Portfolio manager comments — Q3 2025
The fund delivered strong performance during the quarter, posting an increase of approximately 2% in SEK. The U.S. equity market continued to perform well over the period, once again driven by the themes of artificial intelligence (AI) and digitalization. AI remains a central topic, and investments in the infrastructure necessary to enable AI are currently the primary driver of earnings growth in the U.S. economy. During the quarter, it became increasingly evident that OpenAI is a hub for AI development, having placed multi billion dollar orders with companies such as Oracle and Broadcom to secure the computing capacity required in the future. AI investments are expected to continue at a rapid pace, as it is a race few players can afford to lose.
While the AI sector expands, the U.S. consumer has shown mounting signs of weakness, prompting the Federal Reserve to adopt a more cautious tone in its communications. The market interprets this as a potential signal of further interest rate cuts. This, in turn, has benefited companies with weaker balance sheets and low profitability, while high quality businesses with robust business models – the fund’s preferred investment profile – have faced more challenging conditions. As a result, the fund underperformed its benchmark, the Solactive ISS ESG Screened DM Technology 5% Cap Index NTR, during the period.
A sector rotation has also emerged from software companies to hardware manufacturers, semiconductor producers, and businesses supplying memory capacity to AI models. The market is concerned that many future users of AI infrastructure could be negatively impacted by changes to their business models. Portfolio holdings including Tyler Tech, Q2 Holding, Axon, Intuit, and ServiceNow consequently underperformed during the quarter, affecting relative returns.
The fund has responded to this shift by reallocating exposure towards companies enabling digitalization, such as South Korean memory producer SK Hynix and networking specialist Astera Labs. At the same time, it has divested holdings in user oriented companies such as Salesforce, Blackline, Comcast, and IQVIA. The fund also exited its position in cybersecurity company CyberArk following a takeover bid from competitor Palo Alto Networks.
The digitalization theme continues to be influenced by AI developments. Companies capable of combining utility with profitability in their AI strategies are assessed to have the most favorable prospects moving forward.