Absolute Return Trust Limited Interim Management Statement (8327X)
14 February 2013 - 3:40AM
UK Regulatory
TIDMABR
RNS Number : 8327X
Absolute Return Trust Limited
13 February 2013
Absolute Return Trust Limited
(a closed-ended investment company incorporated with limited
liability under the laws of Guernsey with registered number
42733)
Interim Management Statement - Three Months to 31(st) December
2012
This unaudited Interim Management Statement has been produced
solely to provide additional information to shareholders of
Absolute Return Trust Limited ("ARTL" or the "Company") to meet the
relevant requirements of the U.K. Listing Authority's Disclosure
and Transparency Rules. It should not be relied upon by any other
party for any other purpose.
At the Extraordinary General Meeting held on 7th September 2012,
shareholders approved the special resolutions put forward to amend
the Company's investment objective to a managed wind-down strategy.
As a result the portfolio is in an advanced stage of liquidation.
The first distribution of capital (approximately 73.8%) occurred on
December 21(st) 2012.
Performance Summary
Over the three month period to 31(st) December 2012, the Net
Asset Value per share of ARTL decreased by -0.1% in Sterling to
GBP1.3055 per GBP1 share and -0.3% in Euro terms to EUR0.9444 per
EUR1 share. At the close of business on 31(st) December 2012 the
mid-market price of ARTL's Sterling shares on the London Stock
Exchange was 110.1p (Euro shares EUR0.85), representing a discount
of 16% to the Net Asset Value of the portfolio at the 31(st)
December 2012 (11% for euro shares).
The performance of ARTL's portfolio for the three months to
31(st) December 2012 is set out below:
GBP EUR
---------- ------- -------
October
2012 0.20% 0.17%
---------- ------- -------
November
2012 -0.14% -0.18%
---------- ------- -------
December
2012 -0.18% -0.32%
---------- ------- -------
Global markets rallied over the quarter but were volatile as the
US election, concerns over the next instalment of Greece's bailout
funding and the brinkmanship over the looming US fiscal cliff were
never far from mind. The European sovereign debt crisis raged on
and anti-austerity demonstrations flared across the periphery
countries, albeit with less dramatic press coverage and market
impact than seen earlier in the year, allowing investors to focus
more on companies' underlying fundamentals.
Strategy Contribution
The managed wind-up of the portfolio in accordance with the
revised investment objectives is now well under way. As a result of
the Manager serving redemption notices on all the underlying funds,
the majority of the hedge fund investments were redeemed during the
quarter ended 31st December 2012. A substantial cash balance was
accumulated and subsequently disbursed. A brief commentary on the
remaining hedge fund investments is provided below.
Set out below is the contribution to ARTL's performance by
strategy for the three months to 31(st) December 2012.
Strategy Contribution
-------------------- -------------
Macro 0.10%
-------------------- -------------
Equity Hedged -0.13%
-------------------- -------------
Short Bias -0.01%
-------------------- -------------
Specialist Credit 0.01%
-------------------- -------------
Event Driven -0.03%
-------------------- -------------
Volatility Trading -0.39%
-------------------- -------------
Multiple Strategy 0.85%
-------------------- -------------
FP Incubator Fund 0.01%
-------------------- -------------
The Macro managers made small gains largely due to currency
trading. Short Japanese yen and long Chinese Renminbi positions in
particular performed well. A fixed income orientated manager also
made money from long bond positions, notably in European
sovereigns.
There was no remaining exposure to the Equity Long Bias strategy
as both managers were redeemed as at 30 September.
The remaining two Equity Hedged managers made a small loss
overall. For one, short positions in Chemicals and Technology, as
well as a long position in an oil exploration and development
company detracted the most. Some these losses were offset by more
discriminating European equity markets which provided fertile
ground for the other manager who generated gains, long and short,
in Financials, Cyclicals and Technology stocks.
Short Bias managers were effectively flat as gains from
Technology related names were broadly offset by losses in certain
European Financials.
The small remaining investments in the Specialist Credit
strategies were broadly flat. A long position in a liquidating
North American power plant business was the main highlight for one
manager as the company's sale of their last two remaining power
plants was granted approval by the Department of Justice.
The Event Driven strategy made a small loss. One manager made
money in a position in a US regional financial institution which he
had established after the company's share price had declined
heavily in the wake of a regulator-imposed moratorium on dividend
payments earlier in the year. In December the company announced
that the regulatory conditions had been met and the share price
responded swiftly at the prospect of management once again being
free to manage the company's capital structure. These gains however
were cancelled out by another manager's losses from a position in a
Brazilian iron-ore producer.
The Multiple Strategy managers made broad-based gains with all
but one manager making a positive contribution. An Asian manager
contributed the lion's share of the gains as several names in his
convertibles book produced outsized returns. Equities as well as
certain asset-backed securities also performed well.
The residual holding in a Volatility Trading manager was the
biggest detractor over the quarter as his remaining positions in
certain convertible securities were marked down.
The table below shows the composition of ARTL's portfolio by
strategy as at 31(st) December 2012:
Strategy Allocation
-------------------- -----------
Macro 10.1%
-------------------- -----------
Equity Hedged 14.5%
-------------------- -----------
Specialist Credit 9.2%
-------------------- -----------
Event Driven 17.4%
-------------------- -----------
Volatility Trading 2.9%
-------------------- -----------
Multiple Strategy 45.9%
-------------------- -----------
Portfolio Liquidity
The table below shows the current liquidity profile of the
portfolio.
Time to cash flow Proportion
------------------- -----------
Within 3 months 49.1%
------------------- -----------
3 to 6 months 21.4%
------------------- -----------
6 to 12 months 16.1%
------------------- -----------
Greater than 12
months 13.4%
------------------- -----------
Total 100.0%
------------------- -----------
Currency Hedging
The Board intends to maintain the currency hedging programme
(subject to the Company holding sufficient cash collateral) until
the second distribution which is currently expected to be during
the second quarter of 2013. The Company has arranged a currency
hedging facility which requires the Company to hold cash
collateral, and is retaining a cash balance of GBP8.0 m for this
purpose. After the second capital distribution, the remaining
assets will no longer be hedged for movements in the Sterling and
Euro exchange rates against the US dollar.
Investment Manager
On December 13, 2012: Legg Mason, Inc. and affiliate Permal
announced a definitive agreement to acquire Fauchier Partners, the
Company's Investment Manager, from BNP Paribas Investment Partners.
Fauchier Partners will be combined with Permal, one of the largest
alternative asset managers in the world, to create an
institutionally focused platform with approximately $24 billion in
assets under management.
Fauchier Partners
13(th) February 2013
This information is provided by RNS
The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
END
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