A pesar de la rentabilidad positiva hasta mediados de mes, la renta variable estadounidense volvió a hundirse en agosto, al mantenerse los inversores cautos con la inflación y los tipos al alza. La fuerza inicial de las acciones al comienzo del mes señalizó algo de esperanza en que la inflación hubiera tocado techo, pero las preocupaciones en torno a unas previsiones de resultados empresariales más débiles de lo esperado, la emergente crisis energética y las tensiones geopolíticas actuales causaron una corrección de las acciones para finales de mes. Aunque los últimos datos económicos apuntan hacia una recesión que está despuntando, los ingresos han sido resilientes, el mercado laboral sigue fuerte y las recompras de acciones se están acercando en el año a un máximo histórico.
La guerra Rusia- Ucrania, que ya va para más de seis meses, sigue impactando negativamente a la economía global. Desde que Rusia invadiese Ucrania a finales de febrero, la Agencia de Refugiados de la ONU estima que más de siete millones de ucranianos se han convertido en refugiados y se han desplazado a países vecinos. Actualmente, la mayor central nuclear de Europa, Zaporiyia, está ocupada por los rusos y se ha convertido en terreno de batalla entre ambos bandos. Los combates en torno a la central nuclear han levantado los temores en torno al riesgo creciente de un desastre nuclear.
El 26 de agosto, el presidente de la Fed Jerome Powell indicó durante su discurso en Jackson Hole que espera que el banco central siga subiendo los tipos de interés de forma que pueda causar “algo de dolor” a la economía estadounidense. La Fed sigue comprometida con atacar la inflación mientras que ésta se acerca a su nivel más elevado en más de 40 años. La próxima reunión del FOMC se celebra el 20 y 21 de septiembre.
La performance en el arbitraje de fusiones en agosto estuvo apoyada por operaciones que hicieron avances significativos de cara a ser completadas, como Avast, que recibió la aprobación de la CMA de Reino Unido después de una larga revisión anti monopolio. También Nielsen Holdings plc, donde los adquirientes alcanzaron un acuerdo con el accionista mayoritario de Nilsen para asegurarse con éxito la aprobación del accionista.
Hay muchas operaciones dignas de atención que llegaron a término, incluyendo Vifor Pharma AG, SailPoint Technologies y Turning Point Therapeutics. Además, los acuerdos anunciados en agosto han proporcionado una cartera robusta: la adquisición de Avalara por Vista Equity Partners por 8.000 millones de dólares; la compra por parte de Pfizer de Global Blood Therapeutics por 5.000 millones de dólares, y la adquisición de ChemoCentryx por parte de Amgen por 3.500 millones de dólares.
En el segmento de los bonos convertibles, el mercado primario se ha ralentizado significativamente en 2022 pero está empezando a remontar, siendo agosto el mes más activo en emisiones en lo que va de año. Los términos de conversión están mejorando para los inversores, con una rentabilidad ponderada media del 3,3% y una prima del 30%. Estructuras como esta deberían proporcionar un perfil de retornos más asimétricos de lo que hemos visto en las emisiones de un tiempo a esta parte. Estamos optimistas con que este ritmo de emisión siga en otoño. Como hemos señalado anteriormente, este año hemos visto a empresas tantear el terreno con acuerdos potenciales, solo para retirarlos después debido a las condiciones del mercado. Al final, estas compañías todavía necesitarán capital para operar, y el mercado de convertibles sigue siendo una de las formas menos caras de que capten ese capital.
Vemos oportunidades de que las compañías emitan nuevos convertibles a cambio de emisiones ya existentes. Esto sería una transacción que iría creciendo gradualmente, al tiempo que extiende o escala los vencimientos para que sean más manejables. Para los inversores, continuamos esperando rendimientos más elevados y primas inferiores. En correcciones pasadas, el mercado de convertibles ha sido uno de los primeros mercados en recuperarse tanto desde una perspectiva de emisiones como de rentabilidad. Esto se debe a que los convertibles se pueden emitir rápidamente y de forma menos cara que los bonos o las acciones tradicionales. La opcionalidad de renta variable permite a los inversores en estas emisiones participar de las subidas cuando el mercado se recupera.
To access our proprietary value investment methodology, and dedicated merger arbitrage portfolio we offer the following UCITS Funds in each discipline:
GAMCO MERGER ARBITRAGE
GAMCO Merger Arbitrage UCITS Fund, launched in October 2011, is an open-end fund incorporated in Luxembourg and compliant with UCITS regulation. The team, dedicated strategy, and record dates back to 1985. The objective of the GAMCO Merger Arbitrage Fund is to achieve long-term capital growth by investing primarily in announced equity merger and acquisition transactions while maintaining a diversified portfolio. The Fund utilizes a highly specialized investment approach designed principally to profit from the successful completion of proposed mergers, takeovers, tender offers, leveraged buyouts and other types of corporate reorganizations. Analyzes and continuously monitors each pending transaction for potential risk, including: regulatory, terms, financing, and shareholder approval.
Merger investments are a highly liquid, non-market correlated, proven and consistent alternative to traditional fixed income and equity securities. Merger returns are dependent on deal spreads. Deal spreads are a function of time, deal risk premium, and interest rates. Returns are thus correlated to interest rate changes over the medium term and not the broader equity market. The prospect of rising rates would imply higher returns on mergers as spreads widen to compensate arbitrageurs. As bond markets decline (interest rates rise), merger returns should improve as capital allocation decisions adjust to the changes in the costs of capital.
Broad Market volatility can lead to widening of spreads in merger positions, coupled with our well-researched merger portfolios, offer the potential for enhanced IRRs through dynamic position sizing. Daily price volatility fluctuations coupled with less proprietary capital (the Volcker rule) in the U.S. have contributed to improving merger spreads and thus, overall returns. Thus our fund is well positioned as a cash substitute or fixed income alternative.
Our objectives are to compound and preserve wealth over time, while remaining non-correlated to the broad global markets. We created our first dedicated merger fund 32 years ago. Since then, our merger performance has grown client assets at an annualized rate of approximately 10.7% gross and 7.6% net since 1985. Today, we manage assets on behalf of institutional and high net worth clients globally in a variety of fund structures and mandates.
Class I USD – LU0687944552
Class I EUR – LU0687944396
Class A USD – LU0687943745
Class A EUR – LU0687943661
Class R USD – LU1453360825
Class R EUR – LU1453361476
GAMCO ALL CAP VALUE
The GAMCO All Cap Value UCITS Fund launched in May, 2015 utilizes Gabelli’s its proprietary PMV with a Catalyst™ investment methodology, which has been in place since 1977. The Fund seeks absolute returns through event driven value investing. Our methodology centers around fundamental, research-driven, value based investing with a focus on asset values, cash flows and identifiable catalysts to maximize returns independent of market direction. The fund draws on the experience of its global portfolio team and 35+ value research analysts.
GAMCO is an active, bottom-up, value investor, and seeks to achieve real capital appreciation (relative to inflation) over the long term regardless of market cycles. Our value-oriented stock selection process is based on the fundamental investment principles first articulated in 1934 by Graham and Dodd, the founders of modern security analysis, and further augmented by Mario Gabelli in 1977 with his introduction of the concepts of Private Market Value (PMV) with a Catalyst™ into equity analysis. PMV with a Catalyst™ is our unique research methodology that focuses on individual stock selection by identifying firms selling below intrinsic value with a reasonable probability of realizing their PMV’s which we define as the price a strategic or financial acquirer would be willing to pay for the entire enterprise. The fundamental valuation factors utilized to evaluate securities prior to inclusion/exclusion into the portfolio, our research driven approach views fundamental analysis as a three pronged approach: free cash flow (earnings before, interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, or EBITDA, minus the capital expenditures necessary to grow/maintain the business); earnings per share trends; and private market value (PMV), which encompasses on and off balance sheet assets and liabilities. Our team arrives at a PMV valuation by a rigorous assessment of fundamentals from publicly available information and judgement gained from meeting management, covering all size companies globally and our comprehensive, accumulated knowledge of a variety of sectors. We then identify businesses for the portfolio possessing the proper margin of safety and research variables from our deep research universe.
Class I USD – LU1216601648
Class I EUR – LU1216601564
Class A USD – LU1216600913
Class A EUR – LU1216600673
Class R USD – LU1453359900
Class R EUR – LU1453360155
GAMCO CONVERTIBLE SECURITIES
GAMCO Convertible Securities’ objective is to seek to provide current income as well as long term capital appreciation through a total return strategy by investing in a diversified portfolio of global convertible securities.
The Fund leverages the firm’s history of investing in dedicated convertible security portfolios since 1979.
The fund invests in convertible securities, as well as other instruments that have economic characteristics similar to such securities, across global markets (but the fund will not invest in contingent convertible notes). The fund may invest in securities of any market capitalization or credit quality, including up to 100% in below investment grade or unrated securities, and may from time to time invest a significant amount of its assets in securities of smaller companies. Convertible securities may include any suitable convertible instruments such as convertible bonds, convertible notes or convertible preference shares.
By actively managing the fund and investing in convertible securities, the investment manager seeks the opportunity to participate in the capital appreciation of underlying stocks, while at the same time relying on the fixed income aspect of the convertible securities to provide current income and reduced price volatility, which can limit the risk of loss in a down equity market.
Class I USD LU2264533006
Class I EUR LU2264532966
Class A USD LU2264532701
Class A EUR LU2264532610
Class R USD LU2264533345
Class R EUR LU2264533261
Class F USD LU2264533691
Class F EUR LU2264533428
Disclaimer:
The information and any opinions have been obtained from or are based on sources believed to be reliable but accuracy cannot be guaranteed. No responsibility can be accepted for any consequential loss arising from the use of this information. The information is expressed at its date and is issued only to and directed only at those individuals who are permitted to receive such information in accordance with the applicable statutes. In some countries the distribution of this publication may be restricted. It is your responsibility to find out what those restrictions are and observe them.
Some of the statements in this presentation may contain or be based on forward looking statements, forecasts, estimates, projections, targets, or prognosis (“forward looking statements”), which reflect the manager’s current view of future events, economic developments and financial performance. Such forward looking statements are typically indicated by the use of words which express an estimate, expectation, belief, target or forecast. Such forward looking statements are based on an assessment of historical economic data, on the experience and current plans of the investment manager and/or certain advisors of the manager, and on the indicated sources. These forward looking statements contain no representation or warranty of whatever kind that such future events will occur or that they will occur as described herein, or that such results will be achieved by the fund or the investments of the fund, as the occurrence of these events and the results of the fund are subject to various risks and uncertainties. The actual portfolio, and thus results, of the fund may differ substantially from those assumed in the forward looking statements. The manager and its affiliates will not undertake to update or review the forward looking statements contained in this presentation, whether as result of new information or any future event or otherwise.