NEWS
Performance Report: Insync Global Capital Aware Fund
28 Feb 2020 - Australian Fund Monitors
The Insync Global Capital Aware Fund returned +5.31% in January, taking 12-month performance to +35.38% versus AFM's Global Equity Benchmark's +26.09%. Since inception in October 2009, the Fund has returned +11.68% p.a. with an annualised...
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28 Feb 2020 - Performance Report: Insync Global Capital Aware Fund
By: Australian Fund Monitors
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| Fund Overview | Insync employs four simple screens to narrow the universe of over 40,000 listed companies globally to a focus group of high quality companies that it believes have the potential to consistently grow their profits and dividends. These screens are size of the company, balance sheet performance, valuation and dividend quality. Companies that pass this due diligence process are then valued using dividend discount models, free cash flow yield and proprietary implied growth and expected return models. The end result is a high conviction portfolio of typically 15-30 stocks. The principal investments will be in shares of companies listed on international stock exchanges (including the US, Europe and Asia). The Fund may also hold cash, derivatives (for example futures, options and swaps), currency contracts, American Depository Receipts and Global Depository Receipts. The Fund may also invest in various types of international pooled investment vehicles. At times, Insync may consider holding higher levels of cash if valuations are full and it is difficult to find attractive investment opportunities. When Insync believes markets to be overvalued, it may hold part of its resources in cash, or use derivatives as a way of reducing its equity exposure. Insync may use options, futures and other derivatives to reduce risk or gain exposure to underlying physical investments. The Fund may purchase put options on market indices or specific stocks to hedge against losses caused by declines in the prices of stocks in its portfolio. |
| Manager Comments | Positive contributors during the month included Intuit, Visa, Adobe, S&P Global and Paypal. Detractors were Bookings.com, Treasury Wine Estates, Boston Scientific, Walt Disney and Estee Lauder. The Fund continues to have no currency hedging in place as Insync consider the main risks to the AUD to be skewed to the downside. Insync believe the prevailing low growth and low inflation environment is unlikely to change in the medium term. |
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Performance Report: Quay Global Real Estate Fund
27 Feb 2020 - Australian Fund Monitors
The Quay Global Real Estate Fund rose +5.20% in January, taking the 12-month return to +21.85%. Since inception in January 2016, the Fund has returned +11.73% p.a. with an annualised volatility of 10.31%.
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27 Feb 2020 - Performance Report: Quay Global Real Estate Fund
By: Australian Fund Monitors
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| Fund Overview | The Fund will invest in a number of global listed real estate companies, groups or funds. The investment strategy is to make investments in real estate securities at a price that will deliver a real, after inflation, total return of 5% per annum (before costs and fees), inclusive of distributions over a longer-term period. The Investment Strategy is indifferent to the constraints of any index benchmarks and is relatively concentrated in its number of investments. The Fund is expected to own between 20 and 40 securities, and from time to time up to 20% of the portfolio maybe invested in cash. The Fund is $A un-hedged. |
| Manager Comments | The Fund's overall return was boosted at the stock level by some of Quay's highest conviction investments, including LEG Immobilien (German Residential). The Fund's relatively high weight to Hong Kong was a headwind for performance. Quay expect the region's strong currency, political turmoil, protests and fears of the impacts of coronavirus to further impact the local economy, however, they noted they refuse to panic and sell out of positions that on almost any measure are very cheap. Quay continue to have zero exposure to US Mall REITs. Their view is that there is simply too much mall space in the US, and they believe it will take many years to rationalise. |
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Performance Report: Wheelhouse Global Equity Income Fund
26 Feb 2020 - Australian Fund Monitors
The Wheelhouse Global Equity Income Fund rose +4.82% in January, outperforming AFM's Global Equity Benchmark by +1.09% and taking performance since inception in May 2017 to +10.38% p.a. with an annualised volatility of 7.80%.
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26 Feb 2020 - Performance Report: Wheelhouse Global Equity Income Fund
By: Australian Fund Monitors
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| Fund Overview | To pursue this objective, the Investment Manager is responsible for actively managing, monitoring and tailoring the integration of derivative contracts alongside the Morningstar Portfolio, while taking into account changing market and stock specific conditions. The Investment Manager is responsible for maximising the structural benefits of short option positions (lowered Volatility, improved capital preservation, higher income generation), whilst mitigating, minimising and monitoring the structural negatives (variable market exposure, option expiries, collateral management and asymmetric return profiles). In addition, long derivatives positions are also used to enhance the capital preservation characteristics of the Fund in more extreme market movements. As a consequence of the integration of Derivatives, returns of the strategy, intra-cycle, are expected to vary from the underlying Morningstar Portfolio due to these characteristics. For example in weak markets, or in extended sideways markets, the Fund is expected to outperform relative to the Morningstar Portfolio. Conversely in strong positive markets the Fund is expected to underperform. |
| Manager Comments | The Fund's January return comprised -0.18% from the portfolio (in USD) and +5.00% from the weakening of the Australian dollar versus the US dollar. Top contributors included ServiceNow, Salesforce, Adobe, Intel Corp and Novo Nordisk. Key detractors included Amgen, Microchip Technology, Richemont, Elekta AB and Bank of America. |
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Fund Review: Bennelong Twenty20 Australian Equities Fund January 2020
26 Feb 2020 - Australian Fund Monitors
The latest Fund Review on Bennelong Twenty20 Australian Equities Fund is now available. The Fund invests in ASX listed stocks, combining an indexed position in the Top 20 stocks with an actively managed portfolio of ex-20 stocks.
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26 Feb 2020 - Fund Review: Bennelong Twenty20 Australian Equities Fund January 2020
By: Australian Fund Monitors
AFM Fund Review - January 2020 (pdf format)
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 - January 2020 (pdf format)
Performance Report: Cyan C3G Fund
25 Feb 2020 - Australian Fund Monitors
The Cyan C3G Fund has returned +17.79% p.a. since inception in August 2014 with an annualised volatility of 11.39%. By contrast the ASX200 Accumulation Index has returned +8.72% p.a. with an annualised volatility of 10.93% over the same period.
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25 Feb 2020 - Performance Report: Cyan C3G Fund
By: Australian Fund Monitors
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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 | The Fund returned -0.3% in January. During the month the Fund had 16 positions deliver positive results, 15 negative and four flat. The Fund's strongest positive contributor by price movement rose +39% and the weakest contracted -21%. Top contributors included Quickstep, RPM Global, Readcloud and Alcidion. The Fund also enjoyed some early success from two recent IPO's - Icetana and Open Learning. Notable detractors included Oventus and Schrole. The portfolio contains companies at various stages of the growth cycle. Cyan remain confident that their investment positions will be rewarded over time, noting that they are aware that this never happens in a straight line. |
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Fund Review: Bennelong Long Short Equity Fund January 2020
25 Feb 2020 - Australian Fund Monitors
Latest Fund Review for the Bennelong Long Short Equity Fund is now available. The Fund is a research driven, market and sector neutral, "pairs" trading strategy investing primarily in large-caps from the ASX/S&P100 Index...
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25 Feb 2020 - Fund Review: Bennelong Long Short Equity Fund January 2020
By: Australian Fund Monitors
AFM Fund Review - January 2020 (pdf format)
BENNELONG LONG SHORT EQUITY FUND
Attached is our most recently updated Fund Review on the Bennelong Long Short Equity Fund.
- The Fund is a research driven, market and sector neutral, "pairs" trading strategy investing primarily in large-caps from the ASX/S&P100 Index, with over 16-years' track record and an annualised returns of 15.88%.
- The consistent returns across the investment history highlight the Fund's ability to provide positive returns in volatile and negative markets and significantly outperform the broader market. The Fund's Sharpe Ratio and Sortino Ratio are 0.96 and 1.60 respectively.
For further details on the Fund, please do not hesitate to contact us.
AFM Fund Review - January 2020 (pdf format)
Performance Report: NWQ Fiduciary Fund
24 Feb 2020 - Australian Fund Monitors
The NWQ Fiduciary Fund rose +1.90% in January. Since inception in May 2013, the Fund has returned +5.94% p.a. with an annualised volatility of 4.79%. By contrast, the ASX200 Accumulation Index has returned +9.20% p.a. with an annualised...
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24 Feb 2020 - Performance Report: NWQ Fiduciary Fund
By: Australian Fund Monitors
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| Fund Overview | The Fund aims to produce returns after management fees and expenses of RBA Cash Rate + 4.0-5.0% 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 | The Fund's Alpha and Beta managers both contributed positively to overall performance in January. NWQ noted low interest rates and QE continue to be supportive of equity market valuations generally. This environment presents opportunities for the Fund's underlying managers on both the long and short sides of their portfolios. Overall, the Fund has a market neutral exposure to the equity market (net market exposure of 22%) and is positioned to profit from both long and short opportunities. |
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Performance Report: Bennelong Emerging Companies Fund
21 Feb 2020 - Australian Fund Monitors
The Bennelong Emerging Companies Fund returned +1.64% in January, taking 12-month performance to +79.31% versus the ASX200 Accumulation Index's +24.72%. Since inception in November 2017, the Fund has returned +35.85% p.a. versus the index's +12.46%.
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21 Feb 2020 - Performance Report: Bennelong Emerging Companies Fund
By: Australian Fund Monitors
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| Fund Overview | The Fund may invest in securities expected to be listed on the ASX within 12 months. The Fund may also invest in securities listed, or expected to be listed, on other exchanged where such securities relate to ASX-listed securities |
| Manager Comments | The Bennelong Emerging Companies Fund returned +1.64% in January, taking 12-month performance to +79.31% versus the ASX200 Accumulation Index's +24.72%. Since inception in November 2017, the Fund has returned +35.85% p.a. versus the index's +12.46%. The Fund's top holdings at the end of the month included Viva Leisure, Bwx and Mader. Bennelong believe the portfolio is well positioned to provide attractive returns over time. The Fund invests predominantly in micro and small-cap stocks listed on the ASX. It is managed via a research-intensive and predominantly bottom-up investment approach. The Fund focuses on high quality stocks and seeks to avoid the higher risk that usually comes with micro and small-cap stocks. In their latest report, they give a brief overview of what they believe to be the key benefits of investing in emerging companies. Some of those include greater diversity, more growth potential and less broker coverage and investor attention. |
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Performance Report: Bennelong Kardinia Absolute Return Fund
20 Feb 2020 - Australian Fund Monitors
The Bennelong Kardinia Absolute Return Fund rose +5.40% in January, outperforming the ASX200 Accumulation Index by +0.42% and taking annualised performance since inception in May 2006 to +9.11% with an annualised volatility of 7.12%.
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20 Feb 2020 - Performance Report: Bennelong Kardinia Absolute Return Fund
By: Australian Fund Monitors
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| Fund Overview | The Fund's discretionary investment strategy commences with a macro view of the economy and direction to establish the portfolio's desired market exposure. Following this detailed sector and company research is gathered from knowledge of the individual stocks in the Fund's universe, with widespread use of broker research. Company visits, presentations and discussions with management at CEO and CFO level are used wherever possible to assess management quality across a range of criteria. Detailed analysis of company valuations using financial statements and forecasts, particularly focusing on free cash flow, is conducted. Technical analysis is used to validate the Manager's fundamental research and valuations and to manage market timing. A significant portion of the Fund's overall performance can be attributed to the attention and importance given to the macro economic outlook and the ability and willingness to adjust the Fund's market risk. |
| Manager Comments | Positive contributors over the month included CSL, James Hardie, Commonwealth Bank, City Chic and Polynovo. Key detractors included Zip Co, Oz Minerals, Rio Tinto and Qantas. The Fund's short book also detracted -30bp from performance. The Fund's net equity market exposure was reduced from 74.2% to 30.9% (64.4% long and 33.5% short), with the key changes being lower weightings in BHP and Rio Tinto, a new short position in Share Price Index Futures, partially offset by new positions in Coles and Santos. |
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Performance Report: Loftus Peak Global Disruption Fund
19 Feb 2020 - Australian Fund Monitors
The Loftus Peak Global Disruption Fund rose +5.98% in January, outperforming the ASX200 Accumulation Index by +1.00% and taking annualised performance since inception in November 2016 to +23.52% versus the Index's +16.82%.
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19 Feb 2020 - Performance Report: Loftus Peak Global Disruption Fund
By: Australian Fund Monitors
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| Fund Overview | The investment process involves a combination of top-down analysis with fundamental bottom-up qualitative and quantitative research to derive a risk-adjusted discounted cash flow (DCF) valuation of companies in the target universe. The investment team will generally buy stocks from the pool of securities that are trading below Loftus Peaks' valuation and sell them when they are trading above Loftus Peak's valuation. The approach allows for both fundamental accounting information as well as market-oriented inputs to be factored into the portfolio construction process. Loftus Peak's model typically does not rely on leverage to deliver investment returns and specifically takes into account risk in the valuation process. Capital preservation can be managed by holding up to 50% cash. Index and currency options and futures may also be used to manage risk. |
| Manager Comments | Loftus Peak noted China's effort to contain the coronavirus negatively impacted performance during the last week of January. They believe this prompted panicked investors to sell great companies on short-term fears. Top contributors during the month included Google, Amazon, Microsoft and Tesla. Detractors included TSMC, Roku and Xilinx. The Australian dollar depreciated -4.3% over the month against the US dollar which increased the value of the Fund's US dollar holdings. As at 31 January 2020, the Fund carried foreign currency exposure of 99%. At month end the Fund was 89% invested in 23 holdings with the balance in cash. |
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