Harbor Capital Advisors Expands Growing ETF Lineup with the Harbor Alpha Layering ETF

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Harbor Capital Advisors, Inc. ("Harbor"), an asset manager that curates a suite of actively-managed ETFs, mutual funds, and collective investment trusts, has added the Harbor Alpha Layering ETF (NYSE: HOLD) to its growing lineup of ETF offerings.

The Harbor Alpha Layering ETF is managed by PanAgora Asset Management, Inc. (“PanAgora”), an experienced quantitative investment specialist with roots going back to 1989. While HOLD is a new fund, derivative and trend investing is not new to PanAgora, a leader in implementing multi-asset solutions for some of the world’s most sophisticated institutional investors.

Why HOLD?

“Markets are complex. The U.S. equity market has historically produced strong performance over time, though returns for actual investors may significantly lag those of the S&P 500 Index,” said Kristof Gleich, President & CIO at Harbor Capital Advisors.

Behavioral biases—like loss aversion—contribute to this “performance gap” between total and actual investor returns, as many struggle to stay invested during painful equity drawdowns. While trend-following strategies can help hedge these losses, investors struggle to successfully implement such strategies.

The Harbor Alpha Layering ETF offers the opportunity to close the “performance gap” by dynamically combining equity and trend-following exposures in a single, actively managed solution designed to enhance overall portfolio diversification and long-term, risk-adjusted returns.

Gleich added, “Unlike similar strategies, HOLD aims to allow investors the potential to benefit from positive market performance in regular market environments while seeking to mitigate large losses during downturns. For investors seeking an all-weather, diversifying strategy with the goal of adding alpha across varied market environments, we believe HOLD deserves a close look.”

Why Now?

As of early August, with equity markets trading at stretched valuations and geopolitical uncertainty on the rise, portfolio diversification appears to be more important than ever for investors, who are increasingly recognizing the need for tools that could help navigate volatility and seek to preserve capital during periods of market stress.

At the same time, however, Harbor has noted that traditional fixed income has historically proven less reliable as an equity diversifier as correlations between stocks and bonds appear to have risen in recent years. Harbor believes this shift could drive demand for alternative approaches to building resilience into portfolios—particularly those that could perform across a range of market environments.

ETF innovation has sought to respond to this demand, making liquid alternative strategies more accessible through an ETF’s familiar, transparent, and cost-effective structure. The Harbor Alpha Layering ETF is designed to meet these needs, offering a compelling solution for modern investors seeking to enhance diversification and long-term outcomes.

About PanAgora

The Harbor Alpha Layering ETF (HOLD) is managed by PanAgora Asset Managenent, a pioneer in quantitative research and investing with roots going back to 1989. While HOLD is a new fund, derivative and trend investing is not new to PanAgora, a leader in implementing multi-asset solutions for some of the world’s most sophisticated institutional investors.

PanAgora’s investment leadership has significant expertise and experience in derivative investing and risk-management. Notably, portfolio manager Edward E. Qian, Ph.D., Head of Multi Asset Research and Chief Investment Officer of Multi Asset Investments, is widely credited with coining the term “Risk Parity” in his 2005 white paper, Risk Parity Portfolios: Efficient Portfolios Through True Diversification.

Under Dr. Qian’s guidance, PanAgora constructed compelling quant models that reflect their data-driven, risk-aware approach and serve to be the cornerstones of HOLD’s portfolio construction and alpha potential.

About Harbor Capital

Harbor Capital Advisors is an asset manager with an AUM of $65.0 billion as of June 30, 2025, and is known for prudently curating a suite of active ETFs, mutual funds, and collective investment trusts from boutique managers. Advisors looking for distinct and differentiated investment options for their clients’ portfolios often connect with our obsession to find what we believe are the best and most bold solutions that have the potential to produce compelling risk-adjusted returns. For more information, visit www.harborcapital.com.

Investors should carefully consider the investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses of a Harbor fund before investing. To obtain a summary prospectus or prospectus for this and other information, visit harborcapital.com or call 800-422-1050. Read it carefully before investing.

Investing involves risk and principal loss is possible. Unlike mutual funds, ETFs may trade at a premium or discount to their net asset value. The ETF is new and has limited operating history to judge.

HOLD: The Fund’s objective is not guaranteed. Equity markets may decline due to issuer, political, regulatory, or economic factors. Large-cap stocks may underperform smaller caps. The Fund’s quantitative model and trend-following managed futures strategy may underperform or increase volatility. Investments in foreign and emerging markets carry additional risks. As a non-diversified fund, it is more exposed to individual issuers. Use of derivatives, commodities, and commodity-linked instruments may amplify losses, especially in flat or volatile markets. The Fund’s use of certain investments, such as derivative instruments, including futures contracts, and certain other transactions can give rise to leverage within the Fund’s portfolio, which could cause the Fund’s returns to be more volatile than if leverage had not been used.

The S&P 500 Index is an unmanaged index generally representative of the U.S. market for large capitalization equities. This unmanaged index does not reflect fees and expenses and is not available for direct investment.

The views expressed herein may not be reflective of current opinions, are subject to change without prior notice, and should not be considered investment advice or a recommendation to purchase a particular security.

Alpha is a measure of risk (beta)-adjusted return.

Diversification does not assure a profit nor protect against a loss.

PanAgora Asset Management, Inc. is the subadvisor to the Harbor Alpha Layering ETF and the Harbor Dynamic U.S. Large Cap Core Active ETF.

Foreside Fund Services, LLC is the Distributor of the Harbor ETFs.