Key Facts

Index Used: Bloomberg AusBond Composite 0+ Yr Index Discretionary/Quantitative: Discretionary
Peer Group: Fixed Income - Credit FUM (millions): AU$ 359.19m
Investment Style: Value Fund Inception Date: October 1998
Geographic Mandate: USA Latest Return Date: June 2024
Investor Type: Wholesale Status: Open
Minimum Investment: AU$ 10,000 Investment Frequency: Daily

Manager Details

Bentham Asset Management is a specialist global credit investment manager. Their investment philosophy is based on a strong credit culture and systematic investment process. Through diversified exposure to the global credit market and active management, their approach seeks to provide more investment opportunities when compared with managers that focus only on domestic fixed income markets.
Bentham Asset Management is a specialist global credit investment manager. Their investment philosophy is based on a strong credit culture and systematic investment process. Through diversified exposure to the global credit market and active management, their approach seeks to provide more investment opportunities when compared with managers that focus only on domestic fixed income markets.

Strategy Description

The Bentham Wholesale High Yield Fund aims to outperform the Merrill Lynch High Yield Cash Pay Constrained Index (hedged to AUD) over 3 year periods. The Fund is actively managed and aims to provide high returns than traditional fixed income investments through investing in a diversified portfolio of US corporate debt securities which are rated below investment grade (high yield bonds). The Fund consists primarily of US high yield bonds with limited exposure to syndicated loans and collateralised debt obligations. The investment manager seeks to add value through active allocations between individual securities and industries, while maintaining a highly diversified portfolio.

The Fund uses bottom-up analysis to select individual investments and employs a conservative approach to credit selection emphasising the preservation of principal. High Yield bonds are managed on the belief that returns above benchmark are driven by a strong credit culture and a systematic investment process. Security selection is based on relative value within the capital structure of comparable companies and industries. The preservation of principal and protection against downside risk plays an important role in the investment process. The Fund has a high level of industry and issuer diversification.

The Fund typically invests in US high yield bonds but may have limited exposure to other credit investments including syndicated loans, credit default swaps and collateralised debt obligations.
The Fund is actively managed and aims to provide high returns than traditional fixed income investments through investing in a diversified portfolio of US corporate debt securities which are rated below investment grade (high yield bonds). The Fund consists primarily of US high yield bonds with limited exposure to syndicated loans and collateralised debt obligations. The investment manager seeks to add value through active allocations between individual securities and industries, while maintaining a highly diversified portfolio.

Fund Fees

Management Fee: 0.6% Performance Fee: 0%
Buy Spread: 0.19% Sell spread: 0.19%
High Water Mark: Hurdle: N/A

Fund Structure

Offshore/Onshore: Onshore Fund Structure: Unit Trust
Share Classes: AU$ Trustee/RE: Fidante Partners
Administrator: N/A Prime Broker: N/A
Custodian: N/A Legal: N/A

Ratings & Availability

Research Ratings

LonsecYes, contact Lonsec. (1 Nov 2015) ZenithRecommended

Platform Availability

BT Wrap, HUB24, Netwealth, mFund, Oasis

Performance Review

The Bentham High Yield Fund has a track record of 25 years and 8 months and has outperformed the Bloomberg AusBond Composite 0+ Yr benchmark since inception in November 1998, providing investors with an annualised return of 7.1% compared with the benchmark's return of 4.54% over the same period.

The Manager has delivered these returns with 4.43% more volatility than the benchmark, contributing to a Sharpe ratio which has fallen below 1 five times over the past five years and which currently sits at 0.46 since inception. The fund has provided positive monthly returns 74% of the time in rising markets and 65% of the time during periods of market decline, contributing to an up-capture ratio since inception of 55% and a down-capture ratio of -85%.

The Bentham High Yield Fund rose by +0.87% in June, an outperformance of +0.1% compared with the Bloomberg AusBond Composite 0+ Yr benchmark which rose by +0.77%. Over the past 12 months, the fund's best monthly return was +3.81% compared with the benchmark's best return of +3.01%, and its worst monthly return was -1.44% vs the benchmark's worst return over the same period of -1.98%.

YearJan %Feb %Mar %Apr %May %Jun %Jul %Aug %Sep %Oct %Nov %Dec %YTD %
20240.150.151.16-0.931.160.87NANANANANANA2.57
20233.28-0.951.601.18-0.281.271.350.20-0.90-1.443.813.6713.37
2022-2.11-1.13-0.75-3.48-0.11-6.364.93-1.85-4.282.182.06-0.09-10.92
20210.560.070.460.830.330.940.230.620.02-0.60-0.441.524.62
20200.07-1.36-13.993.383.741.313.621.55-0.390.412.971.461.42
20193.431.570.961.81-1.232.000.600.660.340.120.491.6413.04
20180.23-0.93-0.570.40-0.110.180.630.690.53-1.51-0.61-1.60-2.67
20171.581.380.141.300.990.531.01-0.011.070.48-0.050.469.24
2016-1.040.342.742.540.950.582.531.900.530.82-0.462.2914.52
20150.502.500.371.210.88-0.97-0.09-1.60-1.392.63-2.00-1.650.25
20141.101.530.750.590.800.73-0.661.20-1.050.96-0.06-0.925.04
20131.641.031.041.920.38-1.751.88-0.100.952.050.700.8811.09
20122.301.511.081.04-0.291.641.691.391.751.360.821.6417.12
20112.671.451.041.220.82-0.351.35-1.94-1.453.81-0.432.1010.62
20102.110.522.912.03-0.901.222.780.872.032.720.371.9420.18
20094.630.022.919.937.295.304.052.784.222.360.572.5957.44
2008-1.81-0.62-0.033.961.70-0.28-0.560.64-4.19-18.33-9.54-0.48-27.49
20070.521.641.371.190.34-1.08-2.091.390.861.32-1.470.094.07
20061.440.641.040.760.24-0.720.791.211.161.170.412.0610.66
20050.251.25-2.26-2.590.361.342.120.93-0.72-0.400.231.251.66
20042.150.340.870.71-1.102.081.621.911.331.861.581.4515.79
20032.281.872.644.401.062.630.241.432.501.861.282.3327.40
20020.94-0.812.511.28-0.73-4.43-1.981.26-0.86-0.425.201.062.74
20013.360.81-1.38-1.140.87-1.571.751.31-6.312.883.640.694.58
2000-0.370.61-1.83-0.20-1.071.240.620.47-0.62-3.09-4.313.12-5.50
19990.720.161.411.52-1.17-0.050.27-1.22-0.94-0.531.200.491.82
1998NANANANANANANANANANA3.520.053.57

Only seven years of data shown. Click here to view all data.

Annual Returns

Over the past 12 months, the fund has risen by +9.49% compared with the benchmark which has returned +3.68%, for a difference of +5.81%. Since inception in November 1998, the fund has returned +7.1% per annum, a difference of +2.56% relative to the benchmark which has returned +4.54% on an annualised basis over the same period.

Cumulative Returns

On a cumulative basis (assuming reinvestment of distributions), $100 invested since inception would have become $581. The same amount invested in the benchmark over the same period would have become $312.

Annual Returns %

 
 

Volatility and Risk

Annual Standard Deviation

The fund's returns over the past 12 months have been achieved with a volatility of 5.47% vs the index's 5.25%. The annualised volatility of the fund's returns since inception in November 1998 is 8.03% vs the index's 3.6%. Over all other periods, the fund's returns have been more volatile than the benchmark.

Sharpe Ratio

The fund's Sharpe ratio has ranged from a high of 0.93 for performance over the most recent 12 months to a low of -0.07 over the latest 36 months, and is 0.46 for performance since inception. By contrast, the Bloomberg AusBond Composite 0+ Yr Index's Sharpe for performance since November 1998 is 0.28.

Annual Standard Deviation

 

Sharpe Ratio

 

Performance in Positive Markets

Since inception in November 1998 in the months where the market was positive, the fund has provided positive returns 74% of the time, contributing to an up-capture ratio for returns since inception of 55.26%. Over all other periods, the fund's up-capture ratio has ranged from a high of 133.71% over the most recent 24 months to a low of 115.63% over the latest 60 months. An up-capture ratio greater than 100% indicates that, on average, the fund has outperformed in the market's positive months.

Performance in Negative Markets

Since inception in November 1998 in the months where the market was negative, the fund has provided positive returns 65% of the time, contributing to a down-capture ratio for returns since inception of -84.84%. Over all other periods, the fund's down-capture ratio has ranged from a high of 80.25% over the most recent 36 months to a low of 53.54% over the latest 48 months. A down-capture ratio less than 100% indicates that, on average, the fund has outperformed in the market's negative months.

Average Return in +ve Market %

 

Average Return in -ve Market %

 

Sortino Ratio

The fund's Sortino ratio (which excludes volatility in positive months) has ranged from a high of 1.94 for performance over the most recent 12 months to a low of -0.14 over the latest 36 months, and is 0.54 for performance since inception. By contrast, the Bloomberg AusBond Composite 0+ Yr Index's Sortino for performance since November 1998 is 0.38.

Drawdown

Over the past 12 months, the fund's largest drawdown was -2.32% vs the index's -3.35%, and since inception in November 1998 the fund's largest drawdown was -29.7% vs the index's maximum drawdown over the same period of -13.2%.

Sortino Ratio

 

Drawdown%

 
Fund Index Peer group

Quintile Ranking vs. Average Fixed Income - Credit as of May 2024

The performance of the Bentham High Yield Fund ranked it in the second quintile for Total Return and Sortino over 1 year.

Over the past 12 months, the fund has risen by +9.49% compared with the peer group which has returned an average of +8.24%, for a difference of +1.25%.

The fund's returns over the past 12 months have been achieved with a volatility of 5.47% vs the peer group's average volatility of 2.33%. The annualised volatility of the fund's returns since inception in November 1998 is 8.03% vs the peer group's 5.2%. Over all other periods, the fund's returns have been more volatile than the peer group.

1 Year
3 Year
5 Year
7 Year
Bentham High Yield Fund
RBA Cash Rate + 5%
Quintile Rankings display Key Performance Indicators (KPI's) against the fund's Peer Group. Each green square ranks the fund in one quintile (or 20%) of its peer group - five green squares indicate the fund is in the best quintile for each KPI. The performance of the peer group's underlying index is shown by a red dot.