NEWS
21 May 2013 - Pengana Asia Special Events (Onshore) Fund
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| Fund Overview | The Fund seeks to profit from trading securities which are primarily subject to corporate events or from trading-related securities which the Investment Manager believes are mispriced by the market. The Fund invests in securities that are listed on Asian stock markets and other markets where related securities may be listed and in securities which are listed on markets outside of Asia where more than 70% (by assets or earnings) of the underlying business originates from an Asian country. The Fund aims to generate consistently positive returns which have a low correlation to the Asian stock markets. The objective is to generate 10-20% pa with a standard deviation of 6-10% |
| Manager Comments | Japanese, Singaporean and Malaysian positions contributed significantly to the positive performance over the month as M&A activity picked up. Capital Management was the most successful strategy for the Fund, with Earnings Surprise, M&A and Stubs Trades also making meaningful contributions. Short index futures positions negatively impacted on performance as Asian markets generally rose strongly over the month. The Fund maintained an average net and gross exposure of 16% and 164% respectively. Largest month-end net exposures were China, Japan and Indonesia and biggest gross exposure by strategy was Merger and Acquisitions. April was very eventful led by a significant pick up in M&A activity and the earnings seasons in some markets. Japan was the most active M&A market in Asia, accounting for 6 of the 14 new deals during the month. Interestingly, as a sign of returning corporate confidence, 2 of the biggest Asian deals for the year were announced in April. Leading the table was the stake increase in Hindustan Unilever by parent Unilever Plc. Within the consumer space as well CP ALL, the operator of over 5,000 7-Eleven stores in Thailand, announced a takeover of Thai hypermart operator Siam Makro. A fall in commodity prices, led by the unexpected collapse of gold prices, resulted in significant volatility in resource stocks during the month. The falls did not adversely affect the risk arbitrage spreads the Fund was involved in. |
| More Information | » View detailed profile of this fund |
20 May 2013 - BlackRock Australian Equity Market Neutral Fund
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| Fund Overview | The Fund's portfolio primarily consists of long and short Australian equity positions. The Fund may also invest in other funds managed by BlackRock. Derivative securities, such as futures, forwards, swaps and options, can be used to manage risk and return Key insights into the investment process include: Analyst Expectations, Relative Valuation, Earnings Quality, Market Signals and Timing. Short-Term return enhancing opportunities including: Dividend reinvestment plans, Manging index changes, Managing cash flows and Arbitrage, Initial public offerings and Seasoned Equity Offerings and Off Market Buybacks. |
| Manager Comments | The S&P/ASX 200 rose 4.5% (4.5% accumulation) in April to reach its highest level since June 2008. This was largely driven by the seemingly insatiable appetite for yield, with high yield stocks outperforming and Australian Government bonds rallying strongly. Resources, however, slumped further amidst weaker than expected US and Chinese economic data and softer commodity prices. Domestically, the under-performance of resource stocks was most notable amongst gold stocks following the spectacular fall in the gold price. Small capitalisation miners with higher leverage to commodity prices were also hit particularly hard, and a number of mining service companies issued profit warnings. The search for yield was well evidenced by the remarkable turnaround (+9.7%) of WPL on the day it announced it will pay a special dividend and raise its dividend payout ratio. The portfolio benefited from the resource under-performance due to a tilt toward producers versus explorers, with significant contribution coming from short positions in Kingsgate Consolidated, Newcrest Mining and Oz Minerals, amongst others. The yield theme also proved profitable via our exposure to property trusts and telecoms. Elsewhere, the portfolio also had positive contributions from stock selection in domestic cyclicals, such as Flight Centre, Trade Me, Super Retail and Qantas. Losing stocks generally came from the same sectors, with long positions in Resolute Mining and St Barbara amongst the largest detractors. |
| More Information | » View detailed profile of this fund |
17 May 2013 - Hedge Clippings
Budget week finally confirmed what most already knew: Australia was not going to be in, or return to, surplus any time soon, irrespective of any change in government in September. Treasury's earlier revenue estimates were far too optimistic, and some (in particular from the mining and carbon tax) have simply not materialised as anticipated by the government.
Coincidentally or not with the confirmation of the federal deficit, the A$ came under pressure as the combined effects of lower rates (down 25 bps to 2.75%), a reduced outlook for resources, and the reality of a mid to long term budget deficit added to the effects of a strengthening US currency.
The current government delivered a strategic budget which promised large social programs such as the disability pension scheme and education reform, cleverly boxing in the opposition and making it difficult for them to abandon them if, or when they assume power.
As previously telegraphed the budget included the gradual increase of the superannuation guarantee levy from the current 9 to 12%, which the opposition promptly announced would be delayed or deferred on their watch. One interesting twist in the ongoing progress or otherwise of reform of the superannuation system was the opposition's successful amendment this week requiring at least one third of industry superannuation fund trustees to be independent.
The current equal representation model requires industry super funds to appoint half their trustees from union representatives and the other half from employer representatives. Although the Cooper Review recommended that a lack of independent trustees was no longer appropriate, the government chose not to include the changes in the legislation.
The twist came not so much that the amendment was proposed, and passed 72 to 68, but in the fact that the independent MP's voted against a proposal favoring independence, and that it appears four government MP's, including two ministers and a government whip, either abstained, or were absent.
Given the importance and value of the superannuation system it seems incongruous that industry super funds are not subject to the same or similar governance and transparency regime as corporate Australia.
While on the subject of governance and transparency, Bloomberg the global leader in financial information with over 300,000 terminals installed, was (or should be) severely embarrassed. It was revealed this week that Bloomberg has been engaging in a case of "big brother" by enabling their journalists to be able to track who, what and where the terminals were being used, and what was being viewed.
While we haven't yet read of actual cases where the information gleaned has been misused, the potential for misuse (given that each terminal is usually registered to an individual user) is massive, and Bloomberg will no doubt be scrambling to protect their reputation in dealing rooms around the globe, just as users will be demanding changes to the terms of their agreements.
Performance and News Updates on www.fundmonitors.com this week:
The Monash Absolute Investment Fund returned 1.13% during April, a month of extreme moves on the ASX with Small Cap Resources falling 19% and the top industrials rising 4.7%. At month-end Fund net exposure was 67%.
Insync Global Titans Fund returned 1.63% for April with the biggest positive contributors coming from a range of stocks including Sanofi, Coach, Roche and Walt Disney. Average mkt cap of stocks in the portfolio is $A 99.1bn with a weighted average forecast dividend yield of 2.90%. The fund is currently un-hedged. We also released the latest Fund Insync Review for April 2013, which you may read here.
The Pengana Australian Equities Fund had a strong April returning 3.51% bringing its 12 month return to 25.91%. Cash exposure at end April was 29%.
Morphic Global Opportunities Fund had a sound April returning 2.80% with top stock contributors coming mostly from Japan. Performance since inception in August 2012 is now 20.53%. The Fund is fully un-hedged, you can read the most recent Morphic Fund Review here.
The Auscap Long Short Australian Equities Fund had a very strong month, recording 9.83% during April. A major contributor to performance was shorting gold stocks which provided the Fund with a 2.8% return.
And finally, for something completely different, a funny clip on how frustrating it could be to teach a child how to tell the time, almost as frustrating as teaching my wife how to fix her computer.
On that note, I hope you have a happy and healthy weekend!
Regards,
Chris
CEO, AUSTRALIAN FUND MONITORS
17 May 2013 - Auscap Long Short Australian Equities Fund
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| Fund Overview | The Fund focuses on fundamental long and short investments. The Fund may utilise a multi-strategy approach if short term opportunities to increase returns, hedge the portfolio, protect capital or minimise volatility are found. The Fund is a high conviction fund and the combined portfolio will typically have 25-45 positions, investing primarily in stocks in the ASX200. The Fund may be net long, short or neutral depending on the strategies employed at the time. The Fund may hold cash so that it is in a position to take advantage of market volatility and compelling investment opportunities as and when they arise. The Fund may be geared up to 200% gross long or short and up to 150% net long or short. |
| Manager Comments | The Fund returned 9.83% net of fees during April 2013. This compares with the benchmark return of 0.25%. Average gross capital employed by the Fund was 178.0% long and 48.5% short. Average net exposure over the month was +129.5%. At the end of the month the Fund had 33 long positions and 11 short positions. The Fund’s biggest exposures at month end were spread across the consumer discretionary, financials, telcos, industrials and materials sectors. The Fund had an unusually strong month in April. The Manager would caution investors against any expectation of monthly returns in this order of magnitude. A significant portion of the monthly return was due to the Fund’s overweight exposure to companies with strong competitive advantages and sustainable earnings that provide investors with a good dividend yield and growth that is anticipated to exceed inflation over coming years. These investments performed very strongly during April,and while the Manager expects them to continue to contribute positively to the Fund over the next few years, one should not expect the sort of monthly capital gains experienced in April. The other main contributor to the Fund’s performance was a short position across a small number of gold stocks that have constituted at most around 10% of the Fund’s capital at any point during the month. It is very unusual to have a few positions that move in line with expectations as quickly as they did during the month. Between the start of the month and the middle of the month, when the short positions were closed, the average price fall across these positions was 34% and provided the Fund with a positive 2.8% return. |
| More Information | » View detailed profile of this fund |
16 May 2013 - Pengana Australian Equities Fund
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| Manager Comments | As at April 30th, cash (including notes and preference shares) represented 29% of the Fund. The top five holdings by value were: DUET Group, ANZ Bank, Telstra, NAB and Caltex. The largest positive contributors to the month’s performance included ANZ, Telstra, NAB, DUET Group, Resmed and Woolworths. The only detractors of any consequence (and nevertheless small) were Seven Group and XRF. The Fund acquired a new holding in AMP. In addition, the Fund deployed cash into existing holdings including Caltex, DUET Group, Seven Group, ANZ, Tatts Group, Mermaid Marine and Ainsworth Gaming. The Fund’s exposure to non-Australian dollar earnings streams (inclusive of companies with global earnings profiles such as Resmed and News Corporation, NZ based companies and US dollar exposure) stands at 15%. The Fund also trimmed its holdings in News Corporation. Robust share prices have narrowed the Fund's investable opportunity set. In addition business activity levels continue to be muted with many sectors reporting evidence of a deteriorating operating environment. The re-rating of many companies’ share prices may be due to the (not immaterial) impact of a lower cost of money environment and the resulting positive effect on long duration assets (particularly off a low base) rather than the improvement in the outlook for revenues and earnings. Australian businesses are still fighting cyclical and structural factors such as a cautious consumer, the impact of a lack of confidence in the Government’s policy decisions (exaggerated by a prolonged election campaign), the increasing effects of a strong Australian dollar on domestic business’ competitive position and growing uncertainty in the mining and related sectors. |
| More Information | » View detailed profile of this fund |
15 May 2013 - Insync Global Titans Fund
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| Manager Comments | Most global equity markets rose in April, with the S&P 500 closing at a new all-time high, despite sub-par economic conditions prevailing in most parts of the developed world. Continued quantitative easing and negative real interest rates are exerting a powerful influence on the pricing of financial assets, but at the same time are also increasing risks within the financial system. The Manager notes that markets can run further, perhaps much further, but as valuations become extended and bullish sentiment for equities becomes more and more the consensus view, the need for vigilance and portfolio protection becomes greater. This can sometimes lead to short term relative under-performance versus equity indices but is done for the purpose of preserving capital and generating long term positive returns. Momentum following in the pursuit of short term relative performance often results in significant long term losses. The Fund seek to generate strong positive returns by investing in companies that can grow even in a tough operating environment and, the higher the market goes, the more we would look to hedge market risk. The unit price increased by 1.6% in April. The biggest positive contributions came from Sanofi, Coach, Roche, Walt Disney and Accenture. In the case of Coach, the shares of the luxury handbag manufacturer jumped by over 17% during the month on the back of solid quarterly earnings as revenue growth gained momentum in the US and China. The Fund's geographic distribution of investment, by listing, is North America 39.7%, Europe 26.4%, UK 26.3% and cash and puts 7.6%. In terms of the Fund's underlying metrics the Manager notes that the average market cap of equities in the portfolio is A$99.1bn with a weighted avg forecast dividend yield of 2.90%. The weighted avg forecast PE ratio is 15.4x and weighted avg ROE 21.3%. The Fund has no hedging in place at the moment. |
| More Information | » View detailed profile of this fund |
15 May 2013 - Meet the Manager - Morphic Asset Management
Continuing our highly successful "Meet the Manager" presentation series, Jack Lowenstein, Managing Director, Joint Chief Investment Officer, Morphic Asset Management will present an overview of the Morphic Global Opportunity Fund on Thursday 16th May 2013, which he describes as being, "Global with a long equity bias and a macro overlay".
Morphic's philosophy is summarised by the view that only funds with flexible hedging strategies will be able to deliver acceptable, steady, real, absolute returns for investors over the investment cycle. The latest copy of our Research Review of the Fund is here.
Jack will share his views on the outlook for the global economy and markets. He recently returned from Japan and will give us some insights into the changes in markets and sentiment since Prime Minister Abe's election.
Thursday 16th May 2013 at 12:30pm
Sydney city venue to be advised
RSVP by Monday 13th May 2013
If you are interested in attending this "Meet the Manager briefing", please reserve your seat and we will send you confirmation of your registration by return email.
Morphic Fund Review March 2013 (pdf format)
14 May 2013 - Morphic Global Opportunities Fund
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| Manager Comments | The Fund’s top stock contributors this month came mostly from Japan, led by long term holdings in HR services outsourcing company Relo and lease financer Century Tokyo. Also helping in Japan were Karaoke equipment maker Daiichikosho and two baskets, comprising three Japanese drug stores and two Japanese tyre producers. A recent Japanese purchase, low cost home builder Arnest One also achieved high returns, although this was partly offset by a short position in two other home builders established to hedge the exposure. Other positive contributions came from Korean cable shopping network GS Home Shopping, Turkish steel producer Kardemir, a collection of US financials, and a long-short Macau gaming stock position. Most of the underperformance in the Fund was due to long positions in two individual stocks, a basket of commodity related investments and partial reversals in previous gains on a handful of unpaired short positions. Shorting proved difficult in a month with such a strong underlying surge in global markets. The Manager closed out all its short equity positions other than the long-short pairs set up for hedging purposes mentioned above, but only after reporting losses that eroded somewhat previously profitable trades in a Hong Kong retailer and a pair of European power generators. From a macroeconomic perspective, the month saw a tug-of-war between deteriorating economic data battling investor optimism caused by expanded global money printing. Liquidity would appear to have the upper hand so far. The Manager expects this to persist and has slightly lifted Fund exposures to emerging market and commodities. However confidence remains fragile and vigilance is required for any sign this stance requires review. The Fund remains un-hedged into Australian dollars. |
| More Information | » View detailed profile of this fund |
13 May 2013 - Monash Absolute Investment Fund
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| Fund Overview | The Fund places a high priority on capital preservation, and have an absolute return focus in accepting market risk. The Manager employs a comprehensive approach to making investment decisions utilising value, growth and discounted cash flow styles. The portfolio is somewhat concentrated and the manager looks to diversify the portfolio across industries and themes rather than staying near an index. The portfolio may at times have a large amount of cash or other protection. |
| Manager Comments | The manager has commented on the following investments; G8 Education (GEM) continued to climb. This month it was up another +16.3%. GEM owns and operates 167 childcare centres in Australia and has interests in another 69 centres in Singapore. Exiting the Flight Centre / Wotif pairs trade (FLT/WTF). Despite a rising market for industrial cyclicals the Fund managed to make money from shorting Wotif, which dropped -2.7% while invested and also made money from owning Flight Centre which rose and made +4.6% over the same period. Southern Cross Electrical Engineering (SXE) was down -15.9%, getting caught in the fall with all mining services companies and resource companies generally. At the end of the month the portfolio had nine Outlook Driven stocks, seven Event Driven stocks and one Pairs Trades. Gross exposure was 69% and net exposure was 67%. |
| More Information | » View detailed profile of this fund |
10 May 2013 - Hedge Clippings
Based on 31% of single funds' results reported to date, AFM's index of absolute return and hedge funds returned 2.19% in April, to take year to date performance to +6.15%, and 12 month performance to 9.89%. Equity based funds have outperformed the broader average, up 2.27% in April, 7.41% YTD, and 12.22% over the past 12 months.
By comparison, the ASX200 accumulation index rose 4.54% in April, 12.99% YTD and 23.58% over 12 months.
As far as spread, or range of returns is concerned, the sector returns of the ASX provided some clue as to fund returns, particularly those focusing on the resources, and more specifically the small resources sector. The ASX Smallcap Resources Accumulation Index fell for the seventh consecutive month, with a fall of 20% in April alone, its third largest fall since inception in 1995 with gold stocks particularly affected.
As a result, the spread of fund returns for the month was wider than usual, ranging from -22% through to +22%, although 90% of results to date have been positive. The performance spread over the past year also ranges widely, from -57% through to +58%, again reinforcing the importance of strategy and fund selection. Full details are available on our index pages.
Next Tuesday sees the handing down of the federal budget, the last in the term of this parliament, and the last prior to the election in September. The Prime Minister and Treasurer have both been at pains to prepare everyone for bad news and a significant deficit, having been equally strident until comparatively recently that everything in the garden was rosy. With apologies to Abraham Lincoln, "you can fool all of the people some of the time, some of the people all of the time, but you can't fool yourself forever".
So while the pain has been flagged, the medicine has yet to be prescribed. What is interesting is that short of a miracle, neither the PM or Treasurer will be around to administer the dosage.
Meanwhile yesterday the (current) Minister for Superannuation, Bill Shorten announced his plan to establish a Council of Superannuation Custodians with the intention it would oversee a "Charter of Superannuation Adequacy and Sustainability". That all sounds well and good, but where was the Council over the past 5 years as the rules affecting Super have been chopped and changed with monotonous regularity?
Performance and News Updates on www.fundmonitors.com this week:
The Bennelong Kardinia Absolute Return Fund recorded 1.34% for April 2013 bringing since inception (May 2006) performance to 14.47% pa. We also released the latest Fund Review for April 2013, which you may read here.
Platinum Japan Fund had an exceptional April 2013 with a performance of 13.75%, well ahead of its benchmark and bringing the six month return to 45.83%.
The Bennelong Long Short Equity Fund had a flat month in April 2013 recording a return of 0.01% bringing their since inception return (January 2003) to 20.16%. Their most recent Fund Review for April 2013, is here.
Aurora Fortitude Absolute Return Fund had a sound April 2013 with a return of 1.68% bringing the twelve month return to 5.24%. The Fund's volatility is notable at 2.84% annualised since inception.
The CSAG Long Only Program delivered -0.16% for the month and -4.39% for the year to end March 2013.
Continuing our successful Meet the Manager presentation series, on Thursday 16 May, AFM is holding a city lunch time briefing featuring Jack Lowenstein from Morphic Asset Management. The Morphic Global Opportunities Fund is a global equity long/short manager with a macro-economic overlay. The Fund's portfolio construction has a long bias and favours value based and momentum strategies, with a strong emphasis on risk management. If you would like to join us for the presentation, please reply to this email.
And finally, for something completely different, short and sweet this week.
On that note, I hope you have a happy and healthy weekend!
Regards,
Chris
CEO, AUSTRALIAN FUND MONITORS
