NEWS
Prime Value Growth Fund
28 Feb 2013 - Australian Fund Monitors
The Prime Value Growth Fund delivers 5.3% during January, out-performing the ASX 200 benchmark, and 14.5% over the previous twelve months.
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28 Feb 2013 - Prime Value Growth Fund
By: Australian Fund Monitors
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| Manager Comments | Stock selection was positive across most sectors. The stocks which contributed the most to performance included the banks, particularly National Australia Bank (up 9.4%), Computershare (up 16.5%) and Monadelphous (up 9.1%). The only company to detract from performance was Whitehaven Coal (down 6.3%), which warned that first half earnings would be well below expectations due to weak coal markets and strong Australian dollar. At a stock level, the fund prefers to combine companies with attractive growth characteristics which are witnessing positive revisions, particularly dividend revisions. The fund is also favoring stocks with strong balance sheets which have the capacity and opportunity to put their balance sheets to work. The manager's view is that the Australian equity market is not expensive especially versus some other financial assets. |
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WaveStone Capital Absolute Return Fund
27 Feb 2013 - Australian Fund Monitors
Wavestone delivers 3.95% over the month, a difficult month for absolute return funds, and 22.2% over the year ended January 2013.
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27 Feb 2013 - WaveStone Capital Absolute Return Fund
By: Australian Fund Monitors
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| Manager Comments | The manager reported stabilising influences across share markets over the month with diminishing global tail risks. The US fiscal ‘cliff’ was avoided, Japan announced a strong stimulus package and Chinese Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) data was pleasingly robust. Commodity markets continued their improvement with a 2.5% price rise in Australia’s basket of exports. However domestic economic data continues to lag the rest of the world with flat building approvals, a small rise in the unemployment rate, largely unchanged consumer sentiment and modest capital spending by corporates. Despite the weak environment, industrial shares have been in a bull-market since June last year with mining and resource-linked shares joining in as the iron ore price rebounded from October. Cheaper money, excess liquidity, attractive dividend yields and now finally the prospect of some earnings per share growth has assisted momentum. Within the fund the better performers for the month were Magellan, News Corporation and ANZ, while detractors included Sirtex, Sydney Airport and PanAust. Most of the short positions detracted over the period. Some profits were harvested in winning positions of the past six months including Sirtex and Ainsworth, as elevated portfolio positions were trimmed to more appropriate levels. The manager also reduced some stock specific short positions on the view that the market would turn its attention towards lagging stocks. At month-end, exposures were long 118.9%, short 22.9% and net long 96.0% |
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Magellan Global Fund
26 Feb 2013 - Australian Fund Monitors
The Magellan Global Fund delivers 4.8% during January and 28.3% over 12 months, easily out-performing its MSCI benchmark.
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26 Feb 2013 - Magellan Global Fund
By: Australian Fund Monitors
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| Manager Comments | The manager noted that the performance was driven by the quality of the companies in the portfolio as well as patience. There were 24 investments and cash levels of 2.5%. The Fund's themes continue to be emerging market consumption growth (representing 27% of the portfolio), US interest rates (14%), a move to the cashless economy (14%), US housing (13%) and internet/e-commerce (11%). The manager continues to see Europe experiencing low growth but is more constructive on the outlook for the US and China. Also notable is that the portfolio is structured to take into account the potential for a rapid readjustment of bond and foreign exchange markets once current policy stimulus by global central banks is withdrawn. |
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Pimco EQT Wholesale Global Bond Fund
25 Feb 2013 - Australian Fund Monitors
The Pimco EQT Wholesale Global Bond Fund delivers 0.25% for January and 12.18% for the preceding 12 months, a solid return in difficult fixed interest environment.
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25 Feb 2013 - Pimco EQT Wholesale Global Bond Fund
By: Australian Fund Monitors
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| Fund Overview | PIMCO concentrates on two sources of return: - Sector Allocation and Rotation; and - 'Bottom up' Credit Analysis of individual bonds and issuers. |
| Manager Comments | The fund benefited from the following strategies; financials, non-Agency mortgages, underweight duration and high yield corporate bonds. Negative returns came from agency mortgage backed securities. In terms of outlook the manager remains concerned regarding fiscal policy, sovereign risk and political events. The portfolio is focused on those sectors likely to benefit from the central- banked induced liquidity rally. Due the very low level of interest rates at the short-end and concern regarding the impact of inflation on the long-end of the curve the fund is concentrating on the inter-mediate sector of the curve. The fund is also concentrating on corporates and quasi-sovereign bonds in countries with strong balance sheets, e.g., Brazil. The fund has a 6% exposure to sub-investment grade, a duration of 5 years and a yield of 6.1%. |
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PM Capital Emerging Asia Fund
22 Feb 2013 - Australian Fund Monitors
PM Capital Emerging Asia Fund delivers 4.7% for January and 20.7% for the previous 12 months, well ahead of the MSCI Asia benchmark.
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22 Feb 2013 - PM Capital Emerging Asia Fund
By: Australian Fund Monitors
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| Manager Comments | The fund recorded strong returns from its holdings in SJM Holdings, iProperty Group and Beijing Capital Intl Airport (BCIA). SJM was buoyed by a rebound in gaming revenues, especially from VIP business. BCIA was strong as a result of the removal of the 40% discount enjoyed by local airline operators on international flights. This provided a 12 to 13% boost to earnings. The fund is running 17% cash and an exposure to the Hong Kong $ of 72% and has 14 holdings. |
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PM CAPITAL Enhanced Yield Fund
21 Feb 2013 - Australian Fund Monitors
The PM Capital Enhanced Yield Fund delivers 0.7% during January and 6.6% over the preceding 12 months, a solid return in a low interest rate environment.
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21 Feb 2013 - PM CAPITAL Enhanced Yield Fund
By: Australian Fund Monitors
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| Manager Comments | The manager has noted that credit spreads continued to tighten over January as global stimulus and the stronger US economy fueled confidence and assets moved out of cash into riskier assets. As a result some of the funds investments were sold and rotated into more attractive opportunities. Strong results were recorded from a number of yield securities including APT Pipelines, Tabcorp, Crown and RBS. Buy and write strategies over Google, Applied Materials and MGM contributed. Notably there were no negative contributors for the month. The fund has a very low interest rate duration of 0.2 years and a cash exposure at end-Jan of 31.8% and a 92% allocation to Australia. |
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Platinum International Brands Fund
20 Feb 2013 - Australian Fund Monitors
The Platinum International Brands Fund rose 2.44% during January and 26.1% over the preceding 12 months, strongly out-performing the global MSCI ($A) benchmark.
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20 Feb 2013 - Platinum International Brands Fund
By: Australian Fund Monitors
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| Fund Overview | The concept behind the Fund is that the process of globalisation, which involves the removal of impediments to ownership, international trade and promotion, will see the emergence of 'mega-brands'. Companies with these strong positions are likely to be able to augment the growth in their relatively mature but stable home markets by tapping faster growth in emerging markets, which are experiencing rising living standards. Alternatively, powerful regional brands can expect to enjoy strong growth and profitability and may even be taken over by global operators on account of the regional brand's local dominance. The portfolio will invest in companies around the world, including producers of luxury goods, other consumer durables, as well as food, beverages, household and personal care products, retailers, and financial services. |
| Manager Comments | The fund achieved the above returns while holding cash and short positions at 24.8% of the fund's value. The manager notes that a number of companies have benefited from the very low interest rates to become more acquisitive. This has assisted some of the Fund's holdings more recently. In addition, the fund is looking to exploit some of the opportunities that are arising in Africa from the rapid increase in consumer spending and flowing from this, demand for luxury brands. Notably the fund has a 71% exposure to the consumer staples and consumer discretionary sectors with little exposure to the other Index components. Investors should keep this exposure in mind as a risk factor. Despite a generally positive outlook the manager remains concerned about periodic volatility deriving from global sovereign debt issues and is therefore likely to continue hold higher levels of cash. |
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Platinum Japan Fund - AUD
19 Feb 2013 - Australian Fund Monitors
The Platinum Japan Fund rose 4.66% in January, assisted by moves in the Yen, and is up 21.2% for 12 months, out-performing the buoyant Japanese equity market.
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19 Feb 2013 - Platinum Japan Fund - AUD
By: Australian Fund Monitors
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| Manager Comments | The fund out-performed as a result of it's increased holding to exporters, the primary beneficiaries of the weaker Yen, as well as hedging just under half it's Yen exposure. This assisted in protecting asset values from the depreciating Yen on translation back into AUD. The fund also had cash of 1.6% and shorts of 4.8% of NAV. The manager also notes that the outlook for corporate Japan is improving and that exporters have significant profit gearing to the weaker Yen hence the fund's relatively high net long exposure to the market. |
| More Information | » View detailed profile of this fund |
Kapstream Absolute Return Income Fund
18 Feb 2013 - Australian Fund Monitors
Kapstream Absolute Return Income Fund delivers 8.42% over the last 12 months despite low global interest rates.
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18 Feb 2013 - Kapstream Absolute Return Income Fund
By: Australian Fund Monitors
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| Fund Overview | Kapstream draws on information from many sources such as economic roundtables, investment banks, brokers, rating agencies and central banks. Kapstream employs a rigorous evaluation process for individual trades, first confirming that a prospective trade meets Kapstream's global macroeconomic view, then taking account of various decision variables such as duration, yield curve and volatility which must support the research and analysis. |
| Manager Comments | The manager attributes the good returns to a credit spread rally and a conservative interest-rate position in the portfolio. Other strategy themes include a preference for; floating rate assets to fixed-rate assets on the assumption that monetary policy will tighten at some point, corporate bonds to sovereign bonds and a preference for Asian names and larger allocations to the region. Of interest is that the Fund also favors the debt of Australian/Asian and US financials. In Australia, the fund holds the debt of the big 4 banks including senior debt and lower Tier 1 and Tier 2 paper. The fund has also taken short positions on the 10 year bonds rates of Australia, Korea and Japan via options. The Manager has a reasonably positive view on the US but remains concerned with respect to the outlook for Europe and, to a lesser degree, Australia. |
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Platinum International Fund
15 Feb 2013 - Australian Fund Monitors
Platinum delivers 4.68% during January and up a strong 18.72% over the six months.
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15 Feb 2013 - Platinum International Fund
By: Australian Fund Monitors
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| Manager Comments | The Fund did well from its European holdings as well as Japanese investments, where the Topix rose 9%. The Japanese investments were aided by Yen hedging and derivative exposure to the Topix, but somewhat hampered by a lack of exposure to exporters, the major beneficiaries of the weaker Yen. The Fund also benefited from a reduced short exposure of 12%, its lowest position in years. The Fund was impacted by the decline in some Chinese holdings as the SEC indicated concerns over Chinese company reporting. The manager has a positive outlook for equities based on economic factors, reduced risk aversion and equity valuations. While not calling a bull market the manager does see a period of equity buoyancy and the fund is invested accordingly. |
| More Information | » View detailed profile of this fund |
