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

May 2019

For much of this year, equity markets have enjoyed a healthy climb, assisted by a dovish tilt from central banks, as well as the possibility of a trade deal between the US and China. As we entered May, the S&P 500 was at an all-time high. However, just six days into the month, investors were tested by the announcement that the US would be moving ahead with tariff increases on US imports from China. Equity markets performed poorly over the month, with Asia ex-Japan, emerging markets and the S&P 500 all losing more than 6%. US Treasury yields fell, with markets now pricing in more than 3 Federal Reserve (Fed) rate cuts by the end of 2020, and so US Treasuries returned a positive 2.4% over the month.

The concern in Europe, much like the US, is that trade uncertainty filters through to the labour market and starts to hurt the service sector, which has so far proved more resilient. The latest employment growth numbers in Europe have been solid, though. The first estimates of employment growth for Q1 show a pickup to 1.4% quarter on quarter, annualised.

Stimulus in China could help Europe in the second half of this year, and another positive factor for the region is that the US has put the discussion over global auto tariffs on hold for up to six months. The European Parliament elections, which took place from 22 to 26 May, yielded a generally positive result for the European project.

High Yield suffered this month as liquidity dried up and a strong tightening in bonds emerged. Bond markets, in particular, demonstrated a flight to safety, as the 10-Year U.S. Treasury yield hit a twenty-month low, closing the month at 2.13 percent, and the 10-Year German Bund yield dropped to -0.201 percent.

The Investment Manager (IM) remains confident that the U.S. and China (as well as the U.S./Mexico) will come to some sort of a trade deal by the end of the summer. Assuming a compromise, the details of the deal are less important than removing the cloud of trade uncertainty from the front-page headlines, allowing both consumer and business sentiment to remain strong and support the economy. The June 28-29 G20 meeting in Japan looms large as a potential trigger for progress in negotiations. The IM has built positions in high conviction names and further aims to include exposures that will benefit the portfolio from a Trade War agreement. With this in mind, the IM is confident that the stocks in the portfolio should generate alpha for the fund and boost performance.