NEWS
Performance Report: Harvest Lane Asset Management Absolute Return Fund
19 Aug 2019 - Australian Fund Monitors
The Harvest Lane Absolute Return Fund returned +1.23% in July. Since inception in July 2013, the Fund has returned +8.50% p.a. with an annualised volatility of 6.92%.
Read more...
19 Aug 2019 - Performance Report: Harvest Lane Asset Management Absolute Return Fund
By: Australian Fund Monitors
| Report Date | |
| Manager | |
| Fund Name | |
| Strategy | |
| Latest Return Date | |
| Latest Return | |
| Latest 6 Months | |
| Latest 12 Months | |
| Latest 24 Months (pa) | |
| Annualised Since Inception | |
| Inception Date | |
| FUM (millions) | |
| Fund Overview | Harvest Lane Asset Management employs a conservative, highly selective and opportunistic approach. Using their extensive knowledge in the area of corporate actions, the Fund's managers assess each opportunity based on a thoughtful, diligent and disciplined process and invest where they believe an opportunity exists to generate above average investment returns relative to the risk incurred. Investment decisions are made without speculating on market direction, with rigid risk controls enforced to minimise the risk of large losses of investor capital. The Fund invests in securities that are predominantly listed on the ASX and occasionally in those listed in other developed markets. Equity swaps and other derivatives may be used at times to reduce risk. The fund typically holds high levels of cash in the absence of sufficiently attractive opportunities to deploy investor capital in accordance with its objectives. |
| Manager Comments | Harvest Lane noted there were some meaningful individual contributors and interesting corporate activity during the month, much of which they believe highlights the latent potential currently residing in the portfolio. They added that deal flow is showing no sign of slowing down with the latter half of July seeing several prospective opportunities announced, allowing Harvest Lane to invest in new opportunities and reinvest the proceeds of completed transactions. |
| More Information |
Fund Review: Bennelong Kardinia Absolute Return Fund July 2019
16 Aug 2019 - Australian Fund Monitors
The latest Fund Review for the Bennelong Kardinia Absolute Return Fund is now available. The Fund is a long-biased, research driven, active equity long/short strategy which invests in listed ASX companies with track records greater than 10 years.
Read more...
16 Aug 2019 - Fund Review: Bennelong Kardinia Absolute Return Fund July 2019
By: Australian Fund Monitors
AFM Fund Review - July 2019 (pdf format)
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 9.26% p.a. with a volatility of 7.03%, compared to the ASX200 Accumulation's return of 6.54% p.a. with a volatility of 13.19%.
- 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.
AFM Fund Review - July 2019 (pdf format)
Fund Review: Bennelong Twenty20 Australian Equities Fund July 2019
15 Aug 2019 - 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.
Read more...
15 Aug 2019 - Fund Review: Bennelong Twenty20 Australian Equities Fund July 2019
By: Australian Fund Monitors
AFM Fund Review - July 2019 (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 - July 2019 (pdf format)
Performance Report: Glenmore Australian Equities Fund
14 Aug 2019 - Australian Fund Monitors
The Glenmore Australian Equities Fund rose +7.71% in July, outperforming the ASX200 Accumulation Index by +4.77%. Since inception in June 2017 the Fund has returned +33.47% per annum versus the Index's +12.87%.
Read more...
14 Aug 2019 - Performance Report: Glenmore Australian Equities Fund
By: Australian Fund Monitors
| Report Date | |
| Manager | |
| Fund Name | |
| Strategy | |
| Latest Return Date | |
| Latest Return | |
| Latest 6 Months | |
| Latest 12 Months | |
| Latest 24 Months (pa) | |
| Annualised Since Inception | |
| Inception Date | |
| FUM (millions) | |
| 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 | Top contributors included Phoslock Environment Technologies, Magellan Financial Group, Dicker Data, People Infrastructure, AP Eagers, Alliance Aviation Services and Fiducian Group. Key detractors included Stanmore Coal and Jumbo Interactive. Glenmore noted they were surprised by the magnitude of the rebound in 2019. They believe the most likely driver of the rebound is the view that we will have continued low inflation and low interest rates for the foreseeable future. Glenmore's approach in this environment has been to sell or trim holdings where they believe valuations have become stretched and remain very selective with regards to the quality of businesses they are invested in. |
| More Information |
Performance Report: NWQ Global Markets Fund
14 Aug 2019 - Australian Fund Monitors
The NWQ Global Markets Fund returned +2.92% in July, taking cumulative performance since inception in September 2018 to +5.28%.
Read more...
14 Aug 2019 - Performance Report: NWQ Global Markets Fund
By: Australian Fund Monitors
| Report Date | |
| Manager | |
| Fund Name | |
| Strategy | |
| Latest Return Date | |
| Latest Return | |
| Latest 6 Months | |
| Latest 12 Months | |
| Latest 24 Months (pa) | |
| Annualised Since Inception | |
| Inception Date | |
| FUM (millions) | |
| Fund Overview | This is achieved through active allocations to a select number of liquid alternative managers that employ a variety of strategies. The Fund places emphasis on managers who demonstrate a rigorous and repeatable investment process that has delivered a strong track record. |
| Manager Comments | The portfolio comprises funds that invest in FX (47.3%), global macro (32.7%) and managed futures (32.7%). The contribution from each strategy to the portfolio's July return (before fees) was +2.58%, -2.03% and +2.69% respectively. |
| More Information |
Performance Report: Cyan C3G Fund
13 Aug 2019 - Australian Fund Monitors
The Cyan C3G Fund returned +5.2% in July, outperforming the ASX200 Accumulation Index by +2.26% and marking 5 years since inception in August 2014. Over that time the Fund has achieved an annualised return of +19.99% versus the Index's +8.55%.
Read more...
13 Aug 2019 - Performance Report: Cyan C3G Fund
By: Australian Fund Monitors
| Report Date | |
| Manager | |
| Fund Name | |
| Strategy | |
| Latest Return Date | |
| Latest Return | |
| Latest 6 Months | |
| Latest 12 Months | |
| Latest 24 Months (pa) | |
| Annualised Since Inception | |
| Inception Date | |
| FUM (millions) | |
| 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 | Top contributors during the month included Alcidion, Quickfee, Readcloud, Atomos and PSC Insurance. Cyan noted very few of the Fund's holdings performed poorly in July. Cyan believe ongoing trade wars and associated currency fluctuations are likely to continue to drive sentiment in the short term. They noted that, rather than trying to pick short-term trading directions, they continue to invest on a stock specific basis through a well-diversified portfolio of around 30 companies. Cyan expect the market to focus more fully on individual company performance rather than macro events and short-term sentiment during reporting season. |
| More Information |
Fund Review: Bennelong Long Short Equity Fund July 2019
13 Aug 2019 - 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...
Read more...
13 Aug 2019 - Fund Review: Bennelong Long Short Equity Fund July 2019
By: Australian Fund Monitors
AFM Fund Review - July 2019 (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 15.17%.
- 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 0.91 and 1.48 respectively.
For further details on the Fund, please do not hesitate to contact us.
AFM Fund Review - July 2019 (pdf format)
Performance Report: Bennelong Kardinia Absolute Return Fund
12 Aug 2019 - Australian Fund Monitors
The Bennelong Kardinia Absolute Return Fund returned +0.42% in July, taking annualised performance since inception in May 2006 to +9.26% with an annualised volatility of 7.03%.
Read more...
12 Aug 2019 - Performance Report: Bennelong Kardinia Absolute Return Fund
By: Australian Fund Monitors
| Report Date | |
| Manager | |
| Fund Name | |
| Strategy | |
| Latest Return Date | |
| Latest Return | |
| Latest 6 Months | |
| Latest 12 Months | |
| Latest 24 Months (pa) | |
| Annualised Since Inception | |
| Inception Date | |
| FUM (millions) | |
| 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 | July's return was driven by gold, industrials and key healthcare stocks. Top contributors included A2 Milk, Evolution, Northern Star, Magellan Financial Group, CSL and Polynovo. Detractors included Next Science, Nearmap, Rio Tinto and Audinate Group. The largest detractors were a short position in Share Price Index Futures and the individual short book. Net equity market exposure was increased from 24.9% to 40.5% (73.3% long and 32.8% short), with the key changes being a new long position in Westpac and increased weightings in Commonwealth Bank, James Hardie, Xero, A2 Milk and Macquarie Group. This was partly offset by the sale of NAB and Next Science and four new individual stock shorts in the financials and resources sectors. |
| More Information |
Performance Report: Bennelong Long Short Equity Fund
9 Aug 2019 - Australian Fund Monitors
The Bennelong Long Short Equity Fund returned +6.92% in July, outperforming the ASX200 Accumulation Index by +3.98% and taking annualised performance since inception in February 2002 to +15.17% versus the Index's +8.55%.
Read more...
9 Aug 2019 - Performance Report: Bennelong Long Short Equity Fund
By: Australian Fund Monitors
| Report Date | |
| Manager | |
| Fund Name | |
| Strategy | |
| Latest Return Date | |
| Latest Return | |
| Latest 6 Months | |
| Latest 12 Months | |
| Latest 24 Months (pa) | |
| Annualised Since Inception | |
| Inception Date | |
| FUM (millions) | |
| Fund Overview | In a typical environment the Fund will hold around 70 stocks comprising 35 pairs. Each pair contains one long and one short position each of which will have been thoroughly researched and are selected from the same market sector. Whilst in an ideal environment each stock's position will make a positive return, it is the relative performance of the pair that is important. As a result the Fund can make positive returns when each stock moves in the same direction provided the long position outperforms the short one in relative terms. However, if neither side of the trade is profitable, strict controls are required to ensure losses are limited. The Fund uses no derivatives and has no currency exposure. The Fund has no hard stop loss limits, instead relying on the small average position size per stock (1.5%) and per pair (3%) to limit exposure. Where practical pairs are always held within the same sector to limit cross sector risk, and positions can be held for months or years. The Bennelong Market Neutral Fund, with same strategy and liquidity is available for retail investors as a Listed Investment Company (LIC) on the ASX. |
| Manager Comments | During the month the Fund experienced a favourable balance of fundamental news. In addition, Bennelong noted appetite for higher yield stocks moderated, which was a tailwind for returns. They believe the elimination of the dividend in two ASX200 companies experiencing operating headwinds is a reminder that yield is no certainty in the equity markets. At the sector level Financials were the Fund's top contributor while Consumer Discretionary was the greatest detractor. The number of positive pairs exceeded the negative. The contribution of the Fund's negative pairs was modest. |
| More Information |
Performance Report: Paragon Australian Long Short Fund
8 Aug 2019 - Australian Fund Monitors
The Paragon Australian Long Short Fund rose +9.4% in July, outperforming the ASX200 Accumulation Index by +6.46% and taking annualised performance since inception in February 2013 to +10.87% versus the Index's +9.22%.
Read more...
8 Aug 2019 - Performance Report: Paragon Australian Long Short Fund
By: Australian Fund Monitors
| Report Date | |
| Manager | |
| Fund Name | |
| Strategy | |
| Latest Return Date | |
| Latest Return | |
| Latest 6 Months | |
| Latest 12 Months | |
| Latest 24 Months (pa) | |
| Annualised Since Inception | |
| Inception Date | |
| FUM (millions) | |
| Fund Overview | Paragon's unique investment style, comprising thematic led idea generation followed with an in depth research effort, results in a concentrated portfolio of high conviction stocks. Conviction in bottom up analysis drives the investment case and ultimate position sizing: * Both quantitative analysis - probability weighted high/low/base case valuations - and qualitative analysis - company meetings, assessing management, the business model, balance sheet strength and likely direction of returns - collectively form Paragon's overall view for each investment case. * Paragon will then allocate weighting to each investment opportunity based on a risk/reward profile, capped to defined investment parameters by market cap, which are continually monitored as part of Paragon's overall risk management framework. The objective of the Paragon Fund is to produce absolute returns in excess of 10% p.a. over a 3-5 year time horizon with a low correlation to the Australian equities market. |
| Manager Comments | The Paragon Australian Long Short Fund rose +9.4% in July, outperforming the ASX200 Accumulation Index by +6.46% and taking annualised performance since inception in February 2013 to +10.87% versus the Index's +9.22%. Positive contributors came from gold holdings including Alacer Gold, as well as iSignthis, Xero, Agrimin and a short position in Pilbara. Paragon believe the move in gold, particularly the moves in their gold longs, are still in their infancy. Paragon noted they continue to be very constructive on gold, especially A$ gold. They added that gold particularly benefits from accommodative monetary policy (namely low and falling cash rates), quantitative easing (QE), falling bond rates (namely negative or approaching negative real rates) and global market volatility, all four of which arose in the last month. Paragon believe the best returns will be made in identifying key stocks that meet particular criteria:
|
| More Information |
