SUMMARY
The Fund fell -0.1% in August following its strong start to the new Financial Year in July. By way of comparison, the Australian stock market rose by 0.4% in August, whilst the return of the RBA-cash-rate-plus-6% equated to approximately +0.8% for the month. Financial year to date, the Fund has achieved a return of +5.0%, ahead of both the market (+4.3%) and the cash-plus-6% benchmark (+1.7%) over the same period.
The overall modest performance for both the Fund and the market in August belies the intra month volatility arising from global macro influences and a somewhat challenging corporate reporting season here in Australia. Weak employment data in the US provided the initial spark, renewing fears of a US recession, leading global markets down early in the month. This was soon followed by a surprise rate rise from the Bank of Japan, resulting in a rally in the Yen and a rapid unwind of a series of carry trades. By the end of the first week of August, the ASX had fallen almost 6% with the majority of corporates yet to report their results. With its defensive positioning and healthy cash holdings, the Fund had held up relatively well at the same point, with losses limited to around 3.5%. By mid month focus had begun to pivot toward expectations of an imminent start to the Fed rate cutting cycle, resulting in a rally for equity markets into month end, entirely reversing the early losses. Overall we view the month’s trading activity as evidence of the high levels of volatility in markets at present. We continue to observe elevated sensitivity to economic factors which influence inflation and interest rate trajectories globally, combined with still relatively buoyant equity market valuations, which are potentially out of sync with the evolution of corporate earnings.
Overall, the Fund experienced a positive reporting season. With few exceptions, results and outlook statements served to validate the respective investment thesis for our holdings, supporting our confidence in the medium term positioning of the Fund.
Join Fund Manager Rhett Kessler as he discusses the Fund’s current portfolio holdings, the factors influencing recent performance, and some of the market variables the investment team is considering moving forward. Register here.