Portfolio manager comments — Q3 2024
Fund performance was positive and the fund rose 5% in SEK during Q3, with the strongest upturns posted in July and September. The quarter was marked by drama, particularly at the end of July and at the beginning of August when the Japanese equity market fell by over 25% in just a few weeks. Despite this downturn that pulled other stock markets with it, the period closed with rising share prices. The holdings that made the strongest contributions to the fund’s excess returns included the animal health company Vimian (+36%), Ericsson (+17%), the helmet technology company Mips (+30%), Balder (+23%) and the gaming developer Paradox (+27%). Positions that weighed on the performance included Stillfront (-35%), Electrolux Professional (-5%), MTG (-8%) and Hexagon (-9%). The fund made new investments in Securitas, Sinch and SOBI, and the existing holdings in EQT, Assa Abloy and Handelsbanken posted the most strength. The holdings in Nokia and Engcon were sold and the positions in Swedbank, H&M, Investor and AstraZeneca had the largest decrease monetarily.
We are facing an exciting autumn, with factors such as the US election, geopolitical unrest, and expectations for sharp cuts to interest rates from the central banks worldwide. At the same time, the global economy is showing signs of a slowdown. Given current valuation levels, we expect performance in the equity market to be more sideways going forward. We see the greatest potential for returns in companies with stable valuations and companies that were negatively affected by the pandemic in recent years and where there is an unmet need among customers. In addition, we believe that the Swedish economy will show a stronger growth than the rest of the world during the upcoming year.