Portfolio manager comments — Q3 2024
Fund performance was largely unchanged during the quarter. Inflation has fallen to a level in many parts of the world where the central banks can begin to cut interest rates, which is positive for the equity markets. For the first time in a while, North America was not the strongest performer, nor was healthcare, which has previously been consistently at the forefront. Instead, interest rate sensitive sectors such as real estate, utilities and consumer companies posted a strong period. Fund performance benefited from good performance within the energy effectiveness theme, with equities such as Prysmian, Accelleron Industries and Fluence. A new investment in Eagle Materials was a positive contributor, as the equity performed strongly during the quarter. Sprout Farmers Market, Bureau Veritas, Pool and Nasdaq also contributed positively to fund performance.
On the downside were several holdings within healthcare. Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly, which have increased on the stock market for some time, were hit with profit taking and some concerns for the quarterly reports. Edwards Lifesciences also posted weakness within the theme, as the company lowered its long-term growth target, which was unexpected by the market.
New investments in two smaller US companies were made during the quarter: Aptar Group, which focuses on smart packaging primarily for healthcare, and Halozyme, which is active within biotechnology. We continue to focus on long-term investments in structural winners among companies that can contribute with solutions to the world’s major challenges: climate, healthcare, productivity and digitalization needs.