SUMMARY
The Fund fell by -0.1% in October. By way of comparison, the Australian stock market declined by -1.3% in the month, 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 +5.4%, ahead of the cash plus 6% benchmark of +3.4% over the same period, whilst the broader market has returned +6.4%. We are pleased with the continued momentum for the Fund this financial year, and to be tracking comfortably ahead of our cash plus 6% benchmark.
The prevailing theme of the month was a partial reversal of the rotation from Banks to Materials that dominated the domestic market in the first quarter of the financial year. The rotation was originally triggered by the announcement of stimulus measures from China, however after some early excitement, the lack of follow through from Chinese policy makers in October somewhat disappointed, resulting in the domestic Banks recovering from their lows and Resources drifting lower into the month end. The Australian dollar once again retreated, falling almost 5% relative to the USD and Iron Ore similarly came under pressure, down 7% over the month. Discretionary consumer names also came under pressure during the month, as updates from AGM season painted a picture of a struggling consumer – suggesting that cost of living pressures may finally be impacting household spending patterns, after a prolonged period of resilience. With aggregate consensus earnings forecasts remaining broadly stable across the month, the market multiple has fallen slightly to (a still elevated) 17.9x forward earnings (vs 18.3x in September).