Global Balanced Income Fund

The Fund seeks to provide stable, long-term capital appreciation by investing in a diversified portfolio of local and international bonds, equities and other income-generating assets. The Investment Manager shall diversify the assets of the Fund among different asset classes. The manager may invest in both Investment Grade and High Yield bonds rated at the time of investment at least “B-” by S&P, or in bonds determined to be of comparable quality, provided that the Fund may invest up 10% in non-rated bonds, whilst maintain an exposure to direct rated bonds of at least 25% of the value of the Fund. Investments in equities may include but are not limited to dividend-paying securities, equities, exchange traded funds as well as through the use of Collective Investment Schemes.

The Investment Manager of the CC High Income Bond Funds – EUR and USD has the duty to ensure that the underlying investments of the funds are well diversified. According to the prospectus, the investment manager has to abide by a number of investment restrictions to safeguard the value of the assets

• We shall invest primarily in a diversified portfolio of listed transferable securities across a wide spectrum of industries and sectors primarily via bonds, equities and eligible ETFs. We may invest in these asset classes either directly or indirectly through UCITS Funds and/ or eligible non UCITS Funds
• We intend to diversify the assets of the Sub-Fund broadly among countries, industries and sectors, but reserve the right to invest a substantial portion of the Sub-Fund’s assets in one or more countries (or regions) if economic and business conditions warrant such investments
• Investments in equity securities may include, but are not limited to, dividend-paying securities, equities, ETFs and preferred shares of global issuers. At our discretion, we may also invest indirectly in equities and equity-related instruments through the use of collective investment schemes. The Sub-Fund will generally, but not exclusively, invest in blue chip issuers listed on Approved Regulated Markets, including equities listed on the Malta Stock Exchange, where applicable
• We shall manage the credit risk and will aim to manage interest rate risk through credit analysis and credit diversity. We may invest in both investment grade (corporate and sovereign) and high yield bonds that have a credit rating of at least “B-” by S&P (or rating equivalent issued by other reputable rating agencies) at the time of investment, provided that the Sub-Fund may invest a maximum of 10% of its assets in non-rated debt securities, including those listed on the Malta Stock Exchange. We will, at all times, maintain an exposure to direct rated bonds, whether investment grade or high yield, of at least 25% of the value of the Sub-Fund
• For temporary or defensive purposes, the Sub-Fund may invest in short-term fixed income instruments, money market funds, cash and cash equivalents. The Sub-Fund may also hold cash and cash equivalents on an ancillary basis or cash management purposes, pending investment in accordance with its Investment Policy and to meet operating expenses and redemption requests.The Sub-Fund may invest in Real Estate Investment Trusts (“REITs”) via UCITS-eligible ETFs and/or CIS and securities related to real assets (including but not limited to real estate, agriculture, and precious metals-related securities) such as equities, bonds, and ETFs as well as CISs as long as these constitute eligible assets under the UCITS Directive
• The Sub-Fund may invest in options, futures and forwards for risk management and hedging purposes only (“Hedging Instruments”)
• Other than any margins required for these Hedging Instruments, the Sub-Fund will not employ leverage

December 2019

Last Christmas, the markets gave investors a fright. This year, to save us from tears, the central banks gave us something special. Equity markets delivered fantastic returns in 2019. The MSCI World Index was up 28%, led by US equities (+31%), with European equities (+27%) in hot pursuit.

The first four months of 2019 brought a strong rebound, as central banks signalled that rather than raise interest rates they would provide yet more stimulus to try to keep the economic expansion intact. Equities clearly believed the central banks would succeed.

Then, from the end of April to the end of September, global equities broadly traded sideways with some bumps in the road, as investors digested the ebbs and flows in the trade negotiations between the US and China, and the continued deterioration in macroeconomic indicators.

Remarkably, by the end of September, the 20+ year Treasury index was up 20%, while the MSCI World was up 18%. The flood of central bank liquidity had lifted all boats. Such strong returns for both traditional risk-off and risk-on assets, at the same time, is unusual.

However, the fourth quarter has tilted the year in favour of the bulls. Global equities rose 9% in the last three months of the year, while developed market government bonds gave up some of their gains.

Global HY bonds closed-off the year on a strong note, as investors re-shifted their assets to the more risky segments.

Moving into 2020, the Investment Manager remains of the opinion that the names held within the fund have further to gain. Nonetheless, the IM remains cautious and continues to monitor the developments in the U.S-China trade war, the Brexit saga and general economic conditions, with the aim to adjust the Fund’s positioning to further benefit from market developments.