NEWS

31 Oct 2018 - Performance Report: KIS Asia Long Short Fund
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Fund Overview | Whilst the Fund's primary strategy is focused on long/short equities, the ability to retain discretionary powers to allocate across a number of other investment strategies is reserved. These strategies may include, but not be limited to: convertible bond investments, portfolio hedging, equity related arbitrage, special situations (e.g. merger arbitrage, rights offerings, participation in international public offerings and placements, etc.). The Fund's geographic focus is Asia excluding Japan, but including Australia). The Fund may invest outside of this region to the extent that: 1. The investment decision is driven from the Asian region or; 2. The exposure is intended to mitigate risk or enhance return from factors external to the Asian region. |
Manager Comments | During the month the Fund benefited from long call option positions on the HSECI. KIS noted being long an index is unusual for them as they usually have an excess of long ideas that need to be hedged and hence are short indices. Due to weakness in the Hong Kong markets in the first half of September KIS stopped out of various equity long positions. To avoid the risk of a snap back in the market leading to losses on unhedged short equities KIS bought calls and, in tandem with having been short futures earlier in the month, this contributed +0.22%. Across all of the Fund's index hedges, the rest of which were either short futures or long puts, the Fund generated a total of +0.29%. Other positive contributors included GTN Ltd (+0.23%) and SembCorp Marine Ltd (+0.23%). KIS remain long GTN Ltd and have exited their long position in SembCorp Marine Ltd. Key detractors included Telstra (-0.23%) and Vocus (-0.21%). KIS still see the telecom industry in severe difficulty and expect operators such as TPG Telecom (a significant previous contributor delivering +1.06% on the quarter) to compete fiercely on price to gain market share. The Fund also suffered a -1.08% loss on a long position in Aveo Group (AOG.AX). KIS significantly reduced their holding in AOG after the Four Corners report on poor conditions for aged care residents and the Prime Minister's response of a Royal Commission. They believe the timeline for the Royal Commission would lead to a delay in any developments at AOG.AX. |
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30 Oct 2018 - Fund Review: Insync Global Capital Aware Fund September 2018
INSYNC GLOBAL CAPITAL AWARE FUND
Attached is our most recently updated Fund Review on the Insync Global Capital Aware Fund.
We would like to highlight the following:
- The Global Capital Aware 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.


29 Oct 2018 - Performance Report: Bennelong Concentrated Australian Equities Fund
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Fund Overview | The overriding objective of the Concentrated Australian Equities Fund is to seek investment opportunities which are under-appreciated and have the potential to deliver positive earnings, while satisfying our stringent quality criteria. Bennelong's investment process combines bottom-up fundamental analysis together with proprietary investment tools which are used to build and maintain high quality portfolios that are risk aware. The portfolio typically consists of 20-35 high-conviction stocks from the S&P/ASX 300 Index. The Fund may invest in securities listed on other exchanges where such securities relate to ASX-listed securities. Derivative instruments are mainly used to replicate underlying positions and hedge market and company specific risks. |
Manager Comments | As at the end of September, the portfolio's weightings had been increased in the Discretionary, Consumer Staples, Industrials, Communication and Materials sectors, and decreased in the Health Care, IT and Financials sectors. The Fund's cash weighting was reduced from 1.6% to 0.9%. The Fund aims to invest in a concentrated portfolio of high quality companies with strong growth outlooks and underestimated earnings momentum and prospects. By comparison with the Fund's benchmark (ASX300 Accumulation Index), the portfolio's holdings, on average, have a higher return on equity and lower debt/equity (Premium Quality), higher sales growth and higher EPS growth (Superior Growth), as well as higher price/earnings and lower dividend yield (Reasonable Valuation). |
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26 Oct 2018 - Performance Report: Quay Global Real Estate Fund
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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 | Impacting performance in September was across-the-board weakness in the Fund's US REIT exposures, as the US 10-year bond yield rose to +3.1% in the later stages of the month. Performance was also impacted by continued weakness in the HK property names from trade war fears and the strength of the HKD. The largest detractors were Ventas (US Healthcare), Cubesmart (US Storage) and Scentre (Australian Retail). Positive contributors included Unite (UK Student Accommodation), RLJ (US Hotels) and Essex (US Multifamily). Quay noted that during the month they toured Singapore, the UK, Hong Kong and the USA, meeting with numerous management teams from their investees, their competitors and potential investment opportunities. Quay noted they came away with a confident outlook. |
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25 Oct 2018 - Performance Report: Glenmore Australian Equities Fund
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Fund Overview | The main driver of identifying potential investments will be bottom up company analysis, however macro-economic conditions will be considered as part of the investment thesis for each stock. |
Manager Comments | The Fund returned -0.47% in September, outperforming the Index by +0.79%. Top contributors included Mastermyne (+18.6%) and Alliance Aviation (+10.7%). Other positive contributors included Jumbo Interactive, Pinnacle Investments and Bravura Solutions. Key detractors included Navigator Global Investments (-7.6%) and Emeco Holdings (-5.5%). Following reporting season, Glenmore continue to meet with the management teams of a large number of potential investments for the Fund and remain very optimistic that any volatility in equities markets in the future will create some attractive buying opportunities. Currently the portfolio comprises approximately 16% cash and is therefore well positioned. |
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24 Oct 2018 - Fund Review: Bennelong Long Short Equity Fund September 2018
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 15-years' track record and an annualised returns of over 16%.
- The consistent returns across the investment history indicate 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 0.99 and 1.66 respectively.
For further details on the Fund, please do not hesitate to contact us.


23 Oct 2018 - 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 | In September the Fund returned -2.2%, taking the gain for the first quarter of FY19 to a modest +0.7% (after all fees). Throughout the month, there were three positive performers - Acrow, Noni B and newly added Spicers Paper. The remaining 20 or so positions fell between 1% - 13% which Cyan noted was in part due to the slightly bearish market disposition mirrored by the -1.1% fall in the All Ords. In addition, Cyan have been involved in a number of transactions (both IPO's and placements) that they expect to add meaningful value to the Fund in the coming months. Cyan noted that, in light of recent performance, their philosophy acknowledges the reality of stock volatility. They noted that even great multi-year investments will have periods of retracement and consolidation, highlighting the fact that CSL, despite rising more than 500% over the past 10 years, has suffered 15 monthly falls of more than 5% during that timeframe. Cyan aim to ignore market gyrations and focus on the underlying fundamentals and growth paths of their investee companies. Cyan remain confident in the future earnings capabilities of their investments. |
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22 Oct 2018 - Bennelong Twenty20 Australian Equities Fund September 2018
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.


18 Oct 2018 - Fund Review: Bennelong Kardinia Absolute Return Fund September 2018
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 10.16% p.a. with a volatility of 6.89%, compared to the ASX200 Accumulation's return of 5.93% p.a. with a volatility of 13.29%.
- 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.


17 Oct 2018 - 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 | In September, the Fund returned -0.46%. NWQ noted increasing market volatility due to rising global interest rates, as well as increasing divergence in global growth rates, is likely to continue and present ongoing challenges to risk assets. Market and manager return dispersion remains high and the overall portfolio exposure to the market remains relatively low at approximately 12%. NWQ believe an equity market neutral portfolio that substantially eliminates the likely ongoing equity and bond market volatility should serve investors well over the coming months. |
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