Market Review
It was an excellent quarter for European equities. Positive sentiment was driven by news Greece had secured support for its debt restructuring plan, positive US economic data and the European Central Bank’s €1 trillion long-term refinancing operation. But the period closed on a sour note as fears mounted about Spain’s finances.
Fund Performance
The Fund underperformed its median over the quarter, largely as a result of underweight holdings in the technology, banks, and industrial goods and services sectors, whilst our overweight commitment to oil and gas was also a detractor from performance. At stock level, the key positives were Daimler and Ryanair.
Fund Positioning
Due to our bottom-up investment process, we have an overweight stance in oil & gas. This, though, is a play on individual stocks, rather than the sector as a whole. The portfolio also has a bigger presence in the insurance space than the benchmark. In contrast, we are underweight banks.
Mike McNaught-Davis
31 March 2012