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Investment Policy - BOREAL · 2020-04-17 · Boreal Investment Policy 3 From a relative valuation...

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Investment Policy April 2020
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Page 1: Investment Policy - BOREAL · 2020-04-17 · Boreal Investment Policy 3 From a relative valuation perspective, we like European stocks as they trade at lower multiples, and we expect

Investment PolicyApril 2020

Page 2: Investment Policy - BOREAL · 2020-04-17 · Boreal Investment Policy 3 From a relative valuation perspective, we like European stocks as they trade at lower multiples, and we expect

Our market view in a nutshell – April 2020

• The set of fiscal and monetary support measures announced during the last month are of an unprecedented

magnitude, which has contributed greatly to calming the markets. However, two major uncertainties

remain: (1) The duration and intensity of the health crisis and (2) The sufficiency and effectiveness of

the myriad of fiscal and monetary stimuli

• The interaction between these two unknowns will determine the form that the economic recovery will

take. If the measures are enough to provide a bridge loan to those parts of the economy that need it, and the

virus is relatively contained by the summer, we can witness a "V" shaped recovery. If, on the contrary, the

pandemic spreads more than expected and government support falls short, the economy may fall into a

prolonged "U" depression. Finally, an intermediate scenario would be a "W" shape, which would occur if

the outbreaks recur, albeit with decreasing intensity, until a vaccine is ready

• The shape that the economic recovery takes will affect the one that the financial markets follow, but both

do not necessarily go in tandem. Given that each crisis is unique, the past is of relatively little help to us,

but it is inevitable to compare with similar corrections in the past. The temporary nature of the crisis, which

is our baseline scenario, and reasonable stock valuations when the crisis hit, would speak of a relatively

rapid recovery in stock markets

• As for credit markets, once the uncertainty about which companies will survive the crisis dissipates,

we expect liquidity to improve and credit spreads to narrow. However, we do not expect pre-crisis levels

to be reached, as from now on investors will favor companies with strong balance sheets

• One of the few common denominators in all crises is that, ultimately, high-quality assets always

recover. Therefore, we are taking advantage of the opportunity offered by the recent market rebound to

reorganize our portfolios. It is in times of crisis when investment discipline is most important, which

sometimes involves realizing losses in order to improve quality and diversification within portfolios

2

Page 3: Investment Policy - BOREAL · 2020-04-17 · Boreal Investment Policy 3 From a relative valuation perspective, we like European stocks as they trade at lower multiples, and we expect

=

=

=

=

=

Boreal Investment Policy

3

From a relative valuation perspective, we like European stocks as they trade at lower multiples, and we expect profits to

pick up as economic activity accelerates

Multi-strategy / multi-manager hedge funds with daily liquidity are having a disappointing performance, particularly when

compared with other less risky alternatives, like short-term corporate bonds

In the present late-cycle environment, with inflation pressures remaining subdued, we see limited upside for commodities.

However, we favor gold in the current negative real interest rates environment

Investing in late-stage private equity provides access to the asset class with liquidity provision up to a certain degree

Although the incoming economic recession will undoubtedly increase the number of defaults, both corporate debt and

High Yield offer attractive spreads right now

High quality debt in Euros presents a very unattractive combination of risk and return as current yields offer very little

cushion to weather potential interest rates increases

In European credit we only see value in subordinated debt, asset-backed securities and short-duration high yield

Treasuries offer protection from a slowdown in growth, but we believe that current long-term yields are unattractive,

preferring shorter maturities

A weaker dollar should help emerging markets, but both currencies and credit spreads have reacted only partially to the

risk that the Covid outbreak represents for these countries. In addition, the oil price war will harm exporting countries

Beyond our core call for quality-growth companies, we favor Infrastructure and Biotechnology

Japanese stocks are the cheapest in developed markets, but have suffered recently due to sluggish growth, and concerns

about global trade

Emerging markets, in general, will lack sufficient fiscal freedom to stimulate the economy after the pandemic

After the sharp sell-off, valuations have improved. We have therefore increased our exposure to US equities, mostly

through quality and growth oriented companies.

Equities

Multi-Strategy

Hedge Funds

Commodities

Private Equity

Alternative

Investments

Fixed

Income

US Credit

European

Sovereign

US Treasuries

Europe

Emerging Markets

European Credit

Sectors & Themes

Japan

Emerging Markets

US

Asset Class RationaleView

+

=

Overweight+ Underweight− Neutral=

+

Page 4: Investment Policy - BOREAL · 2020-04-17 · Boreal Investment Policy 3 From a relative valuation perspective, we like European stocks as they trade at lower multiples, and we expect

Brace for impact

4

• In the coming months we are going to witness a flood of disastrous macroeconomic data, worse than in any other crisis in

the past, including the Great Depression

• The big question is whether unprecedented monetary and fiscal support will make the crisis go down in history as a kind

of “glitch" or whether it will instead turn into a protracted recession, or even a depression

Source: Bloomberg

40

60

80

100

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

3%

5%

7%

9%

US Unemployment Rate (lhs) U. Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index (rhs)

Page 5: Investment Policy - BOREAL · 2020-04-17 · Boreal Investment Policy 3 From a relative valuation perspective, we like European stocks as they trade at lower multiples, and we expect

Too good to be true?

5

• China's recovery points to a very sharp rebound in activity, but after the doubts generated by its management of the

crisis, the country's credibility is at a minimum

• In addition, the fact that the rest of the world was in "business as usual" mode during the shutdown in China, caused the

economy to experience only a supply-side shock. However, the global contraction is also causing an unprecedented

demand-side shock

Source: Bloomberg

0%

10%

20%

30%

2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020

35

45

55

65

China Manufacturing PMI (lhs) China Li Keqiang Index (rhs)

Page 6: Investment Policy - BOREAL · 2020-04-17 · Boreal Investment Policy 3 From a relative valuation perspective, we like European stocks as they trade at lower multiples, and we expect

Volatility recedes, uncertainty remains

6

• The decisive intervention of the Fed has avoided a liquidity crisis, but it remains to be seen if fiscal support will be

sufficient to avoid a deep economic crisis

• This is highly dependent on the evolution of the virus and therefore there is an unprecedented degree of economic

uncertainty

Source: Bloomberg

0

20

40

60

80

1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015 2017 2019

0

100

200

300

400

Global Economic Policy Uncertainty Index Baker, Bloom & Davis (lhs) VIX (rhs)

Financial Crisis

Sov. Debt Crisis

China/Oil Crisis

Trade War

Dotcom Crisis

Page 7: Investment Policy - BOREAL · 2020-04-17 · Boreal Investment Policy 3 From a relative valuation perspective, we like European stocks as they trade at lower multiples, and we expect

Uneven recovery across asset classes

7

• Whilst equity markets have recovered half of the loses from its peak, credit markets have improved more slowly,

particularly Emerging Markets

• In addition to the general worsening of credit spreads, the liquidity of bonds has been seriously affected, with very large

bid/ask spreads in individual bonds causing large paper loses in our client portfolios

Source: Bloomberg

2%

5%

8%

11%

Jan Feb Mar Apr

2,200

2,600

3,000

3,400

S&P 500 (lhs) US High Yield Spread vs. UST (rhs) J.P. Morgan EMBI Global Spread (rhs)

Page 8: Investment Policy - BOREAL · 2020-04-17 · Boreal Investment Policy 3 From a relative valuation perspective, we like European stocks as they trade at lower multiples, and we expect

Every crisis is new

8

• Each crisis is unique. Sometimes it is the market that causes the recession (Dotcom), sometimes the market and the

economy fall in tandem (2008), sometimes the market crashes for no apparent reason (Black Monday)

• It is difficult to compare the current crisis with any other in the past, but a good guess is that the recovery will be

something between that of "Black Monday" and the financial crisis. Contrary to the Dotcom crisis, valuations were not

inflated when the crisis hit, and the adjustment will be faster

Source: Bloomberg

-60%

-50%

-40%

-30%

-20%

-10%

0%

0 200 400 600 800 1,000 1,200 1,400 1,600 1,800 2,000 2,200 2,400

-60%

-50%

-40%

-30%

-20%

-10%

0%

Number of days to reach previous peak

%D

rop f

rom

the p

revio

us p

eak

Coronavirus Black Monday Financial Crisis Dotcom

Page 9: Investment Policy - BOREAL · 2020-04-17 · Boreal Investment Policy 3 From a relative valuation perspective, we like European stocks as they trade at lower multiples, and we expect

And affects sector performance differently

9

• Every crisis creates winners and losers, and affects each sector differently

• The market always recovers eventually, but it is important not to be caught up in the wrong companies. Investment

discipline – diversification and, at times, realizing loses – is paramount after crisis

Source: Bloomberg

-100%

0%

100%

200%

300%

400%

500%

600%

1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015 2017 2019

-100%

0%

100%

200%

300%

400%

500%

600%

Financials Technology Healthcare Industrials Consumer Staples

Page 10: Investment Policy - BOREAL · 2020-04-17 · Boreal Investment Policy 3 From a relative valuation perspective, we like European stocks as they trade at lower multiples, and we expect

Uncertainty calls for focus on quality

10

• Similarly, not all risk factors perform equally during a recovery. Once again, each crisis is unique, but being positioned in

quality stocks should work reasonably well, considering that their valuations were very reasonable before the crisis

Source: Bloomberg

-40%

-30%

-20%

-10%

0%

10%

Jan Feb Mar Apr

-40%

-30%

-20%

-10%

0%

10%

MSCI Quality MSCI Value MSCI Growth MSCI Dividends MSCI Large Cap

Page 11: Investment Policy - BOREAL · 2020-04-17 · Boreal Investment Policy 3 From a relative valuation perspective, we like European stocks as they trade at lower multiples, and we expect

Dollar driven by liquidity, not fundamentals

11

• The recent strength of the USD has to do mainly with the rush for liquidity triggered by the crisis, and not the

fundamentals

• As the market gradually normalizes, we should expect some weakening in the USD, more in line with fundamentals.

However, the scope of the movement will be limited by considerations of country risk, which will gain in importance as

the level of debt increases dramatically

Source: Bloomberg

-1%

1%

2%

3%

4%

2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020

60

80

100

120

140

U.S. Dollar Index( (lhs) Yield Differential US vs. Global Aggregate ex-US (rhs)

Page 12: Investment Policy - BOREAL · 2020-04-17 · Boreal Investment Policy 3 From a relative valuation perspective, we like European stocks as they trade at lower multiples, and we expect

Model portfolio evolution

12Source: Bloomberg, as of April 15, 2020

* Fund publishes monthly NAV with a 1 month of delay

-30% -25% -20% -15% -10% -5% 0% 5% 10% 15% 20%

Partners Group Global Value*

Franklin K2 Alternative Strategies Fund

iShares Gold (CH)

Henderson Global Property Equities

Partners Group Listed Infrastructure

SPDR S&P US Dividend Aristocrats UCITS ETF

Polar Capital Biotechnology Fund

iShares Global Clean Energy ETF UCITS ETF

Amundi - Polen Capital Global Growth

Wellington Global Quality Growth Portfolio

iShares Edge MSCI USA Quality Factor

BNP Paribas TIER US x2 Index

Bonus Certificate SMI

Bonus Certificate Euros Stoxx 50

Bonus Certificate S&P 500

Neuberger Berman Short Duration EM Debt

GAM Star Credit Opportunities

Neuberger Berman Corporate Hybrid

Arcano Low Volatility Europ. Inc USDh

AB Mortgage Income Portfolio - A2

Muzinich Short-Duration High Yield

iShares USD Short Duration Corporate Bond

iShares $ Treasury Bond 3-7yr UCITS ETF

iShares $ Treasury Bond 1-3yr UCITS ETF

Ytd Last Month

Page 13: Investment Policy - BOREAL · 2020-04-17 · Boreal Investment Policy 3 From a relative valuation perspective, we like European stocks as they trade at lower multiples, and we expect

Investment scenarios

13

Dri

ve

rsM

ark

et

imp

ac

tP

rob

ab

ilit

y

• Global depression caused by the unprecedented

sudden stop of economic activity

• Lockdowns extend longer than initially anticipated

and restrictions on movement and commerce

prevent a normal return of activity

• Fiscal support packages prove to be insufficient, and

countries with a lesser fiscal latitude suffer prolonged

recessions

Scenario 1

“U” recovery

• Credit spreads remain high, fueled by a wave of

corporate defaults. Weak sovereign bonds

underperform significantly

• Corporate earnings struggle to reach pre-crisis

levels, and equity returns remain lackluster

• Sovereign and high-quality benefit from the flight to

quality, as well as the continuation of an ultra-loose

monetary policy worldwide

• USD neutral as flight to quality is offset by low

interest rates

• Commodities fall further

20%

• Global recession caused by the unprecedented

sudden stop of economic activity

• Lockdowns can be lifted by summer, and economic

activity is largely resumed, with some adaptations to

control the spread of the disease

• Fiscal and monetary support allow the economy to

rebound strongly, while low interest rates make the

debt burden manageable

Scenario 2

“V” Recovery

• Equities appreciate moderately, as TINA (“There Is

No Alternative”) lure investors back to stock markets,

but there is wide dispersion across sectors

• Credit spreads remain tight but do not recover to

pre-crisis levels, as investors will favor companies

with strong balance-sheets

• Wide dispersion between both sovereign bonds and

currencies, as yield curves will likely steepen as

governments flood the market with new debt

• Commodity prices will stabilize

50%

• Deep recession followed by a rapid but failed

recovery

• There is some return to normality by the summer,

but return of the virus in Autumn causes intermittent

lockdowns until a vaccine is available

• Countries with a stronger fiscal position may be able

to provide further stimulus and avert a “W” recovery

Scenario 3

“W” Recovery

• Wide dispersion in both equity and credit markets,

with stronger companies recovering and weak

companies lagging behind

• Credit spreads remain elevated as the market

remains highly volatile and defaults increase

• Wide dispersion between both sovereign bonds and

currencies, as yield curves will likely steepen as

governments flood the market with new debt

• Relatively strong USD as the US economy turns the

corner faster. The Euro may suffer a remake of the

sovereign debt crisis

30%

Other risksTrade war (II), Spread of populist/nationalistic parties, Brexit implementation, Iran, North Korea

Short-term catalyzersSlowdown in infections, Vaccine or treatment for the coronavirus, ramp-up in hospital infrastructure

Page 14: Investment Policy - BOREAL · 2020-04-17 · Boreal Investment Policy 3 From a relative valuation perspective, we like European stocks as they trade at lower multiples, and we expect

2%

39%

48%

6%5%

Cash2% Sub. Debt

8%HY Europe3%Sub. Debt

3%

MBS4%

UST7%

IG14%

Str. Products21%

Quality21%

Biotech2%

Infrastructure2%

Alt. Energy2%

PE3%

ME3%

Gold5%

Boreal Balanced Portfolio USD

14

Cash Fixed Income Equity CommoditiesAlternative Inv. USD

Asset Allocation Currency Allocation

USD100%

Page 15: Investment Policy - BOREAL · 2020-04-17 · Boreal Investment Policy 3 From a relative valuation perspective, we like European stocks as they trade at lower multiples, and we expect

Commodities

57%

3%

5%

2% 1%

3%

3% 6% 8%

6%

Boreal Investment Profiles

Strategic Asset Allocation

15

Conservative Balanced Growth

Alternative

Investments

Equities

Fixed

Income

Cash

5%

64%

24%

34%

2%

5%

5%

39%

43%

38%

48%

4%

10%

5%

25%

22%

60%

52%

6%

15%

Page 16: Investment Policy - BOREAL · 2020-04-17 · Boreal Investment Policy 3 From a relative valuation perspective, we like European stocks as they trade at lower multiples, and we expect

Boreal Balanced Portfolio – Asset Allocation evolution

16

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

Cash Fixed Income Equities Alternatives Commodities

Page 17: Investment Policy - BOREAL · 2020-04-17 · Boreal Investment Policy 3 From a relative valuation perspective, we like European stocks as they trade at lower multiples, and we expect

Boreal Balanced Portfolio – VaR evolution

171 As of April 15, 2020

Source: Bloomberg

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

1Y VaR 99% Boreal Balanced 1Y Std. Dev Boreal Balanced

Page 18: Investment Policy - BOREAL · 2020-04-17 · Boreal Investment Policy 3 From a relative valuation perspective, we like European stocks as they trade at lower multiples, and we expect

Boreal Balanced Portfolio – Peer comparison

18

• Total Return (Ytd1): 6th out of 15

• Standard Deviation (1 year1): 13th out of 15

• Downside Risk (1 year1): 3o out of 15

• Sharp Ratio (1 year1): n/a

1 As of April 15, 2020

Source: Bloomberg

-30%

-25%

-20%

-15%

-10%

-5%

0%

5%

-30%

-20%

-10%

0%

Dec 19 Jan 20 Feb 20 Mar 20

Janus Balanced Fund Invesco Balanced Risk Allocation Fund Investec Global Strategic Managed FundTempleton Global Income Fund UBS Global Allocation PIMCO Global Multi-Asset FundUBAM Multifunds Allocation 50 Julius Baer Strategy Balanced BlackRock Global Allocation FundNordea Stable Return Fund Schroder Global Multi-Asset Flexible BNY Mellon Global Real Return FundJPMorgan Global Balanced Fund Carmignac Patrimoine MWM Balanced USD

Page 19: Investment Policy - BOREAL · 2020-04-17 · Boreal Investment Policy 3 From a relative valuation perspective, we like European stocks as they trade at lower multiples, and we expect

Boreal Balanced Portfolio – Ytd performance

19

• Total Return (Ytd1): -7.19%

• Standard Deviation (Ytd1): 25.42%

• Downside Risk (Ytd1): 15.03%

• Sharpe Ratio (Ytd1): n/a

1 As of April 15, 2020

-20%

-15%

-10%

-5%

0%

31 Dec 2019 31 Jan 2020 29 Feb 2020 31 Mar 2020

Page 20: Investment Policy - BOREAL · 2020-04-17 · Boreal Investment Policy 3 From a relative valuation perspective, we like European stocks as they trade at lower multiples, and we expect

Boreal Balanced Portfolio – Historical performance (1)

20

• Total Return (1 year1): -0.77%

• Total Return (3 year1): 5.53%

• Total Return (Since Jan 131): 20.57%

1 As of April 15, 2020

-9%

-7%

-5%

-3%

-1%

1%

3%

2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

Page 21: Investment Policy - BOREAL · 2020-04-17 · Boreal Investment Policy 3 From a relative valuation perspective, we like European stocks as they trade at lower multiples, and we expect

2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

Return 9.58% 2.05% -1.80% 1.57% 6.06% -4.62% 14.67% -7.19%

Std. Deviation 3.82% 3.59% 3.67% 2.08% 1.45% 3.77% 3.78% 25.42%

Sharpe Ratio 2.54 0.58 -0.48 0.62 3.57 -1.70 3.49 -0.84

Boreal Balanced Portfolio – Historical performance (2)

211 As of April 15, 2020

Annual Return: 2.54%

Annual Std. Dev: 5.98%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

Page 22: Investment Policy - BOREAL · 2020-04-17 · Boreal Investment Policy 3 From a relative valuation perspective, we like European stocks as they trade at lower multiples, and we expect

22www.borealcm.com

This document is for information purposes only and does not constitute, and may not be construed as, a recommendation, offer or solicitation to buy or sell any securities and/or assets mentioned

herein. Nor may the information contained herein be considered as definitive, because it is subject to unforeseeable changes and amendments.

Past performance does not guarantee future performance, and none of the information is intended to suggest that any of the re turns set forth herein will be obtained in the future.

The fact that BCM can provide information regarding the status, development, evaluation, etc. in relation to markets or speci fic assets cannot be construed as a commitment or guarantee of

performance; and BCM does not assume any liability for the performance of these assets or markets.

Data on investment stocks, their yields and other characteristics are based on or derived from information from reliable sources, which are generally available to the general public, and do not

represent a commitment, warranty or liability of BCM.


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