New Court Fund GBP Rothschild & Co WM SICAV SIF - Paris

 
CONTINUE READING
New Court Fund GBP Rothschild & Co WM SICAV SIF - Paris
New Court Fund GBP
Rothschild & Co WM SICAV SIF

Quarterly Report | Issue 23 | April 2021
Cover: Our office at New Court.   This is not a promotion or solicitation of the Rothschild & Co WM SICAV
The site has been home to the     SIF – New Court Fund GBP, which is not usually available to execution
business in London since 1809.    only or advisory clients. When certain criteria are met discretionary
                                  portfolios may hold the Fund, but only at Rothschild & Co’s discretion.
© Philippe Ruault/OMA 2012.
                                  Values: All data as at 31 st March 2021 (except inflation which is until
Rothschild & Co                   28 th February 2021 as March 2021 data figures are not yet available).
Wealth Management                 Sources of charts and tables: Rothschild & Co and Bloomberg,
New Court                         unless otherwise stated. Past performance is not indicative of future
St. Swithin’s Lane                performance and investments and the income from them can fall as
London EC4N 8AL                   well as rise. Fund performance is shown in pounds sterling, after all
+44 20 7280 5000                  fees, in total return, combining income and capital growth. Returns
rothschildandco.com               may increase or decrease as a result of currency fluctuations.
© 2021 Rothschild & Co            Please ensure you read the Important Information section at the end
Wealth Management                 of this document.
Fund manager’s review
                                      Investors generally grew more confident over the quarter as countries rolled out
                                      their vaccination programmes and the outlook for the global economic recovery
                                      brightened, while inflation expectations caused bond yields to spike.

                                      Performance contributions                               Portfolio activity
                                      The portfolio returned +5.1% in the first quarter       In a particularly active quarter, we made several
                                      and has now returned +231.5% (after fees) since         key changes, most notably on the ‘diversifying’
                                      inception (vs. +146.2% for UK inflation +3% since       side of the portfolio. In January, we restructured
                                      inception on 31st December 2002).* This equates         our inflation-linked bond exposure, selling our
                                      to an annualised return of +6.8% compared to            direct investment in US TIPS and replacing this
                                      +5.1% for inflation +3%.**                              with an internally managed implementation
                                                                                              vehicle, providing us with more diversified
                                      Portfolio performance
                                                                                              exposure to inflation-linked assets globally, and
                                      2021 began with strong performance from equities
                                                                                              the ability to more easily respond to changing
                                      and commodities, as the expectation of a full
                                                                                              market conditions. Currently, most of the portfolio
                                      economic recovery continued into the new year.
                                                                                              is invested in medium-term US TIPS, with the
                                      Optimism surrounding COVID-19 remained the key
                                                                                              remainder invested across Japanese, Canadian
                                      driver of sentiment as vaccination programmes
                                                                                              and Australian inflation-linked bond markets. The
                                      were announced globally. The promise of massive
                                                                                              vehicle also holds two exchange-traded funds
                                      fiscal stimulus in the US (equivalent to almost 8%
                                                                                              (ETFs), providing direct exposure to breakeven
                                      of GDP) also added to risk appetite, as did the
                                                                                              rates of inflation in the US and Europe.
                                      continued accommodative policy stance from most
                                      central banks globally.                                 We also added the One River Dynamic Convexity
                                                                                              Fund to the portfolio for additional portfolio
                                      Equity markets were led higher by companies
                                                                                              protection. We have known the One River team
                                      within the financial and energy sectors, as the
                                                                                              for a number of years, and the Dynamic Convexity
                                      value/growth rotation continued unabated. In
                                                                                              Fund is a systematic long-volatility strategy which
                                      fact, the first quarter of 2021 was one of the
                                                                                              invests actively in VIX futures, VIX options and
                                      best on record for ‘value’ stocks relative to those
                                                                                              equity index options. This strategy, alongside the
                                      categorised as ‘growth’ stocks. One of the key
                                                                                              ladder of put warrants and Okura, is intended to
                                      drivers of this rotation may have been the increase
                                                                                              offer robust protection in a variety of scenarios.
                                      in medium-to-longer-term government bond
                                                                                              For further protection, we supplemented this with
                                      yields, which have risen in anticipation of stronger
                                                                                              a new position in a resettable Eurostoxx 50 put
                                      economic growth. Benefiting from the steepening
                                                                                              warrant, which was approximately 20% out-of-the-
                                      of the yield curve, Wells Fargo shares rose +29.9%
                                                                                              money at purchase and has a maturity of one year.
                                      over the quarter. The removal of the asset cap, in
                                                                                              Finally, we also added to an existing diversifying
                                      place since 2018 following the account opening
                                                                                              fund – the Abbey Focus Fund – in the same month.
                                      scandal, also drove this strong performance.
                                      The other financial names in the portfolio also         On the ‘return asset’ side of the portfolio, we
* The inception date of the           performed well, including American Express              increased our holding in Topicus.com in February
Fund which implements this
strategy was 14th July 2015.          (+17.8%) and Lloyds (+16.7%). However, the              following its listing. We initially received shares
Performance for periods prior to      standout performer this quarter was John Deere,         as part of a spin-off from Constellation Software,
inception date is the Rothschild
& Co Wealth Management                the manufacturer of agricultural and forestry-          whose European operating unit, TSS, became
UK Ltd Balanced composite,
adjusted to reflect the Fund’s        related machinery, gaining over 40%.                    a standalone entity following its acquisition of
1% management charge and
                                                                                              Dutch business, Topicus. Overall, we see Topicus.
fund operational costs.               The rise in bond yields meant contributions from our
                                                                                              com as a mini Constellation, but primarily focused
** Annualised figures are             fixed income holdings were marginally negative in
calculated on a compound basis                                                                on Europe, where we believe there are good
to best represent the results of      aggregate. The biggest detractor was the allocation
staying continuously invested                                                                 opportunities for growth. Constellation Software
from inception of the strategy.       to US TIPS, as these assets sold off towards the
                                                                                              will retain effective control of Topicus.com (owning
Data sources: Rothschild & Co         end of the period. Nevertheless, elsewhere on
                                                                                              the only ‘super voting share’) and we expect it to
and Bloomberg                         the diversifying side of the portfolio, our two trend
                                                                                              follow Constellation’s operating model and culture.
Holdings are subject to change        followers, Abbey Capital and CFM, performed
without notice. This document
does not constitute a personal        well, returning +7.6% and +8.2% respectively. The       In March, we continued to trim return assets as
recommendation or an offer
                                      commodities exposure within the CFM portfolio was       equity markets rose, for example trimming John
or invitation to buy or sell
securities or any other banking       particularly beneficial as most major commodity         Deere following its especially strong share price
or investment product. Past
performance is not indicative         sub-sectors performed well over the quarter.            performance. The other significant change we
of future performance and
investments and the income
                                                                                              made was the full sale of the IVI European Fund at
from them can fall as well as rise.                                                           the beginning of the month, to reduce portfolio risk.
                                                                                                           New Court Fund GBP | April 2021 | Page 3
Fund performance
Since inception, the Fund has outperformed inflation +3%. As at 31st March 2021, the
net asset value per share was £32.71. The Fund size was £3,316.2 million.

Performance since inception (%)*

 Net
250

200

150

100

  50

    0

 -50
                2004            2006             2008          2010           2012            2014           2016            2018           2020

                                             New Court Fund GBP              UK Inflation (CPI) +3%

Performance comparison – over time (%)
                                                                                                                                              Since
                                    Q1 2021             2021            2020            2019            2018             2017            inception*
New Court Fund GBP                         5.1             5.1           11.2            14.2             -4.2             6.8                231.5
UK inflation +3%                           0.7             0.7             3.6             4.3             5.1             5.9                146.2
UK inflation                              -0.1            -0.1             0.6             1.3             2.1             2.9                  45.1
Global equities                            5.9             5.9           14.2            26.2              -7.7          19.8                 389.9
(in local currencies)
Global equities                            3.4             3.4           13.0            21.7             -3.9           13.2                 492.5
(in sterling)
UK government bonds                       -7.4            -7.4             8.9             7.1             0.5             2.0                142.1
Sterling cash
Fund holdings
The Fund combines return and diversifying assets which are invested across global
markets. The return assets are held to generate capital growth over the long term;
the diversifying assets are held to protect capital and investment performance,
particularly during difficult markets.

 Return assets (65.0%)                                                                              Diversifying assets (35.0%)
 Companies                          45.6%          Funds                              19.6%         Alternative strategies                5.8%
 Admiral                              2.9%         Albizia ASEAN                        1.1%        Abbey Capital                         2.3%
 American Express                     4.1%         Bares US Equity                      3.7%        Artemis Volatility Fund               0.6%
 Ashtead Group                        3.2%         Berkshire Hathaway                   3.5%        CFM ISTEC                             1.5%
 Booking Holdings                     1.1%         Vanda*                               2.9%        CFM Trends                            1.5%
 Cable One                            1.7%         Lansdowne Developed                  2.3%
                                                   Markets
 Charter Communications               1.6%                                                          Portfolio protection                  2.4%
                                                   Phoenix UK                           3.2%
 Comcast                              2.9%                                                          Okura                                 1.3%
                                                   Ward Ferry Asian Smaller             2.9%
 Constellation Software               1.0%         Co's                                             One River Dynamic                     1.0%
                                                                                                    Convexity
 Deere                                3.5%
                                                                                                    S&P 500 2700 put
Fund allocations
The Fund is invested across global regions, asset classes and currencies. The fund
manager follows a diversified investment approach and aims to preserve and grow
the real value of the Fund over the longer term.

Fund holdings by asset class                                              Fund holdings by currency

                                                                                                                                        0.5%
                                                              2.4%         6.5%                                                         1.4%
5.8%
                                                                           0.5%

18.1%
                                                                          23.0%

                                                              65.2%                                                                     68.1%

 8.5%

            Equities                  Fixed income                                        Pound sterling             Asian + EM
            Cash and                  Alternative strategies                              US dollar                  Yen
            cash equivalents          Portfolio protection                                Euro                       Canadian dollar

Percentages may not sum to 100% due to rounding. The above currency exposure is net of foreign exchange hedges. For the purposes of more
accurately managing currency risk, where appropriate, we reflect the currency exposure of certain funds based on the underlying securities held
within the fund, rather than the denomination of the fund.

Page 6 | New Court Fund GBP | April 2021
Supporting information
Rothschild & Co WM SICAV SIF – New Court Fund GBP
Type of fund                           A sub-fund of a Luxembourg Société d’Investissement à Capital Variable (“SICAV”).
Objective                              The objective of the Fund is to preserve and grow the real value of the Fund over the
                                       long term through a diversified investment approach. The Fund may utilise a wide
                                       range of asset classes in order to achieve its objective. These may include equities,
                                       cash deposits, bonds, warrants, money market instruments, derivatives and forward
                                       transactions, funds (regulated and unregulated), exposure to currencies, commodities
                                       and property.
Launch date                             ew Court Feeder Fund: 25th February 2013. Converted to New Court GBP Fund on
                                       N
                                       14th July 2015.
Share class                            Income and accumulation. Base currency is pound sterling.
Estimated synthetic OCF*               1.33%. This includes the manager’s fee (1.00%), other expenses (0.06%) and expenses
                                       on underlying fund investments (0.27%).
Transaction costs**                    0.11%
Pricing                                Valuation day for subscriptions: each business day
                                       Valuation day for redemptions: weekly (Thursday)
                                       Settlement period: T+3
Comparators                            UK CPI +3%. MSCI All Country World in sterling. Bloomberg Barclays Gilts Total Return Index.
                                       Barclays Benchmark Overnight GBP Cash Index.
Tax                                    UK Reporting status is available

* The Ongoing Charges Figure (OCF) as calculated in May 2020. The OCF is the ratio of the Fund’s total disclosable costs (excluding overdraft
interest) to the average net assets of the Fund. It is intended to provide a reliable figure that gives the most accurate measure of what it costs to
invest in the Fund. The Synthetic OCF includes the fees of underlying fund investments weighted on the basis of their investment proportion in
the Fund. From time to time, actual management fees may differ. This will be disclosed and explained to you in good time before you invest.
** The transaction costs show the most recent transaction figures available.

                                                                                                New Court Fund GBP | April 2021 | Page 7
Notes
At Rothschild & Co Wealth Management we offer an objective long-term
perspective on investing, structuring and safeguarding assets, to preserve
and grow our clients’ wealth.
We provide a comprehensive range of services to some of the world’s
wealthiest and most successful families, entrepreneurs, foundations
and charities.
In an environment where short-term thinking often dominates, our long-
term perspective sets us apart. We believe preservation first is the right
approach to managing wealth.

Important information
Rothschild & Co Wealth Management UK Limited offers                    This document is distributed in the UK by Rothschild & Co Wealth
discretionary portfolio management services to its prospective         Management UK Limited. Law or other regulation may restrict the
clients and clients. We may, at our discretion, sometimes deliver      distribution of this document in certain jurisdictions. Accordingly,
our balanced portfolio for clients using a fund vehicle where it       recipients of this document should inform themselves about and
matches your requirements. We do not solicit potential investors       observe all applicable legal and regulatory requirements. For the
with materials for funds: you should only read this document           avoidance of doubt, neither this document nor any copy thereof
having already been provided with materials for our standalone         may be sent to or taken into the United States or distributed in
discretionary investment management services. This document            the United States or to a US person. References in this document
does not constitute promotion or solicitation of the Rothschild        to Rothschild & Co are to any of the various companies in the
& Co WM SICAV SIF – New Court Fund GBP which is not usually            Rothschild & Co Continuation Holdings AG Group operating/
available for purchase on an execution only or advisory basis.         trading under the name “Rothschild & Co” and not necessarily
                                                                       to any specific Rothschild & Co company. None of the Rothschild
This document is strictly confidential and produced by Rothschild
                                                                       & Co companies outside the UK are authorised under the UK
& Co for information purposes only and for the sole use of the
                                                                       Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 and accordingly, in
recipient. Save as specifically agreed in writing by Rothschild &
                                                                       the event that services are provided by any of these companies,
Co, this document must not be copied, reproduced, distributed
                                                                       the protections provided by the UK regulatory system for retail
or passed, in whole or part, to any other person. This document
                                                                       customers will not apply, nor will compensation be available
does not constitute a personal recommendation or an offer
                                                                       under the UK Financial Services Compensation Scheme. If you
or invitation to buy or sell securities or any other banking or
                                                                       have any questions on this document, your portfolio or any
investment product. Nothing in this document constitutes legal,
                                                                       elements of our services, please contact your client adviser.
accounting or tax advice.
                                                                       The Rothschild & Co Group includes the following businesses
The value of investments, and the income from them, can go
                                                                       (amongst others): Rothschild & Co Wealth Management UK
down as well as up, and you may not recover the amount of your
                                                                       Limited. Registered in England No 4416252. Registered office:
original investment. Past performance should not be taken as
                                                                       New Court, St Swithin’s Lane, London, EC4N 8AL. Authorised
a guide to future performance. Investing for return involves the
                                                                       and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Rothschild &
acceptance of risk: performance aspirations are not and cannot
                                                                       Co Bank International Limited (No 1088). Registered office: St
be guaranteed. Should you change your outlook concerning your
                                                                       Julian’s Court, St Julian’s Avenue, St Peter Port, Guernsey, GY1
investment objectives and/or your risk and return tolerance(s),
                                                                       3BP. Licensed and regulated by the Guernsey Financial Services
please contact your client adviser. Where an investment involves
                                                                       Commission for the provision of Banking and Investment Services.
exposure to a foreign currency, changes in rates of exchange may
                                                                       Rothschild & Co Bank AG. Registered office: Zollikerstrasse
cause the value of the investment, and the income from it, to go
                                                                       181, 8034 Zurich, Switzerland. Authorised and regulated by
up or down. Income may be produced at the expense of capital
                                                                       Eidgenössischen Finanzmarktaufsicht FINMA.
returns. Portfolio returns will be considered on a “total return”
basis meaning returns are derived from both capital appreciation       Investment returns and the principal value of an investment
or depreciation as reflected in the prices of your portfolio’s         will fluctuate and may be volatile. An investment in the Fund
investments and from income received from them by way of               involves significant risks, including the risk of loss of capital.
dividends and coupons. Holdings in example or real discretionary       The Rothschild & Co WM SICAV SIF – New Court Fund GBP
portfolios shown herein are detailed for illustrative purposes         is suitable only for sophisticated investors and requires the
only and are subject to change without notice. As with the rest of     financial ability and willingness to accept the risks inherent in
this document, they must not be considered as a solicitation or        an investment in the Rothschild & Co WM SICAV SIF – New Court
recommendation for separate investment.                                Fund GBP. No assurance can be given that the Rothschild & Co
                                                                       WM SICAV SIF – New Court Fund GBP’s investment objectives
Neither MSCI nor any other party involved in or related to
                                                                       will be achieved. Account valuations of individual investors may
compiling, computing or creating the MSCI data makes any
                                                                       vary and such historical returns may not reflect the performance
express or implied warranties or representations with respect
                                                                       of any one investor.
to such data (or the results to be obtained by the use thereof),
and all such parties hereby expressly disclaim all warranties of       There can be no assurance that an investment will achieve
originality, accuracy, completeness, merchantability or fitness for    returns at levels comparable to the returns reflected herein. An
a particular purpose with respect to any of such data. Without         investors’ return may be different than that of the Rothschild
limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall MSCI, any of its      & Co WM SICAV SIF – New Court Fund GBP because of, among
affiliates or any third party involved in or related to compiling,     other things, differences in the amount of capital at risk,
computing or creating the data have any liability for any direct,      diversification, risk tolerance and portfolio turnover.
indirect, special, punitive, consequential or any other damages
                                                                       No independent party has audited the performance results shown
(including lost profits) even if notified of the possibility of such
                                                                       herein, nor has any independent party undertaken to confirm that
damages. No further distribution or dissemination of the MSCI
                                                                       such results reflect the trading method under the assumptions or
data is permitted without MSCI’s express written consent.
                                                                       conditions of Rothschild & Co’s investment process.
Although the information and data herein are obtained from
                                                                       The indices referenced herein are well-known market indices
sources believed to be reliable, no representation or warranty,
                                                                       which are included merely to show the general trend in the
expressed or implied, is or will be made and, save in the case
                                                                       markets for the periods indicated and are not intended to imply
of fraud, no responsibility or liability is or will be accepted by
                                                                       that the pro-forma returns were comparable to the indices either
Rothschild & Co as to or in relation to the fairness, accuracy
                                                                       in composition or element of risk or that the Rothschild & Co WM
or completeness of this document or the information forming
                                                                       SICAV SIF – New Court Fund GBP’s portfolio is benchmarked
the basis of this document or for any reliance placed on
                                                                       to the indices. The indices are unmanaged, may or may not
this document by any person whatsoever. In particular, no
                                                                       be investable, have no expenses and reflect reinvestment of
representation or warranty is given as to the achievement or
                                                                       dividends and distributions. Index data is provided for comparative
reasonableness of any future projections, targets, estimates or
                                                                       purposes only. A variety of factors may cause an index to be an
forecasts contained in this document. Furthermore, all opinions
                                                                       inaccurate benchmark for a particular fund and the index does not
and data used in this document are subject to change without
                                                                       necessarily reflect the actual investment strategy of the Rothschild
prior notice.
                                                                       & Co WM SICAV SIF – New Court Fund GBP.
                                                                                                                                              R&CO WM/NCF-GBP/04/21
You can also read