Portfolio manager comments — Q3 2025
The American stock market had a strong quarter, driven by the continued positive development of the theme of artificial intelligence (AI) and digitalization. Investments in AI infrastructure continued to dominate the news flow, while the market increasingly focused on the potential transformation that new AI models could bring to existing business models. This was particularly noticeable in the software sector, both within technology and finance. In addition, the U.S. central bank delivered an interest rate cut in September, and the American economy shows yet no clear signs of recession. This has continued to support the positive market sentiment.
The companies that contributed most positively to the fund's return were Comfort Systems, Broadcom and Nvidia – all with a clear exposure to the AI infrastructure now being rapidly expanded. On the negative side were several software companies within technology and finance, including Tradeweb, Intuit and ServiceNow. Synopsys also performed weakly after a quarterly report that did not meet market expectations. The holding has since been divested.
The fund’s relative return was also negatively affected by the absence of Tesla in the portfolio. The company is excluded in Handelsbanken Fonder’s sustainability screening.
New holdings during the period include Lam Research and Arista Networks – two companies with a strong market position and clear exposure to the investment boom currently underway in AI. Among the companies sold from the fund are Jack Henry, Service Corp and Dynatrace.
The fund continues to invest in high-quality companies with exposure to structurally strong themes such as re-shoring, electrification and digitalization.