The Fund’s A4 share class returned 5.5%* in euro terms in January. The Fund’s comparator benchmarks, the MSCI Europe Index and HFRX Equity Hedge EUR Index, returned 1.6% and 0.6% respectively.
Stock markets were mixed in January following signals from central banks that interest rate cuts may not arrive as soon as investors were hoping. Within the European market, information technology (+9.7%) and communication services (+3.6%) posted positive returns for the period helped by strong performance from semiconductor stocks, while the healthcare sector (+3.9%) also notched a positive gain. Among the weaker sectors in January were materials (-3.7%), utilities (-2.8%) and energy (-1.9%).
The Fund’s long book performed strongly in January, returning 3.4% − ahead of the MSCI benchmark return. Despite the small rise in European markets over the month, the short book was also able to make a positive contribution to returns. The short book averaged 35% of NAV for the month and its shares dropped by over 7% on average, making a performance contribution to the Fund of around 2.9%.
Within the Fund’s long portfolio, marketing products manufacturer 4imprint Group was the top performer over the month, after reporting in a trading update that it expects full-year pre-tax profit to be at least $140 million, slightly ahead of the higher end of analyst forecasts.
Another strong performer was ASML, the Dutch supplier of photolithography systems for the semiconductor industry. The sector has performed strongly recently as interest around artificial intelligence has driven demand for semiconductors and the products to make them. In addition to strong sub-sector performance, AMSL reported good Q4 results in January, with order bookings more than tripling in the quarter, rising to €9.19 billion in the fourth quarter (from €2.6 billion).
Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk continued its strong performance after announcing that sales and profit are likely to surge following the success of its anti-obesity drug Wegovy and diabetes drug Ozempic. The drugmaker announced that full-year operating profit increased by 37% to DKK103 billion, while the company also said it expects sales growth this year of between 18-26%, driven by increased demand in Wegovy and Ozempic.
Within the Fund’s short book, a position in a manufacturer of thermal insulation used in electric vehicles was a positive contributor following the release of an underwhelming 2024 revenue forecast. In addition, our short position in a German online auto wholesaler performed strongly after a broker downgraded the company’s full-year EBITDA estimates.
The long book’s largest detractors included JD Sports (-33%), which fell sharply after it downgraded its profit forecasts for the current financial year following reduced customer spend and more promotional activity than expected impacted gross margins. Jeronimo Martins (-8.5%), a Portuguese food distributor and grocery store operator, also fell after its fourth quarter sales raised concerns about a deceleration in Poland – the company’s main market.
Discrete years' performance (%) to previous quarter-end**:
|
|
Dec-23 |
Dec-22 |
Dec-21 |
Dec-20 |
Dec-19 |
|
Liontrust GF European Strategic Equity A4 Acc EUR |
1.4% |
18.3% |
32.9% |
-10.0% |
23.2% |
|
MSCI Europe |
15.8% |
-9.5% |
25.1% |
-3.3% |
26.0% |
|
HFRX Equity Hedge EUR |
4.7% |
-5.2% |
11.0% |
2.9% |
8.5% |
|
|
Dec-18 |
Dec-17 |
Dec-16 |
Dec-15 |
|
Liontrust GF European Strategic Equity A4 Acc EUR |
-7.1% |
4.2% |
4.8% |
6.1% |
|
MSCI Europe |
-10.6% |
10.2% |
2.6% |
8.2% |
|
HFRX Equity Hedge EUR |
-12.3% |
7.8% |
-1.7% |
-3.1% |
*Source: Financial Express, as at 31.01.24, total return (income reinvested and net of fees).
**Source: Financial Express, as at 31.12.23, total return (income reinvested and net of fees). Discrete data is not available for ten full 12-month periods due to the launch date of the portfolio (25.04.14). Investment decisions should not be based on short-term performance.
Key Features of the Liontrust GF European Strategic Equity Fund
KEY RISKS
Past performance is not a guide to future performance. The value of an investment and the income generated from it can fall as well as rise and is not guaranteed. You may get back less than you originally invested.
The issue of units/shares in Liontrust Funds may be subject to an initial charge, which will have an impact on the realisable value of the investment, particularly in the short term. Investments should always be considered as long term.
Overseas investments may carry a higher currency risk. They are valued by reference to their local currency which may move up or down when compared to the currency of the Fund. The Fund may, under certain circumstances, invest in derivatives, but it is not intended that their use will materially affect volatility. Derivatives are used to protect against currencies, credit and interest rate moves or for investment purposes. There is a risk that losses could be made on derivative positions or that the counterparties could fail to complete on transactions. The use of derivatives may create leverage or gearing resulting in potentially greater volatility or fluctuations in the net asset value of the Fund. A relatively small movement in the value of a derivative's underlying investment may have a larger impact, positive or negative, on the value of a fund than if the underlying investment was held instead. The use of derivative contracts may help us to control Fund volatility in both up and down markets by hedging against the general market. The Fund may encounter liquidity constraints from time to time. The spread between the price you buy and sell shares will reflect the less liquid nature of the underlying holdings. The Fund uses derivative instruments that may result in higher cash levels. Outside of normal conditions, the Fund may choose to hold higher levels of cash. Cash may be deposited with several credit counterparties (e.g. international banks) or in short dated bonds. A credit risk arises should one or more of these counterparties be unable to return the deposited cash. There is no guarantee that a positive absolute return will be generated over any time period.
DISCLAIMER
This is a marketing communication. Before making an investment, you should read the relevant Prospectus and the Key Investor Information Document (KIID), which provide full product details including investment charges and risks. These documents can be obtained, free of charge, from www.liontrust.co.uk or direct from Liontrust. Always research your own investments. If you are not a professional investor please consult a regulated financial adviser regarding the suitability of such an investment for you and your personal circumstances.
This should not be construed as advice for investment in any product or security mentioned, an offer to buy or sell units/shares of Funds mentioned, or a solicitation to purchase securities in any company or investment product. Examples of stocks are provided for general information only to demonstrate our investment philosophy. The investment being promoted is for units in a fund, not directly in the underlying assets. It contains information and analysis that is believed to be accurate at the time of publication, but is subject to change without notice. Whilst care has been taken in compiling the content of this document, no representation or warranty, express or implied, is made by Liontrust as to its accuracy or completeness, including for external sources (which may have been used) which have not been verified.
