NEWS
![](https://www.fundmonitors.com/upload/Image/42146.png)
16 May 2023 - New Funds on Fundmonitors.com
New Funds on FundMonitors.com |
Below are some of the funds we've recently added to our database. Follow the links to view each fund's profile, where you'll have access to their offer documents, monthly reports, historical returns, performance analytics, rankings, research, platform availability, and news & insights. |
|
|||||||||||||||||||
Ellerston Overlay Australian Share Fund | |||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||
![]() |
|||||||||||||||||||
Tribeca Vanda Asia Credit Fund - Founders Class | |||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||
View Profile | |||||||||||||||||||
![]() |
|||||||||||||||||||
Avari Capital Partners - Private Loan Income Fund | |||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||
View Profile | |||||||||||||||||||
![]() |
|||||||||||||||||||
Victor Smorgon Partners Global Multi-Strategy Fund | |||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||
View Profile | |||||||||||||||||||
Want to see more funds? |
|||||||||||||||||||
Subscribe for full access to these funds and over 700 others |
![](https://www.fundmonitors.com/upload/Image/37384.png)
16 May 2023 - 10k Words | May Edition
10k Words Equitable Investors May 2023 Miserable IPO returns have been the story even though Kenvue got away with a 22% stag on day one of its US listing last week; a gap has opened between small and large stocks with the "jaws" notable in both price movements and valaution comparisons; in that context it is interesting to see how smaller stocks have outperformed historically coming out of market drawdowns; in Australia the industry survey looks negative but S&P/ASX EPS revisions haven't really been notable; insolvency is on the rise as is US consumer credit card debt; and finally for whoever is advising the state fo Victoria, credit ratings do matter. Distribution of returns from US IPOs by issue date (2023 to date) Source: Equitable Investors, StockAnalysis Distribution of returns from ASX IPOs by issue date Source: Equitable Investors ASX small caps (SSO - orange) v large caps (STW - blue) Source: Equitable Investors, TIKR US micro caps (IWC - orange) v large caps (IVV - blue) Source: Equitable Investors, TIKR Past 20 Years World Small Cap P/E Ratios Source: Pzena Nasdaq 100 Price/Sales Ratio Source: Charles Schwab & Co. US small caps v large caps during & after the "dot-com bubble" Source: abrdn US small caps v large caps during & after the GFC Source: abrdn S&P/ASX small v large during & after the "dot-com bubble" Source: Equitable Investors, Iress S&P/ASX small v large during & after the GFC Source: Equitable Investors, Iress AIG Industry Index Source: IFM, AIG Consensus EPS expectations for S&P/ASX 200 Source: Cannacord Large bankruptcies ($US50m+ liabilities) - Jan-Apr count for 2023 Source: Bloomberg, @jsblokland Australian companies entering external administration for the first time (FY23 = black line) Source: ABS US Consumer Loans (Credit Cards & Other Revolving Plans, All Commercial Banks) Source: @glightfinancial, FRED Government Bond Yields and their S&P credit ratings Source: Equitable Investors, worldgovernmentbonds.com May Edition Funds operated by this manager: Equitable Investors Dragonfly Fund Disclaimer Nothing in this blog constitutes investment advice - or advice in any other field. Neither the information, commentary or any opinion contained in this blog constitutes a solicitation or offer by Equitable Investors Pty Ltd (Equitable Investors) or its affiliates to buy or sell any securities or other financial instruments. Nor shall any such security be offered or sold to any person in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation, purchase, or sale would be unlawful under the securities laws of such jurisdiction. The content of this blog should not be relied upon in making investment decisions. Any decisions based on information contained on this blog are the sole responsibility of the visitor. In exchange for using this blog, the visitor agree to indemnify Equitable Investors and hold Equitable Investors, its officers, directors, employees, affiliates, agents, licensors and suppliers harmless against any and all claims, losses, liability, costs and expenses (including but not limited to legal fees) arising from your use of this blog, from your violation of these Terms or from any decisions that the visitor makes based on such information. This blog is for information purposes only and is not intended to be relied upon as a forecast, research or investment advice. The information on this blog does not constitute a recommendation, offer or solicitation to buy or sell any securities or to adopt any investment strategy. Although this material is based upon information that Equitable Investors considers reliable and endeavours to keep current, Equitable Investors does not assure that this material is accurate, current or complete, and it should not be relied upon as such. Any opinions expressed on this blog may change as subsequent conditions vary. Equitable Investors does not warrant, either expressly or implied, the accuracy or completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained on this blog and does not warrant that the functions contained in this blog will be uninterrupted or error-free, that defects will be corrected, or that the blog will be free of viruses or other harmful components. Equitable Investors expressly disclaims all liability for errors and omissions in the materials on this blog and for the use or interpretation by others of information contained on the blog |
![](https://www.fundmonitors.com/upload/Image/42773.png)
15 May 2023 - Performance Report: Argonaut Natural Resources Fund
[Current Manager Report if available]
![](https://www.fundmonitors.com/upload/Image/31300.png)
15 May 2023 - Airlie Quarterly Update
Airlie Quarterly Update Airlie Funds Management April 2023 |
Emma Fisher, Portfolio Manager, provides her views on the current market environment and discusses her recent trip to Europe where she visited CSL and QBE Insurance, which are two holdings in the Airlie Australian Share Fund. Author: Emma Fisher, Portfolio Manager Funds operated by this manager: Important Information: Units in the fund(s) referred to herein are issued by Magellan Asset Management Limited (ABN 31 120 593 946, AFS Licence No. 304 301) trading as Airlie Funds Management ('Airlie') and has been prepared for general information purposes only and must not be construed as investment advice or as an investment recommendation. This material does not take into account your investment objectives, financial situation or particular needs. This material does not constitute an offer or inducement to engage in an investment activity nor does it form part of any offer documentation, offer or invitation to purchase, sell or subscribe for interests in any type of investment product or service. You should obtain and consider the relevant Product Disclosure Statement ('PDS') and Target Market Determination ('TMD') and consider obtaining professional investment advice tailored to your specific circumstances before making a decision to acquire, or continue to hold, the relevant financial product. A copy of the relevant PDS and TMD relating to an Airlie financial product or service may be obtained by calling +61 2 9235 4760 or by visiting www.airliefundsmanagement.com.au. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results and no person guarantees the future performance of any financial product or service, the amount or timing of any return from it, that asset allocations will be met, that it will be able to implement its investment strategy or that its investment objectives will be achieved. This material may contain 'forward-looking statements'. Actual events or results or the actual performance of an Airlie financial product or service may differ materially from those reflected or contemplated in such forward-looking statements. This material may include data, research and other information from third party sources. Airlie makes no guarantee that such information is accurate, complete or timely and does not provide any warranties regarding results obtained from its use. This information is subject to change at any time and no person has any responsibility to update any of the information provided in this material. Statements contained in this material that are not historical facts are based on current expectations, estimates, projections, opinions and beliefs of Airlie. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, and undue reliance should not be placed thereon. Any third party trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective owners and Airlie claims no ownership in, nor any affiliation with, such trademarks. Any third party trademarks that appear in this material are used for information purposes and only to identify the company names or brands of their respective owners. No affiliation, sponsorship or endorsement should be inferred from the use of these trademarks.. This material and the information contained within it may not be reproduced, or disclosed, in whole or in part, without the prior written consent of Airlie. |
![](https://www.fundmonitors.com/upload/Image/17497.jpg)
12 May 2023 - Performance Report: Bennelong Twenty20 Australian Equities Fund
[Current Manager Report if available]
![](https://www.fundmonitors.com/upload/Image/49117.png)
12 May 2023 - Performance Report: Skerryvore Global Emerging Markets All-Cap Equity Fund
[Current Manager Report if available]
![](https://www.fundmonitors.com/upload/Image/24037.png)
12 May 2023 - Why investors shouldn't desert quality banks
Why investors shouldn't desert quality banks Pendal April 2023 |
Here, Pendal's head of global equities ASHLEY PITTARD makes the case for quality banks ahead of a likely US recession
THE turmoil among global banks over the past six weeks has created opportunities for investors, with Swiss based UBS and Wall Street giants JP Morgan and Wells Fargo the top picks, says Ashley Pittard, our head of global equities. "I think UBS is a standout for the next ten years as an investment," he says. "You want to invest in a bank that's one or two in its market, and has high quality management. "Bank stocks can go down in a crisis environment, but the quality banks don't go broke and that's a key point." Banks should do well in coming quarters as they reprice credit and achieve higher margins. "Near term, interest rates have stopped rising and the yield curve is flattish or even inverted. "But if we fast-forward through the year, we believe there's going to be a recession in the US. That would likely mean the Federal Reserve will have to cut rates into next year. "The yield curve will steepen and that's good for banks because they borrow short and lend long and they are going to get a wider spread. That will feed back in a couple of years' time into higher earnings." The current turmoil could push out weaker lenders who aren't pricing loans rationally - which would help the top banks. Short-term risks Pittard warns there are risks in the short term. "What are the write-downs going to be, particularly if the recession is hard? That's the big near-term risk. "That's why you want to be with the highest quality banks - number one or two in their market." On UBS, Pittard says its metrics are strong. It has just absorbed its second largest competitor, has a 30 per cent plus share in retail banking in Switzerland, and is the number one global bank for ultra-high net worth individuals. Importantly, UBS has strong management, he says. "The new CEO, Sergio Ermotti, is the Tom Brady of European banking," Pittard says, referring to most successful quarterback in US football. Ermotti left the bank in 2020 after a successful stint, and then took the top job again on April 5. "He first came to UBS after the global financial crisis and got them out of high-risk investment banking, increased market share in their ultra net worth business, and boosted dividends and the stock price. "He just grinds away. He gets costs out of the business, right sizes the riskier parts and gives money back to shareholders." Pittard says two US bank stocks worth looking at are JP Morgan, run by the very experienced Jamie Dimon, and Wells Fargo, run by Charles Scharf. "Dimon is the last remaining US bank CEO who actually went through the GFC," Pittard says. "Scharf got the CEO job at Wells Fargo in late 2019 and has cleaned it up and ticked all the boxes." In terms of why the global banking sector found itself in its current situation, there are several factors, Pittard says. "There were poor management practices. There's also been mishandling of the repricing of the rapid interest rate changes over the last year. You've also had volatility around what the US Federal Reserve is going to do." Pittard says there's also a regulatory overlay. "When Donald Trump was in power, he rolled back some of the banking regulations that were put in place directly after the global financial crisis which meant the regulation of smaller banks, like Silicon Valley Bank, was lighter than regulation of the big banks," Pittard says. "Also stress testing of the bank last year didn't consider large jumps in interest rates, which is what actually happened." Author: Ashley Pittard, Pendal's Global Equities |
Funds operated by this manager: Pendal Focus Australian Share Fund, Pendal Global Select Fund - Class R, Pendal Horizon Sustainable Australian Share Fund, Pendal MicroCap Opportunities Fund, Pendal Sustainable Australian Fixed Interest Fund - Class R, Regnan Global Equity Impact Solutions Fund - Class R, Regnan Credit Impact Trust Fund |
This information has been prepared by Pendal Fund Services Limited (PFSL) ABN 13 161 249 332, AFSL No 431426 and is current as at December 8, 2021. PFSL is the responsible entity and issuer of units in the Pendal Multi-Asset Target Return Fund (Fund) ARSN: 623 987 968. A product disclosure statement (PDS) is available for the Fund and can be obtained by calling 1300 346 821 or visiting www.pendalgroup.com. The Target Market Determination (TMD) for the Fund is available at www.pendalgroup.com/ddo. You should obtain and consider the PDS and the TMD before deciding whether to acquire, continue to hold or dispose of units in the Fund. An investment in the Fund or any of the funds referred to in this web page is subject to investment risk, including possible delays in repayment of withdrawal proceeds and loss of income and principal invested. This information is for general purposes only, should not be considered as a comprehensive statement on any matter and should not be relied upon as such. It has been prepared without taking into account any recipient's personal objectives, financial situation or needs. Because of this, recipients should, before acting on this information, consider its appropriateness having regard to their individual objectives, financial situation and needs. This information is not to be regarded as a securities recommendation. The information may contain material provided by third parties, is given in good faith and has been derived from sources believed to be accurate as at its issue date. While such material is published with necessary permission, and while all reasonable care has been taken to ensure that the information is complete and correct, to the maximum extent permitted by law neither PFSL nor any company in the Pendal group accepts any responsibility or liability for the accuracy or completeness of this information. Performance figures are calculated in accordance with the Financial Services Council (FSC) standards. Performance data (post-fee) assumes reinvestment of distributions and is calculated using exit prices, net of management costs. Performance data (pre-fee) is calculated by adding back management costs to the post-fee performance. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. Any projections are predictive only and should not be relied upon when making an investment decision or recommendation. Whilst we have used every effort to ensure that the assumptions on which the projections are based are reasonable, the projections may be based on incorrect assumptions or may not take into account known or unknown risks and uncertainties. The actual results may differ materially from these projections. For more information, please call Customer Relations on 1300 346 821 8am to 6pm (Sydney time) or visit our website www.pendalgroup.com |
![](https://www.fundmonitors.com/upload/Image/27373.png)
11 May 2023 - Performance Report: Delft Partners Global High Conviction Strategy
[Current Manager Report if available]
![](https://www.fundmonitors.com/upload/Image/17497.jpg)
11 May 2023 - Performance Report: Bennelong Australian Equities Fund
[Current Manager Report if available]
![](https://www.fundmonitors.com/upload/Image/28185.jpg)
11 May 2023 - What to do about Stock Based Compensation?
What to do about Stock Based Compensation? Eiger Capital April 2023 |
The tech sector sell-off that began in early 2022 has seen a renewed investor focus on 'disciplined growth'. We think this is investor code for a shift to positive operating free cashflows and the end of equity market funding of operating losses. Lossmaking tech is now on the nose. The equity market sell-off has also led to greater scepticism at the increasing use of alternative corporate earnings measures such as 'underlying' profits. These are often presented by companies that want to adjust (i.e. increase) statutory reported earnings for 'one-offs' and 'non-cash' items. A common adjustment of concern for investors, especially popular with companies in the tech sector is the issue of SBC. Companies are able to report higher underlying earnings (or more to the point reducing underlying losses) by using the justification that SBC is a 'non-cash' item and thus should be added back to statutory earnings. We are unconvinced with this argument as we reason below. SBC is a real cost of employment and thus should be accounted for in reported statutory earnings. Let's start with a "101" on SBC - what is it?SBC is quite simply an alternate form of compensation paid to company employees, often as a substitute for a cash salary. There are two main types. SBC is equity in the business that employees work for and is most typically issued either in the form of employee stock options or otherwise as restricted stock units (RSUs). It is common for both types of SBC to vest over a specified time period and often subject to some conditions (most commonly just tenure at the company). SBC is not a new innovation. It has been around in the US for more than 70 years. Although employee stock options did exist in the US pre-WW2 their unfavourable tax treatment meant they were little used. Very few executives had executive stock options prior to 19501. Then shortly after the war their issuance started to rise quickly with the introduction of the 1950 Revenue Act. This new law allowed for lower capital gains tax treatment on the sale of executive options. As a consequence, executive stock option issuance jumped to around 18% of top US executives remuneration, just one year later. Nevertheless, stock options remained mostly restricted to top company executives until the early 1960's. Late that decade Robert Noyce and Gordon Moore (of "Moore's law fame), two of the original founders of Fairchild Semiconductor (the inventor of the silicon chip) established a new company called Integrated Electronics. This company was later renamed Intel and was one of the first companies to use employee stock options more broadly as a tool to incentivise the staff of their new company. Once again, their use rapidly increased during the dot-com boom of the late 1990's. This popularity was again sunk by dotcom bust of 2001. Many recipients of SBC found themselves on the hook for large tax bills despite the value of their options now being mostly worthless. More recently, SBC has again blossomed with the FANG led tech bull market of the late 2010's / early 2020's. High inflation and the end of zero interest rates globally from mid 2022 has led to a tech industry selloff that has again put SBC back onto investors' radars. Why do companies issue SBC?SBC is most commonly issued to staff by early stage 'startup' tech businesses for a number of reasons.
What are the problems with SBC?There are a number of concerns for investors arising out of the payment of SBC and not just the issue of the cost of SBC not being appropriately reflected in earnings.
A recent Barrons3 article highlighted the now more common practice of many large companies in the tech industry. More of them are using SBC for a greater proportion of their total employee compensation. As revenue growth rates have slowed and correspondingly tech valuations have dived, this practice is increasing the anxiety of many investors who consternate at the growing ownership dilution of their business. The article points out that average stock-based compensation for the US tech industry rose from just 4.2% of revenue in 2012 to 10.5% in 2020, and then more than doubling a year later to 22.5% in 2021. At these levels SBC has moved well away from its tech industry origins as a tool to align and motivate small teams in early-stage businesses. Instead it is now "part of the culture and the expectation from software company employees"… with the consequence being that… "an increasing amount of shareholder value (is) being transferred to employees and away from investors, as companies dole out more stock at lower prices". Perhaps the most egregious recent example of the above practice has been pandemic beneficiary Zoom. SBC became very entrenched as part of employee expectations during the good times when the share price ran up from US$70 in Dec 2019 to a peak of almost US$600 (+760%) less than a year later in Oct 2020. However rolling forward to late 2022 with the share price back at US$70 (-88%), employees who unlike shareholders need to be compensated for the lower share price, requiring the company to issue significantly more SBC than when its share price was US$600. ![]() According to Kelly Steckelberg, Zoom's CFO, this was done to ensure workers were not "feeling that they're being undervalued"4. Unfortunately this resulted in very large levels of dilution for suffering shareholders, who's feelings were apparently less important to the CFO. The one possible fly in the ointment for employee SBC is that the rising level of tech industry layoffs is eroding the current culture of expectation. If tough times continue then tech sector remuneration will undoubtedly come under more pressure. The consequences will not only be lower levels of SBC but also possibly lower levels of total absolute compensation, although evidence of the latter is yet to be seen. ![]() Not all of the tech industry has been exploiting SBC-adjusted underlying earnings. Some of the larger profitable tech companies such as Alphabet (Google)5 and Meta (Facebook)6 have long since moved away from an 'underlying' earnings measure that excludes SBC. They recognise that it is indeed a true cost of attracting and retaining staff and account for it as a proper expense. Unfortunately many other large but still unprofitable tech companies continue to rely on SBC as an 'underlying' earnings adjustment to help hide the fact that their margins are miserable on a fully costed basis. The tables and charts below show some well-known names such as Adobe and DocuSign as the biggest serial users of SBC. ![]() ![]() Final thoughtsWe may in the not-too-distant future see SBC returning to its origins of tech start-up land. It is here where the cost of equity dilution to investors is more than offset by the 'blue sky' value creation potential that a highly motivated and well-aligned small tech team can deliver. Author: Victor Gomes, Principal and Portfolio Manager |
Funds operated by this manager: Eiger Capital Australian Small Companies Fund 1 https://secfi.com/learn/history-of-employee-stock-options This material has been prepared by Eiger Capital Pty Ltd ABN 72 631 838 607 AFSL 516 751 (Eiger). It is general information only and is not intended to provide you with financial advice or take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. To the extent permitted by law, no liability is accepted for any loss or damage as a result of any reliance on this information. Any projections are based on assumptions which we believe are reasonable, but are subject to change and should not be relied upon. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. Neither any particular rate of return nor capital invested are guaranteed. |