NEWS
Performance Report: Australian Eagle Trust Long-Short Fund
6 Dec 2019 - Australian Fund Monitors
The Australian Eagle Trust Long-Short Fund rose +3.80% in November, outperforming the ASX200 Accumulation Index by +0.52% and taking annualised performance since inception in July 2016 to +20.61% versus the Index's +12.93%.
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6 Dec 2019 - Performance Report: Australian Eagle Trust Long-Short Fund
By: Australian Fund Monitors
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| Manager Comments | The portfolio's largest positive contributions for the month came from long positions in Xero, Cochlear and CSL, while the largest detractors were short positions in Virgin Money UK plc, Caltex Australia and a long position in National Australia Bank. The Fund had 30 long positions and 19 short positions with largest exposure to medical devices & services and technology stocks. There was relatively less exposure to the financial services and materials stocks. |
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Performance Report: Wheelhouse Global Equity Income Fund
6 Dec 2019 - Australian Fund Monitors
The Wheelhouse Global Quality Equity Fund returned -0.78% in October. Since inception in May 2017, the Fund has returned +8.93% p.a. with an annualised volatility of 7.35%.
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6 Dec 2019 - Performance Report: Wheelhouse Global Equity Income Fund
By: Australian Fund Monitors
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| Fund Overview | To pursue this objective, the Investment Manager is responsible for actively managing, monitoring and tailoring the integration of derivative contracts alongside the Morningstar Portfolio, while taking into account changing market and stock specific conditions. The Investment Manager is responsible for maximising the structural benefits of short option positions (lowered Volatility, improved capital preservation, higher income generation), whilst mitigating, minimising and monitoring the structural negatives (variable market exposure, option expiries, collateral management and asymmetric return profiles). In addition, long derivatives positions are also used to enhance the capital preservation characteristics of the Fund in more extreme market movements. As a consequence of the integration of Derivatives, returns of the strategy, intra-cycle, are expected to vary from the underlying Morningstar Portfolio due to these characteristics. For example in weak markets, or in extended sideways markets, the Fund is expected to outperform relative to the Morningstar Portfolio. Conversely in strong positive markets the Fund is expected to underperform. |
| Manager Comments | The Fund's October return comprised +1.30% from the portfolio (in USD) and -2.08% from the strengthening of the Australian dollar against the US dollar. Top contributors included Amgen, Kao Corp, Western Union, Bristol-Myers Squibb and UnitedHealth Group. Detractors included Anheuser-Busch InBev, McDonald's, Nike, Veeva Systems and General Mills. The strategy's high-income generation and active tail risk program are designed to lower risk and deliver equity returns with a smoother, more retiree-friendly return profile. As a result, Wheelhouse expect returns to add relative value in weak and low-growth markets and to drag in more positive markets. |
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Performance Report: Bennelong Concentrated Australian Equities Fund
5 Dec 2019 - Australian Fund Monitors
The Bennelong Concentrated Australian Equities Fund rose +1.62% in October, outperforming the ASX200 Accumulation Index by +1.97% and taking 12-month performance to +19.65%. Since inception in January 2009, the Fund has returned +16.55%...
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5 Dec 2019 - Performance Report: Bennelong Concentrated Australian Equities Fund
By: Australian Fund Monitors
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| Fund Overview | The overriding objective of the Concentrated Australian Equities Fund is to seek investment opportunities which are under-appreciated and have the potential to deliver positive earnings, while satisfying our stringent quality criteria. Bennelong's investment process combines bottom-up fundamental analysis together with proprietary investment tools which are used to build and maintain high quality portfolios that are risk aware. The portfolio typically consists of 20-35 high-conviction stocks from the S&P/ASX 300 Index. The Fund may invest in securities listed on other exchanges where such securities relate to ASX-listed securities. Derivative instruments are mainly used to replicate underlying positions and hedge market and company specific risks. |
| Manager Comments | As at the end of October, the Fund's weightings had been increased in the Discretionary, Health Care and Industrials sectors, and decreased in the Consumer Staples, IT, Communication, REIT's, Materials and Financials sectors. The Fund's top holdings included CSL, Reliance Worldwide and BHP Billiton. The Fund aims to invest in a concentrated portfolio of high quality companies with strong growth outlooks and underestimated earnings momentum and prospects. By comparison with the ASX300 Accumulation Index, the portfolio's holdings, on average, have a higher return on equity, lower debt/equity, higher sales growth, higher EPS growth, high price/earnings and lower dividend yield which collectively highlight that the Fund is in line with its investment objectives. |
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Performance Report: Spectrum Strategic Income Fund
5 Dec 2019 - Australian Fund Monitors
The Spectrum Strategic Income Fund returned -0.07% in October. The Fund has returned +4.70% over the past 12 months and +7.85% p.a. since inception in June 2009 with an annualised volatility of 3%.
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5 Dec 2019 - Performance Report: Spectrum Strategic Income Fund
By: Australian Fund Monitors
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| Manager Comments | The portfolio remains well diversified with a broad spread of securities by legal structure. Bank T2 capital remains at 25% of the portfolio, while senior unsecured comprises 29% and senior secured represents 11%. The Fund holds 10% in ASX listed securities. Over the month hybrid securities recorded their first negative month since February 2019 which had an adverse effect on performance. The portfolio is positioned to take advantage of movements in spreads or rates. With 11.6% in cash, the Fund can take advantage of any credit spread weakness. Spectrum noted that over time the cash balance will be reinvested. The portfolio continues to maintain an average credit rating of A-. |
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A week on the ground in Hong Kong
4 Dec 2019 - Curtis Cifuentes - Avenir Capital
Through no prescience (rather a lack thereof) on our part, members of the Avenir team spent all last week in Hong Kong. While our primary purpose for being there was to meet both companies we own as well as potential new investments (and...
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4 Dec 2019 - A week on the ground in Hong Kong
By: Curtis Cifuentes - Avenir Capital
Performance Report: Insync Global Quality Equity Fund
4 Dec 2019 - Australian Fund Monitors
The Insync Global Quality Equity Fund has risen +23.01% over the past 12 months, outperforming AFM's Global Equity Index by +8.42%. Since inception in October 2009, the Fund has returned +13.51% p.a. versus the Index's +11.39%.
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4 Dec 2019 - Performance Report: Insync Global Quality Equity Fund
By: Australian Fund Monitors
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| Fund Overview | Insync employs four simple screens to narrow the universe of over 40,000 listed companies globally to a focus group of high-quality companies that it believes have the potential to consistently grow their profits and dividends. These screens are: size of the company, balance sheet performance, valuation and dividend quality. Companies that pass this due diligence process are then valued using dividend discount models, free cash flow yield and proprietary implied growth and expected return models. The end result is a high conviction portfolio typically of 15-30 stocks. The principal investments will be in shares of companies listed on international stock exchanges (including the US, Europe and Asia). The Fund may also hold cash, derivatives (for example futures, options and swaps), currency contracts, American Depository Receipts and Global Depository Receipts. The Fund may also invest in various types of international pooled investment vehicles. |
| Manager Comments | The Fund returned -0.33% in October after fees. Positive contributors included Apple, Bristol-Myer Squibb, Facebook, Rightmove PLC and Nvidia Corp. Detractors included Heineken, Estee Lauder, Constellation Brands, Accenture and Intuit. The Fund continues to have no currency hedging in place as Insync consider the main risks to the Australian dollar to be on the downside. Insync noted there continued to be a shift from quality growth companies towards cyclical companies during the month, led by optimism around some form of partial trade deal. Whilst central banks globally now have an accommodative monetary policy, Insync continue to hold the view that the global economic backdrop remains challenging, with low growth and low inflation a major headwind for businesses that are reliant on a strong economy to drive their earnings. They believe the current environment continues to favour secular growth businesses with high levels of profitability. |
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Performance Report: Bennelong Emerging Companies Fund
4 Dec 2019 - Australian Fund Monitors
The Bennelong Emerging Companies Fund rose +2.61% in October, outperforming the ASX200 Accumulation Index by +2.96% and taking 12-month performance to +65.51% versus the Index's +19.29%.
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4 Dec 2019 - Performance Report: Bennelong Emerging Companies Fund
By: Australian Fund Monitors
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| Fund Overview | The Fund may invest in securities expected to be listed on the ASX within 12 months. The Fund may also invest in securities listed, or expected to be listed, on other exchanged where such securities relate to ASX-listed securities |
| Manager Comments | Bennelong noted that, whilst performance has been reasonably strong, they continue to find very attractive opportunities among emerging companies that they believe should position the Fund for decent future returns over time. The Fund's top holdings as at the end of October included Viva Leisure, BWX and Mader. |
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Retirement income review consultation paper - an overview and some initial...
3 Dec 2019 - Gyrostat Capital Management
The Retirement Income Review commissioned by the Government issued a consultation paper on 22 November 2019 and called for submissions by 3 February 2020. This article provides an overview of that consultation paper and makes some...
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3 Dec 2019 - Retirement income review consultation paper - an overview and some initial observations
By: Gyrostat Capital Management
Performance Report: Touchstone Index Unaware Fund
3 Dec 2019 - Australian Fund Monitors
The Touchstone Index Unaware Fund rose +1.25% in October, outperforming the ASX200 Accumulation Index by +1.6% and taking 12-month performance to +17.46% with a volatility of +8.24%.
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3 Dec 2019 - Performance Report: Touchstone Index Unaware Fund
By: Australian Fund Monitors
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| Fund Overview | The portfolio is constructed using Touchstone's Quality-At-a-Reasonable-Price ('QARP') investment process. QARP is a fundamental bottom-up process, however, it also incorporates a top-down risk management framework designed to successfully manage the portfolio during varying market conditions and economic cycles. The Touchstone Fund is concentrated, typically holding between 15-20 stocks. No individual stock will ever make up more than 10% of the portfolio at any one time. The Investment Manager may temporarily exceed the exposure limits of the Fund occasionally, particularly during periods of market volatility, to allow for holdings in excess of this 10% limit where the increase in value of the underlying security is due to market movement. The Fund may also hold between 0-50% of the portfolio in cash. The Fund has a high level of associated risk, therefore, the minimum suggested investment time-frame is 5 years. |
| Manager Comments | As at the end of October, the Fund held 20 stocks with a median position size of 4.6%. The portfolio's holdings had an average forward year price/earnings of 16.6, forward year EPS growth of 5.0%, forward year tangible ROE of 22.8% and forward year dividend yield of 4.1%. The Fund's cash weighting was left unchanged at 5.3%. The Fund primarily seeks to select stocks from the ASX300 Index, typically holding between 10-30 stocks. The Fund seeks to invest in reasonably priced, good quality companies with a significant share of expected returns coming from sustainable dividends. |
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Performance Report: NWQ Fiduciary Fund
3 Dec 2019 - Australian Fund Monitors
The NWQ Fiduciary Fund rose +0.56% in October, outperforming the ASX200 Accumulation Index by +0.91%. Since inception in May 2013, the Fund has returned +5.54% p.a. with an annualised volatility of 4.82%.
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3 Dec 2019 - Performance Report: NWQ Fiduciary Fund
By: Australian Fund Monitors
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| Fund Overview | The Fund aims to produce returns, after management fees and expenses of between 8% to 11% p.a. over rolling five-year periods. Furthermore, the Fund aims to achieve these returns with volatility that is a fraction of the Australian equity market, in order to smooth returns for investors. |
| Manager Comments | NWQ believe the fact that market indices have risen strongly this year against a backdrop of weakening fundamentals presents the Fund's managers with a rich opportunity set on both the long and short side of their portfolios. They noted there are opportunities in the form of growth companies with fundamental support on the long side and companies that are being propped up by low rates and excess liquidity on the short side. There was a high degree of dispersion in the returns of the underlying managers in October and NWQ believe the Fund's positive return demonstrated the benefits of having a diversified portfolio of managers. The Fund's Alpha managers contributed positively to overall performance in October (+0.85%) while the Beta managers made a small negative contribution (-0.21%). |
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