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Printed: 20 September 2026 6:47 PM

12 Nov 2014 - Optimal Australia Absolute Trust

By: Australian Fund Monitors
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Report Date11 November 2014
ManagerOptimal Fund Management Australia
Fund NameOptimal Australia Absolute Trust
StrategyEquity Long/Short
Latest Return DateOctober 2014
Latest Return-0.71%
Latest 6 Months3.08%
Latest 12 Months5.42%
Latest 24 Months8.29%
Annualised Since Inception9.86%
Inception Date15 September 2008
FUM (millions)AU$120
Fund OverviewThe investment objective of the Fund is to seek to achieve above average returns in absolute terms, through investing in listed securities in Australia and New Zealand, subject to the overarching requirement of capital preservation. Investments will predominantly be in equity securities but may include fixed interest instruments, money market instruments, derivatives and foreign exchange contracts.

The Fund's bias is likely to be net long under normal market conditions, with the core strategy being to construct a portfolio of listed equity securities priced at levels that do not adequately reflect their underlying value. The Fund will seek to boost returns and limit potential market downside by selective short selling of individual stocks which are priced at levels that are viewed as materially above their underlying value. The Fund will also use certain trading strategies both within its core portfolio (through rebalancing stock weights and overall market exposure in response to price movements) and in certain other situations (typically of a shorter-duration and/or opportunistic nature) with the objective of further increasing returns.
Manager CommentsOptimal Australia Absolute Trust returned -0.71% in October with annual returns at 5.42% (ASX 200 Accum 6.39%), with a volatility of 2.08% (Index 10.33%) and a Sharpe ratio of 1.37. The Fund had a gross exposure of 94.2% and a net exposure of -0.3% at month-end.

The Fund recorded 83% positive months over the last year and a maximum draw-down of -0.71% as compared to the Index at 5.38%.

Not only did the market post a solid rebound, but the stocks leading that recovery were exactly the same group of yield-based so-called 'defensive' industrials and financials which so dominate index construction. The stats here are instructive: the ASX 20 stock index now represents 68% of the ASX 200 index, compared with 55% just prior to the 2007 market peak. Banks are now 31% of the ASX 200 index, and the financials overall represent 47% ― an all-time high.

So: investors in the Australian stock market are assuming concentration risk of unprecedented proportions, and this skew in index concentration typically occurs at market extremes.
More Information» View detailed profile of this fund

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