NEWS
27 Oct 2017 - Performance Report: Bennelong Australian Equities Fund
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| Fund Overview | The Bennelong Australian Equities Fund seeks quality investment opportunities which are under-appreciated and have the potential to deliver positive earnings. The investment process combines bottom-up fundamental analysis with proprietary investment tools that are used to build and maintain high quality portfolios that are risk aware. The investment team manages an extensive company/industry contact program which helps identify and verify various investment opportunities. The companies within the portfolio are primarily selected from, but not limited to, the S&P/ASX 300 Index. The Fund may invest in securities listed on other exchanges where such securities relate to the ASX-listed securities. The Fund typically holds between 25-60 stocks with a maximum net targeted position of an individual stock of 6%. |
| Manager Comments | The Fund benefited from strong returns during the quarter from Flight Centre, Reliance Worldwide and Costa Group. The largest detractors were Ramsay Health Care, Domino's Pizza Enterprises and Aristocrat Leisure as well as the Fund's underweight exposure to the strong performing Resources sector. Bennelong identify a rise in interest rates as a major risk to the Australian stock market, their view is that rates may lift, but not dramatically. Their belief is that higher rates will be attributable to higher inflation, which is likely to result from factors relating to innovation, demographics and under-employment. |
| More Information |
25 Oct 2017 - Fund Review: Bennelong Kardinia Absolute Return Fund September 2017
BENNELONG KARDINIA ABSOLUTE RETURN FUND
Attached is our most recently updated Fund Review. You are also able to view the Fund's Profile.
- The Fund is long biased, research driven, active equity long/short strategy investing in listed ASX companies with over ten-year track record.
- The Fund has significantly outperformed the ASX200 Accumulation Index since its inception in May 2006 and also has significantly lower risk KPIs. The Fund has an annualised return of 10.67% p.a. with a volatility of 7.01%, compared to the ASX200 Accumulation's return of 5.26% p.a. with a volatility of 13.68%.
- The Fund also has a strong focus on capital protection in negative markets. Portfolio Managers Mark Burgess and Kristiaan Rehder have significant market experience, while Bennelong Funds Management provide infrastructure, operational, compliance and distribution capabilities.
For further details on the Fund, please do not hesitate to contact us.
AFM Fund Review - September 2017 (pdf format)
20 Oct 2017 - Performance Report: 4D Global Infrastructure Fund
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| Fund Overview | The fund will be managed as a single portfolio of listed global infrastructure securities including regulated utilities in gas, electricity and water, transport infrastructure such as airports, ports, road and rail as well as communication assets such as the towers and satellite sectors. The portfolio is intended to have exposure to both developed and emerging market opportunities, with country risk assessed internally before any investment is considered. The maximum absolute position of an individual stock is 7% of the fund. |
| Manager Comments | Positive performers in September included Brazilian rail operator Rumo (+15.1%), Canadian pipeline operator Pembina (+11.2%) and US gas transporter Cheniere (+9%). Negative contributors included UK satellite operator Inmarsat (-8.1%) and Spanish airport operator AENA (-4.5%). The Fund remains overweight in user pays and underweight regulated utilities, and the Manager noted they are beginning to allocate cash to high quality, fundamentally attractive stocks that have lagged over the past few months. The Manager has a positive outlook for global listed infrastructure over the medium term. They note there has been a significant underinvestment in infrastructure around the world over the past 30 years and that public sector fiscal and debt constraints will limit governments' ability to respond, resulting in an increasing need for private sector capital as part of the funding solution. |
| More Information |
20 Oct 2017 - Performance Report: Bennelong Twenty20 Australian Equities Fund
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| Fund Overview | The Fund is managed as one portfolio but comprises and combines two separately managed exposures: 1. An investment in the top 20 stocks of the markets, which the Fund achieves by taking an indexed position in the S&P/ASX 20 Index; and 2. An investment in the stocks beyond the S&P/ASX 20 Index. This exposure is managed on an active basis using a fundamental core approach. The Fund may also invest in securities expected to be listed on the ASX, securities listed or expected to be listed on other exchanges where such securities relate to ASX-listed securities.Derivative instruments may be used to replicate underlying positions and hedge market and company specific risks. The companies within the portfolio are primarily selected from, but not limited to, the S&P/ASX 300 Accumulation Index. The Fund typically holds between 40-55 stocks and thus is considered to be highly concentrated. This means that investors should expect to see high short-term volatility. The Fund seeks to achieve growth over the long-term, therefore the minimum suggested investment timeframe is 5 years. |
| Manager Comments | The Fund's outperformance over the quarter is largely due to a number of its larger ex-20 positions, including Reliance Worldwide, Flight Centre and Costa Group. Negative contributors included Domino's Pizza and Aristocrat Leisure as well as the Fund's underweight exposure to the resources sector. Bennelong note that, given recent stock market returns and a low ASX200 VIX Index among other factors, they believe selective ex-20 stock picking may be able to contribute positively to investor returns. They identify a rise in interest rates as a major risk to the Australian stock market, their view is that rates may lift, but not dramatically. Bennelong's belief is that higher rates will be attributable to higher inflation, which is likely to result from factors relating to innovation, demographics and under-employment. |
| More Information |
20 Oct 2017 - Performance Report: Optimal Australia Absolute Trust
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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 | The Trust's short positions contributed positively, however, most of the performance was driven by the long portfolio. Positive performers included CYBG, Automotive Holdings, Macquarie Bank and Janus, as well as the Trust's investment in lithium producers - Orecobre, Galaxy Resources and Pilbara Minerals. The Trust's increased exposure to retail REITs amid the Amazon-inspired sell-off also contributed positively. ARCO increased the Trust's long position in Telstra, however, this remained a drag on overall performance. They also moved to exit their investment in Santos, and closed their short position in Woodside. ARCO note that ultra-low interest rates may continue to underpin expensive equity valuations, however, they believe that this won't last much longer. They note that offshore central banks seem keen to lift rates and tighten liquidity, and that despite there being less immediate upward pressure on rates in Australia, Australian banks have been tightening credit for some time. ARCO remain wary about the outlook for housing and its implications for the banking sector and the economy more broadly. |
| More Information |
20 Oct 2017 - Performance Report: NWQ Fiduciary Fund
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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 | All of the Fund's eleven underlying managers delivered positive returns in September, which NWQ see as particularly pleasing given the falling prices in the broader equity market. The Fund's Alpha managers (70% of the portfolio) contributed +1.69% and its Beta managers (25% of the portfolio) contributed +0.95% to performance over the month. NWQ note that despite the relatively benign performance of the equity market during September, the dispersion of stock returns both within and across sectors has started to pick up. NWQ expect this to continue and have positioned the portfolio accordingly. |
| More Information |
20 Oct 2017 - Hedge Clippings, 20 October, 2017
Anniversary, yes. Celebration? No!
It is understandable that those who survived the October '87 crash would want to remember its 30th anniversary, less understandable that many, if any, might be celebrating the event itself. Remembering the past is a useful lesson when trying to avoid making the same mistakes again, although there is no doubt that it is only a matter of time before the next major market event occurs.
October '87 was the most significant market shock since the crash of 1929, but there have been a series of market shocks since, all of which were preceded, to a greater or lesser extent, by irrational buying, thereby creating the necessary asset price bubble before the inevitable pop. While the details of each event differs, the underlying causes do not: Asset pricing ceasing to reflect reality.
Looking at current Australian equity prices it is difficult to argue that the market is in bubble territory, even if valuations in certain sectors are certainly stretched on a historical basis. While the US market has certainly steamed ahead by comparison, a market pullback of 25 to 50% would seem unlikely based purely on stretched valuations. If anything is going to upset this market, (leaving aside Trump or North Korea) one would assume it is going to be driven by excessive debt, a tightening of credit, or higher interest rates, be that in the US, Australia or China.
Having said that, while it seems certain that the next move in interest rates will be up, it is difficult to see rates moving so sharply that they would create an equity market crash. However, with rates having been so low for so long, even a small (say 2 to 3%) increase could magnify the relative effect on a number of asset classes, particularly Australian residential property, and the banking sector as a result.
This is what concerns the RBA, but the difficulty would seem to be how to resolve the dilemma. As usual it will be those who are over-geared who will pay a price and learn the hard way.
19 Oct 2017 - Performance Report: Cyan C3G Fund
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| Fund Overview | Cyan C3G Fund is based on the investment philosophy which can be defined as a comprehensive, clear and considered process focused on delivering growth. These are identified through stringent filter criteria and a rigorous research process. The Manager uses a proprietary stock filter in order to eliminate a large proportion of investments due to both internal characteristics (such as gearing levels or cash flow) and external characteristics (such as exposure to commodity prices or customer concentration). Typically, the Fund looks for businesses that are one or more of: a) under researched, b) fundamentally undervalued, c) have a catalyst for re-rating. The Manager seeks to achieve this investment outcome by actively managing a portfolio of Australian listed securities. When the opportunity to invest in suitable securities cannot be found, the manager may reduce the level of equities exposure and accumulate a defensive cash position. Whilst it is the company's intention, there is no guarantee that any distributions or returns will be declared, or that if declared, the amount of any returns will remain constant or increase over time. The Fund does not invest in derivatives and does not use debt to leverage the Fund's performance. However, companies in which the Fund invests may be leveraged. |
| Manager Comments | Positive performers for the month include Kelly Partners Group (+12), Skydive the Beach (+16), PSC Insurance (+8%), Afterpay Touch (+11%) and Family Zone (+38%). Cyan notes that in recent months an increased desire for smaller companies has lead the market to reward well positioned growth portfolios, and they see no signs of it slowing at this stage. However, one of their ongoing focal points is the risk/reward metric, thus they retain a relatively high proportion of cash in the portfolio. They also note that the Fund is well diversified, with 20 individual holdings spanning 6 broad industry sectors and no position accounting for more than 7% of the total Fund. |
| More Information |
17 Oct 2017 - Bennelong Twenty20 Australian Equities Fund September 2017
BENNELONG TWENTY20 AUSTRALIAN EQUITIES FUND
Attached is our most recently updated Fund Review on the Bennelong Twenty20 Australian Equities Fund.
- The Bennelong Twenty20 Australian Equities Fund invests in ASX listed stocks, combining an indexed position in the Top 20 stocks with an actively managed portfolio of stocks outside the Top 20. Construction of the ex-top 20 portfolio is fundamental, bottom-up, core investment style, biased to quality stocks, with a structured risk management approach.
- Mark East, the Fund's Chief Investment Officer, and Keith Kwang, Director of Quantitative Research have over 50 years combined market experience. Bennelong Funds Management (BFM) provides the investment manager, Bennelong Australian Equity Partners (BAEP) with infrastructure, operational, compliance and distribution services.
For further details on the Fund, please do not hesitate to contact us.
AFM Fund Review - September 2017 (pdf format)
13 Oct 2017 - Hedge Clippings, 13 October, 2017
"Same old, same old" vs. "In with the new…."
Over the past 12 months the top 20 ASX stocks - which make up 55% of the market cap of the ASX200 - have risen a paltry 3.45%. The ASX200 index itself has not surprisingly fared little better, rising 4.52%. Dominated as it is by the big four banks and BHP, and now to a lesser degree by Telstra, (the market cap of which has fallen by almost one third over the past 12 months), it is no wonder the Australian market is locked into a tight trading range.
Compared with the S&P500, which has risen 19% over the past 12 months, the local market has been a great disappointment. One of the great differences is that the US market is now dominated by new economy growth stocks, or the so called FANG's, namely Facebook, Apple, Netflix and Google, which have risen 33%, 33%, 97% and 24% respectively over the past year. Not only are these new economy companies, they're new businesses and, with the possible exception of Apple, had hardly been heard of by the average investor 10, and certainly not 20 years ago.
Australia's banks, plus Telstra, are driven and supported by dividend yield - or not in the case of Telstra - which results in the ASX200 having a total return over 12 months more than double that of its simple return based on price. Meanwhile the FANG's reinvest their profits in growing their global and industry domination.
The bottom line would seem to be that any upward driving force for the local market as a whole is limited accordingly. The banks are not only under pressure from Canberra, but their upside would seem to be constrained by a housing market that has been driven by easy credit and offshore property buying. Judging from today's Financial Stability Review published today by the RBA, the outlook for the banks at best is as good as it gets, and faces significant risks, even if the RBA did note the sector was well capitalised. And if the Treasurer is overseas spruiking that our banks are as safe as houses, you can bet your bottom dollar it is because he's not preaching to the converted.
So where do investors look for attractive returns, assuming index managers will be locked into market returns albeit with low fees - although as Hamish Douglass from Magellan points out in today's AFR, there are many active managers "dressed up in drag" charging plenty more while still hugging the index.
The answer surely lies in active management, be it a concentrated long only portfolio, probably outside the ASX100, or market neutral or long/short. Alternatively funds investing offshore, be it in Asia or Globally. A quick scan of AFM's database of top performing funds demonstrates the benefit of either approach.
