canadian dollars that SFC Energy received in March 2025 from a Canadian government organization. The order includes EFOY fuel cells that are combined with solar and wind energy. With this technology, up to 500 watts of power can be provided around the clock, maintenance-free, for a period of 12 to 18 months in extreme weather conditions. This technology opens up new opportunities for reliable energy supply, especially for remote regions.
Table of Contents
Manfred Wiegel
CEO und Fund advisor of the green benefit AG
Further management commentaries
December 3, 2025
Management Commentary for Retail Clients – December 3, 2025
December 3, 2025
Management Commentary – December 3, 2025
November 6, 2025
Management commentary for Retail Clients – November 04, 2025
November 4, 2025
Management Commentary – November 4, 2025
October 6, 2025
Management Commentary for Retail Clients – October 6, 2025
October 6, 2025
Management Commentary – October 6, 2025
This document is a customer information within the meaning of the German Securities Trading Act (WpHG), it is directed exclusively to professional clients within the meaning of section 67 WpHG (natural and juristic persons) with habitual residence or registered office in Germany and is used solely for marketing and general informational purposes.The information contained herein cannot replace an individual investment- and investor-friendly advice and does not justify a contract or any other obligation. Furthermore, the contents do not constitute investment advice, an individual investment recommendation, an invitation to subscribe for securities or a declaration of intent or a request to conclude a contract for a transaction in financial instruments. Also, it was not written with the intention of providing legal or tax advice. The tax treatment of transactions depends on the personal circumstances of the respective customer and may be subject to future changes. The individual circumstances of the recipient (including their economic and financial situation) were not taken into account in the preparation of this information. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. Recommendations and forecasts are non-binding value judgments about future events and may therefore prove to be inaccurate with respect to the future development of a product. The contained information refer exclusively to the time of the creation of this information, a guarantee for timeliness and continued correctness cannot be accepted.An investment in mentioned financial instruments / investment strategy / securities services involves certain product specific risks – e.g. Market or industry risks and risk in currency, default, liquidity, interest rate and credit – and is not suitable for all investors. Investments are subject to volatility and may result in the loss of the capital invested. Therefore, potential prospects should make an investment decision only after a detailed investment advisory session by a registered investment advisor and after consulting all available sources of information. The basis for the purchase of fund units is the current sales documents (basic information sheet, sales prospectus, annual and semi-annual report, pre-contractual disclosures) for the investment fund. These can be found free of charge and in German on the following website or on the website: https://fondswelt.hansainvest.com/en/funds/details/814The above content reflects only the opinions of the author, a change of opinion is possible at any time, without it being published. This customer information is protected by copyright. Any reproduction or commercial use is prohibited. Date: 04.04.2025
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