Australian Equities Market Update & 2022 Outlook Sage Capital 12 November 2021 Portfolio Manager, Kelli Meagher and Chief Investment Officer, Sean Fenton provide an update on the Australian equities market and the outlook for 2022.

Funds operated by this manager: CC Sage Capital Absolute Return Fund, CC Sage Capital Equity Plus Fund

Insights for investors into key trends: housing and consumer markets Sean Fenton, Sage Capital May 2021 Clear trends and themes have emerged in investment markets as a result of the pandemic and its effect on discretionary and non-discretionary spending and where we live. Exploring these themes was the focus of Sage Capital's recent webinar, which delved into how these dynamics are playing out in Australia and around the world. Bricks and mortar drives markets The webinar provided perspectives on the nature of the current housing boom and how long it can continue. It explored a related theme of consumer spending and how it has shifted one year after the first COVID lockdowns. The housing market cycle was the main theme during the session, given low interest rates the world-over have stimulated a boom in residential property markets. Detached dwellings in particular have benefitted, as people seek more space at home when they are prevented from travelling too far from their homes due to stay-at-home orders and border closures. As a result, apartment prices have not experienced the same gains as stand-alone homes. Flagging demand for inner-city properties is also the result of many people embracing the opportunity to move out of the city given the widespread adoption of the work-from-home way of working. Inner city apartments notwithstanding, the booming housing market isn't just good news for property, it also has flow-on effects to other sectors. The strong residential real estate market has translated to high demand for mortgages, which is good news for lenders and also service providers such as mortgage insurers. It's worth noting the lending sector is strong for another reason. At the start of the pandemic, many lenders made very large bad debt provisions, assuming borrowers would be stretched as a result of the pandemic leading to shut downs in many areas of the economy. These provisions, at least in Australia, have proven to be too generous, largely due to government stimulus programs helping borrowers to meet their obligations and taking the pressure off lenders. While this has been good news for financial institutions and also the housing market, concerns are emerging about whether the market is running too hot. Governments and regulators are also worried about housing affordability. As a result, some countries are taking action to moderate house price growth. As examples, New Zealand has taken steps to cool its housing market and Canada has recently tapered its bond-buying program. The Reserve Bank of Australia has not given any indication it's going to steer away from its lower for longer approach to interest rates. But that does not mean investors should not be informed by actions in other jurisdictions. It's a trend of which our portfolio managers should be aware, as these same trends could play out in other markets. What's happening at the checkout? Turning to consumer spending patterns, one of the fundamentals we're always curious about is the connection between housing market movements and consumer spending, and how this may play out across the investments in our portfolios. Retail spending is highly correlated with house prices. So when house prices are strong, we're much more likely to buy a new car, renovate and buy furniture and appliances. But this trend often reverses as interest rates and home loan repayments rise, and people are less inclined to spend money on non-discretionary items. We are also closely watching shifts in consumer spending as a result of the pandemic, investigating whether and when these shifts normalise and who the winners are in the short- medium- and long-term. When it comes to discretionary and non-discretionary spending, consumers will look for alternate ways to spend their money if recreational travel remains off the table. Which is why Sage Capital has been scouring the market for retailers with a real digital capability that may have been so far largely overlooked by investors. Retailers that are strong omni-channel marketers that have a demonstrated ability to do online fulfilment are well placed, especially those with strong national store networks, so they can easily deliver orders on the same day they are placed. This is a real advantage over online competitors that rely on big fulfilment centres for retail distribution. Achieving same day delivery is going to be very difficult for these operators and require significant capital expenditure to maintain their competitive position. Our ability to add value At Sage Capital, we understand these trends and aim to position the portfolio accordingly. These insights help us form a view on when to rotate in and out of stocks exposed to the housing market and the retail sector. As for the future, there are still many unknowns. These include the COVID-19 vaccination rollout in Australia and around the world and how that may affect international border openings and the future of international travel. The way these themes play out has implications for any investments exposed to the movement of people and goods across borders. These are just some of the themes we have been investigating at Sage Capital and that inform our approach to portfolio management. We look forward to sharing further insights form our webinars in the future. As a long short manager, the investment team is able to use its shorting powers to benefit from a falling market. At the same time, it can go long stocks when markets rise. This investment style, and the diversified nature of the portfolio, helps mitigate risks and provides protection when markets correct. Sage Capital is an Australian long-short equities manager with two investment strategies, the CC Sage Capital Equity Plus Fund and the CC Sage Capital Absolute Return Fund. Long-short strategies are often popular with investors when traditional asset classes are challenged. It's a strategy that aims to provide consistent returns through market cycles. Both Funds have performed well for investors over the one year to 31 March 2021. The CC Sage Capital Equity Plus Fund delivered a net return of 43.59%* and the CC Sage Capital Absolute Return Fund delivered a net return of 9.98%*, outperforming their respective benchmarks for the same period by 6.12% and 9.89%. *Past performance is not indicative of future performance. This information is for Wholesale and Professional Investors only and is provided by the Investment Manager, Sage Capital Pty Ltd ACN 632 839 877 AR No. 001276472 ('Sage Capital'). Channel Investment Management Limited ACN 163 234 240 AFSL 439007 ('CIML') is the responsible entity and issuer of units in the CC Sage Capital Equity Plus Fund ARSN 634 148 913 and the CC Sage Capital Absolute Return Fund ARSN 634 149 287 (collectively 'the Funds'). Channel Capital Pty Ltd ACN 162 591 568 AR No. 001274413 ('Channel') provides investment infrastructure services for Sage Capital and is the holding company of CIML. This information is supplied on the following conditions which are expressly accepted and agreed to by each interested party ('Recipient'). This information does not purport to contain all of the information that may be required to evaluate Sage Capital or the Funds and the Recipient should conduct their own independent review, investigations and analysis of Sage Capital and of the information contained or referred to in this document. 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For further information and before investing, please read the Product Disclosure Statement available from www.sagecap.com.au and www.channelcapital.com.au. Funds operated by this manager:  CC Sage Capital Absolute Return Fund, CC Sage Capital Equity Plus Fund