QATO Capital Market Neutral Long/Short Fund

Attached is our most recently updated Fund Review on the QATO Capital Market Neutral Long/Short Fund.

We would like to highlight the following aspects of the Fund;

• Qato Capital is a Melbourne-based boutique fund manager backed by single family office, Larkfield Funds Management.
• Qato has a systematic, market-neutral strategy which invests exclusively in S&P/ASX 100 stocks.
• The QATO Capital's Q-score process captures and quantifies six broad fundamental factors, which assess multiple underlying sub-categories. Those companies with the top score (quality companies) are included in the "long" portfolio, those with the lowest score are sold short.
• The Fund seeks to preserve capital and maximises absolute returns through active and constant risk management, targeting monthly a net market exposure of 0% to hedge broader market risks through 30 S&P/ASX-100 positions (15 long & 15 short equally-weighted positions).
• Qato Capital's process is entirely systematic - stock selection and risk management are employed in a rules-based approach. The Fund employs no financial leverage/gearing to purchase securities, no derivatives, and no financial products to imitate leverage.

For further details on the Fund, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Australian Fund Monitors

ATTACHED FILESAFM Fund Review - August 2016 (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 Fund's unit price increased by 0.5% in August. The performance was driven by positive contributions from the holdings in Visa, Microsoft, Time Warner, eBay and Oracle Corp. The main negative contributors were BAT, Comcast, Roche and Mead Johnson Nutrition. 

• 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.

• 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.

Australian Fund Monitors

ATTACHED FILESAFM Fund Review - August 2016 (pdf format)

PENGANA ABSOLUTE RETURN ASIA PACIFIC FUND

Attached is our most recently updated Fund Review on the Pengana Absolute Return Asia Pacific Fund.

• The Pengana Absolute Return Asia Pacific Fund ("PARAP") was established in 2008 by portfolio managers Antonio Meroni and Vikas Kumra. The Fund is a feeder fund into a Cayman Islands AUD share class fund.
• The Fund invests both long and short in Asia Pacific equities, including in Australian and New Zealand, after a stock specific "event" has either occurred or been announced and the portfolio aims to be uncorrelated to the underlying equity markets. A combination of the Manager's experience, thorough research and continuous back- testing identify the most attractive of these events.
• Risk controls include limits on individual positions as well as gross and net exposure. Limits are in place for option exposure and cash borrowing, with stop loss limits on individual positions. Overall the manager is looking to derive returns from the event strategies as opposed to any currency or market exposures.
• Since inception, the Fund has an annualised return of 8.70% p.a., compared to the MSCI ACWI Asia Pacific Price Index's return of 3.80% p.a.

For further details on the Fund, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Australian Fund Monitors

ATTACHED FILESAFM Fund Review - August 2016 (pdf format)

US Federal Reserve chickens out

As expected the US Federal Reserve didn't have the nerve to increase rates when they met earlier this week, once again scared that any shift, however long it has been expected, will either damage a fragile economy, equity markets where valuations have been bloated by QE, or their own reputations. It seems unlikely that they will make the move in November either, given the looming presidential election and not wanting to be seen to be political.

Meanwhile, the Bank of Japan confirmed their negative interest rate stance of -0.1%, while back in Australia the market's expectation seems to be that rates may have fallen as far as they can go. What is certainly true is that with rates where they are the RBA's firepower seems limited.

Strange times indeed. Equally as pointed out by Hugh Dive from Aurora Funds Management, over the past week in the financial press there have been articles advocating a zero weighting to banks, and another one has taken the opposite view and saying that Australian bank shares are historically cheap, and investors should be buying with their ears pinned back. With 25% of the ASX 200 represented by six high-yielding bank stocks and investors' relentless search for yield, there is likely to be ongoing support. It will be a brave (and unlikely) retail investor that exits the sector entirely.

However as and when interest rates do start to rise, it is likely that the shift will start to occur. While the market has taken the gloss off bank shares this year, alternative income streams, or concerns about the bank's level of exposure to an overpriced property market, is likely to cause a serious rethink in valuations.

Back to politics for a second - next week sees the great US Presidential debate theatre in action. The big question seems to be whether Donald Trump will try to outdo even himself with further wild rhetoric, or pull his head in. Seeing as he has got this far with the former it seems unlikely he will change his tune, but it will certainly make for an entertaining, if somewhat alarming, TV fodder.

PERFORMANCE NEWS

Pengana Absolute Return Asia Pacific Fund returned 1.63% in August, compared to MSCI ACWI Asia Pacific markets which returned +0.91%.

APN AREIT Fund returned -3.29% in August. The long term performance since inception remains strong with annual returns of 18.62% p.a.

NWQ Fiduciary Fund fell 1.54% in August and has returned +12.72% over the last 24-months.

Affluence Investment Fund rose 1.06% in August, outperforming the ASX 200 Accumulation Index which returned -1.55%, by 2.61%.

King Tide NZ/Australian Long/Short Equity Fund returned -2.10% in August. Over the latest 24-months, the Fund has risen 20.31%. 

FUND REVIEWS released this week: Optimal Australia Absolute Trust; Bennelong Kardinia Absolute Return Fund; APN Asian REIT Fund; Bennelong Twenty20 Australian Equities Fund;

And on that note, have a great weekend.

Regards,

Chris
CEO, AUSTRALIAN FUND MONITORS

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Australian Fund Monitors are helping to raise awareness to support research into prevention and cure for cerebral palsy. For more information visit www.cpresearch.org.au or contact me by email.

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.

Australian Fund Monitors

ATTACHED FILESAFM Fund Review - August 2016 (pdf format)