NEWS
Morphic Global Opportunities Fund
11 Jul 2014 - Australian Fund Monitors
Morphic Global Opportunities Fund returned 1.07% during June, ahead of the global equity index at 0.46%, and with financial year performance of 20.81%.
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11 Jul 2014 - Morphic Global Opportunities Fund
By: Australian Fund Monitors
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| Manager Comments | At month-end Fund gross exposure was 132%, net exposure 101% and a VaR of 1.05% (95th percentile with a 1 day holding period using a 1 year look back). The best performing Indian stocks held by the fund were Rural Electrification Corp and Canara Bank. The tactic of writing out of the money calls over a portion of the Fund's positions has been maintained, so as to generate income from the high implied volatility, while still leaving substantial room to participate in the slower share price rises expected from here as the market calms down. Other stock gains came from idiosyncratic stock performance. Japanese printer manufacturer, Seiko Epson, in which the Fund has been building a position, rallied 9.7% after presentations to analysts saw a string of earnings estimate upgrades. Semperit, an Austrian industrial rubber products producer, rose 8.7% after announcing a capacity expansion to take advantage of higher margins. The Fund remains fully invested, with similar levels of low regional biases and a focus on stock specific ideas. The Australian dollar's rally has continued, dampening absolute returns, with the Fund's partial hedge providing some offset. |
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Monash Absolute Investment Fund
10 Jul 2014 - Australian Fund Monitors
Monash Absolute Investment Fund returned -1.01% during June and 23.00% for the financial year.
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10 Jul 2014 - Monash Absolute Investment Fund
By: Australian Fund Monitors
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| Fund Overview | The fund seeks to identify opportunities in the share market to make positive returns (long and short) irrespective of market conditions. It is style agnostic, as compelling investment opportunities exist across all investment styles from time to time. The Fund places a high priority on capital preservation, and has an absolute return focus in accepting market risk. The Manager's experience across value, growth and discounted cash flow styles allows them to use a comprehensive approach to investment decisions that applies all three. They also have the patience to seek out only compelling opportunities, rather than settling for relative value. The portfolio is somewhat concentrated, looking to diversify across industries and themes, rather than by trying to stay near an index. The portfolio may at times have a large amount of cash or other protection. However once investments are made turnover may be relatively high in order to lock in gains and avoid losses. |
| Manager Comments | At month-end the Fund had a gross exposure of 87%, net exposure of 78% and a VaR of 1.1%. In May the fund was down -1.0% after fees against the backdrop of an even weaker Australian equity market. The portfolio was helped by its property and financials related investments and hurt by its technology and early stage product launch investments. In contrast to the previous month there was a lack of news flow and stocks generally drifted. Our net exposure increased somewhat this month as we have begun to add positions ahead of the upcoming results season. |
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The Paragon Fund
8 Jul 2014 - Australian Fund Monitors
In a difficult month for the ASX The Paragon Fund returned a very sound 4.9% bringing 12 month performance to 30.0%.
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8 Jul 2014 - The Paragon Fund
By: Australian Fund Monitors
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| Fund Overview | Paragon accepts that markets are not always efficient in pricing information into securities and that no one investment style works in every stage of the investment cycle. Subsequently Paragon adopts a top down thematic led approach to identify companies exhibiting sustainable or improving returns on capital driven by volume growth, pricing power and competitive advantages. Paragon utilises both quantitative analysis to provide probability weighted high/low/base case valuations and qualitative analysis in assessing management, the business model and likely direction of returns. Paragon will allocate assets to each investment opportunity based on a risk/reward profile. Positions have defined investment parameters and risk limits, which are then monitored on an ongoing basis. |
| Manager Comments | The Fund was 80.9% long and 16.9% short for a net position of 64% at month-end with 24 long positions and 9 short positions. Key drivers of the Paragon Fund performance for June included strong returns from our investment in Liquefied Natural Gas and emerging graphite company Triton Minerals. |
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Optimal Australia Absolute Trust
7 Jul 2014 - Australian Fund Monitors
Optimal Australia's Absolute Trust returned +0.63% in June against the ASX200 which fell -1.5% with the fund's low concentration and risk controls mitigating losses on long positions, while shorts significantly outperformed.
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7 Jul 2014 - Optimal Australia Absolute Trust
By: Australian Fund Monitors
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| Fund Overview | The Fund's bias is likely to be net long under normal market conditions, with the core strategy being to construct a portfolio of listed equity securities priced at levels that do not adequately reflect their underlying value. The Fund will seek to boost returns and limit potential market downside by selective short selling of individual stocks which are priced at levels that are viewed as materially above their underlying value. The Fund will also use certain trading strategies both within its core portfolio (through rebalancing stock weights and overall market exposure in response to price movements) and in certain other situations (typically of a shorter-duration and/or opportunistic nature) with the objective of further increasing returns. |
| Manager Comments | Commenting on the market's negative performance in June, Optimal noted that had it not been for two single day jags of 1.6 and 1.2% respectively the overall market result for the month of June would have been considerably uglier. Optimal has previously noted the warning signs in markets, and believes they are growing rather than diminishing, citing in particular the IPO frenzy, increased M&A activity, and especially recent activity in the credit markets. Optimal sees further evidence of a collapse in sentiment first apparent around the time of the Federal Budget in May leading to more cautious consumers, and companies not investing or hiring. Meanwhile the government is retrenching and cutting expenditure, while the high A$ has further impacted competitiveness and growth. Overall, Optimal feel that a positive outcome on current growth drivers, (and on geopolitical risk) is priced into equity valuations; and a worse outcome, especially coupled with any resumption of inflationary pressure and interest rate normalisation, is very much not. |
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Bennelong Alpha 200 Fund
7 Jul 2014 - Australian Fund Monitors
Bennelong Alpha 200 Fund returned 0.32% in a weak market (ASX 200 Accum - 1.50%).
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7 Jul 2014 - Bennelong Alpha 200 Fund
By: Australian Fund Monitors
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| Fund Overview | The core investment strategy of the Fund consists of the active selection of a series of paired long/short investments in Australian listed equities based upon the Investment Manager's fundamental research. The strategy seeks to capture stock Alpha whilst limiting portfolio exposure to market risk by adopting a dollar neutral portfolio market exposure position with the tactical capability to take net exposure of up to +/- 20% of gross assets. Stock selection is based on fundamental analysis to derive a view of a pair of individual stocks. The Investment Manager is style neutral in determining the stock's positioning. This primary 'pairs' strategy may be enhanced by other complementary strategies, including event driven, security and takeover arbitrage, thematic and momentum trading. The paired stock positions comprise long and short correlated securities that are in most cases simultaneously opened. A portfolio of approximately 30-100 stocks will be selected and actively managed in 15-50 pairs to comprise the core minimum (60%) of the Gross Asset Value. Up to a maximum of 40% of the portfolio's Gross Asset Value may be invested in uncorrelated securities and/or uncovered (long and/or short) positions. These 'satellite' positions are intended to enhance returns and to balance overall portfolio risk. In this regard, the Investment Manager recognises that it is not always possible to achieve a suitable paired profile within the S&P/ASX 200, and that a high conviction long or short stock idea might not always have a suitable pair. |
| Manager Comments | At month-end the Fund was 50.9% long and 49.1% short with month-end leverage of 2.6 times. The fund produced a slightly positive return for the month with the short portfolio generating a positive return in a weak equity market, just compensating for the negative contribution from our long portfolio. At a sector level, Industrials (primarily the Long Austal / Short Spotless pair) and Media made the largest positive contribution. The fund experienced both a positive and a negative impact from the weak consumer environment but overall Retail and Travel made the largest negative sector contributions. Three of our consumer exposed long positions and one our shorts had downgrades to their profit outlook during the month. |
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Microequities Deep Value Microcap Fund
4 Jul 2014 - Australian Fund Monitors
In the first negative month on the ASX since January the Microequities Deep Value Fund returned 1.39% and 31.53% for the year.
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4 Jul 2014 - Microequities Deep Value Microcap Fund
By: Australian Fund Monitors
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| Fund Overview | The objective of the Fund is to identify undervalued Microcap companies, invest in them and, through a medium to long term commitment, attempt to deliver superior investment returns. The Fund invests primarily in ASX listed Microcap companies, which at the time of initial investment are generally below a market capitalisation of A$250 million. The Fund may also invest in companies with a higher market capitalisation, but these will be limited to no more than 20% of the assets of the Fund. At times the Fund may invest in pre-IPO securities that are due to be listed on the ASX within 3-6 months, and have lodged a prospectus with ASIC. These investments will also be limited to no more than 10% of the assets of the Fund. The Fund will be limited to investing no more than 20% of the Fund's assets in any one security or company. The Fund will make investments with a medium to long term time horizon of between 3-5+ years. The Fund will not speculate in derivatives. It will be permitted to hold other securities that are directly associated with a particular investment such as options granted with a specific company issue etc. The Fund will not engage in short selling or stock lending. The Fund will not hold financial debt of any kind. |
| Manager Comments | Since inception in March 2009 the Fund has returned 29.63%, double the ASX 200 return of 14.32% with a slightly higher volatility of 14.97% as compared to the Index volatility of 12.59%. Investors have been rewarded for the higher volatility with a Sharpe ratio of 1.59 and a Sortino ratio of 3.69. Index comparatives statistics are 0.84 and 1.27. Domestically the month has seen a stabilisation in consumer confidence following a post-budget fall. Despite the negative bent in media reporting, the Australian consumer has plenty of good reasons to open their wallets. The labor market is relatively stable, interest rates are near all time lows, property and equity markets have risen, increasing household wealth. On the liabilities side, the GFC saw households take a defensive mindset and reduce their gearing levels. There exists significant pent up demand within Australian households. |
| More Information | » View detailed profile of this fund |
Fund Review: Bennelong Long Short Fund AFM Fund Review May 2014
3 Jul 2014 - Australian Fund Monitors
Bennelong's Long/Short Equity Fund returned -0.80% in May 2014, a difficult market both globally and in Australia, with a twelve month return of 4.81% (ASX 200 Acc 16.45%).
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3 Jul 2014 - Fund Review: Bennelong Long Short Fund AFM Fund Review May 2014
By: Australian Fund Monitors
BENNELONG LONG SHORT EQUITY FUND
Attached is our most recently updated Fund Review on the Bennelong Long Short Equity Fund.
- The Fund is a research driven, market and sector neutral, "pairs" trading strategy investing primarily in large cap stocks from the ASX/S&P100 Index, with a twelve year track record and annualised net returns of 18.26% pa.
- Since inception in January 2003 the Fund has had positive annual returns each year, including an 11.95% return in 2008 and 20.6% in 2011, both of which were negative years for the ASX200.
- The Fund's risk statistics are also sound with maximum drawdown of 12.22% and 68% positive months. Both the Sharpe Ratio at 1.09 and the Sortino ratio at 1.84, indicate a high reward-to-risk ratio.
- The consistent returns across the investment history indicates the Fund's ability to provide positive returns in volatile and negative markets and significantly outperform the broader market.
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Fund performance was muted for the month as the market drifted without any strong thematic and investors were subject to merger andacquisition activity/speculation, yield/defensive buying and stock specific issues. Our assessment is that the April factors thatnegatively impacted fund returns, which were of a more global nature, were persisting early in the period but since have abated. Fund activitywas limited in May as our view of market fundamentals have not really changed.
Research and Database Manager
Australian Fund Monitors
Fund Review: Optimal Australia Absolute Trust May 2014
2 Jul 2014 - Australian Fund Monitors
AFM's updated Fund Review for the Optimal Australia Absolute Trust for May 2014 has been released. The fund is characterised by very low risk with an annualised standard deviation 3.49% (Index 14.85%)and a Sharpe Ratio since inception of 1.78.
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2 Jul 2014 - Fund Review: Optimal Australia Absolute Trust May 2014
By: Australian Fund Monitors
OPTIMAL AUSTRALIA ABSOLUTE TRUST
Attached is our most recently updated Fund Review on the Optimal Australia Absolute Trust.
We would like to highlight the following:
- Optimal Australia is a specialist Australian equity investment manager and the Fund has a long/short equity strategy typically with a low but variable net market exposure comprising 40 to 65 stocks broadly selected from within the ASX200.
- The Fund returned 1.40% in May with an annual return of 4.81% and a very low standard deviation of 1.70% (ASX 200 Acc 8.87%).
- The Fund has recorded out-performance of the market since inception in September 2008 with approximately 84% of monthly performances having positive returns and the largest drawdown was -1.38% (Index -33.11%).
- The Fund has sound Sharpe and Sortino ratios at 1.78 and 5.22 since inception, as compared to the Index ratios of 0.21 and 0.18 respectively.
- The investment team comprising George Colman, Peter Whiting supported by Stephen Nicholls and Justin Hay have over 100 years combined experience in equity markets.
For further details on the Fund, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Research and Database Manager
Australian Fund Monitors
Fund Review: Insync Global Titans Fund May 2014
2 Jul 2014 - Australian Fund Monitors
AFM's updated Fund Review for Insync Global Titans Fund for May 2014 shows the Fund delivering an annualised return of 10.14% and standard deviation of 8.43% (since inception in October 2009) with sound risk-reward statistics.
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2 Jul 2014 - Fund Review: Insync Global Titans Fund May 2014
By: Australian Fund Monitors
Insync Global Titans Fund AFM Review - May 2014 (pdf format)
INSYNC GLOBAL TITANS FUND
Attached is our most recently updated Fund Review on the Insync Global Titans Fund.
We would like to highlight the following:
- The Global Titans Fund invests in a concentrated portfolio of 15-30 stocks, targeting exceptional, large cap global companies with a strong focus on dividend growth and downside protection.
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The Funds unit price increased by 1.7% in May. Key positive contributors for the month came from our holdings in Reckitt Benckiser, Zimmer, Directv, Express Scripts and Discover. The main negative contributors were Coach, Safran and Wyndham. The Fund continues to have no foreign currency hedging in place as Insync consider the main risks to the Australian dollar to be on the downside.
- Portfolio selection is driven by a core strategy of investing in companies with sustainable growth in dividends, high returns on capital, positive free cash flows and strong balance sheets.
- Emphasis on limiting downside risk is through extensive company research, the ability to hold cash and long protective index put options.
For further details on the Fund, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Sean Webster
Research Manager
Insync Global Titans Fund AFM Review - May 2014 (pdf format)
Fund Review: Supervised High Yield Fund May 2014
2 Jul 2014 - Australian Fund Monitors
AFM's updated Fund Review for the Supervised High Yield Fund for May 2014. The Fund is characterised by positive returns and very low risk. Since inception (April 2009) the Fund has returned 11.01% pa with a volatility of 2.20%
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2 Jul 2014 - Fund Review: Supervised High Yield Fund May 2014
By: Australian Fund Monitors
Supervised High Yield Fund AFM Review May 2014 (pdf format)
SUPERVISED HIGH YIELD FUND
We would like to highlight the following aspects of the Fund;
- The Supervised High Yield Fund (SHYF) has a 5 year track record investing in fixed interest investments. The Investment strategy aims to deliver returns with zero correlation to equity markets by investing in debt securities with minimal default probability and offering a premium return above the risk free rate.
- The Fund is managed by Philip Carden whose experience in debt and capital markets spans 32 years, including time with JB Were's Capel Court Securities and Macquarie Bank, where he was the Executive Director responsible for the Debt Markets Division.
- SHYF is an Alternative Income fund which invests in Global and Australian debt markets, with all foreign currency receivables hedged back to Australian dollars.
- The Fund utilises a top down analysis of the economic environment and market to screen and identify debt market opportunities which it believes offer low risk with high yield. The next stage is the development of a risk matrix and investment strategy, following which detailed research is undertaken on specific investment opportunities which meet the pre-defined criteria established in the investment strategy.
- Prior to approving an investment for the Fund each potential investment is subject to two stress tests. The first of these is for credit and default risk, in which the investment is stress-tested to ensure that in a worst case economic environment it can repay 100% of its principal and interest obligations case scenario for the asset by examining the highest margin over the risk rate that the investment has previously experienced in a crisis situation. Any decline in value under the stress test that exceeds 10% of the Fund's value is avoided The second test examines market risk. In this case Carden looks at the worst case scenario for the asset by examining the highest margin over the risk rate that the investment has previously experienced in a crisis situation. Any decline in value under the stress test that exceeds 10% of the Fund's value is avoided.
- Annualised return since inception is 11.01% with a very low standardised standard deviation of 2.20%. Other risk statistics are impressive and show the Fund's risk philosophy; over 98% of monthly performances have been positive, the Fund's largest drawdown is -0.12% and has a Sharpe ratio of 3.18.
Sean Webster
Research and Database Manager
Supervised High Yield Fund AFM Review May 2014 (pdf format)
