Portfolio manager comments — Q1 2025
The first quarter of the year was characterized by high volatility in the Nordic stock markets, where small caps rose 2.9% (CSX Nordic). The broader Nordic markets increased by 0.3% (MSCI Nordic), which was stronger than the global world index that declined by 1.7% (MSCI World).
Denmark posted the weakest performance in Q1, while Sweden showed a weak decline. In contrast, the markets in both Norway and Finland rose in the period. 2025 got off to a shaky start. The year began strongly with Europe outperforming the US for the first time in ages, driven by signs of a cyclical recovery and a strong reporting season. Trump’s return initially supported the stock exchanges, but optimism weakened when Chinese DeepSeek challenged the US tech sector.
During February, geopolitical concerns increased with trade conflicts and rising inflation in the US. Despite this, Europe and the Nordics remained relatively strong due in part to an increased hope for peace in Ukraine.
Concerns about a trade war and a slowdown in the US economy accelerated in March, which led to declining markets and low risk appetite. However, we are retaining a positive outlook to Europe and the Nordics where companies have shown resilience and benefit from a further economic recovery.
During the quarter we invested in the newly listed company Asker, while we sold our holding in Skanska. Truecaller and Afry continued to contribute positively, while the holdings in Zealand Pharma and NKT weighed on returns.