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• In May the fund posted a positive performance, driven by our Long book.• Our Core Longs drove our performance on the Long side, thanks to a strong set of Q1 earnings and the market rebound. In the semiconductor space, ASM International and BE Semiconductor had a strong contribution to our returns, while on the Luxury side both Prada and Richemont performed well. • Our Trading Longs had a positive contribution to our performance, driven by Fresenius and Prosus, which have been strong convictions since the beginning of the year. • On the Short side, our Alpha Shorts suffered from the overall market rally, rather than an idiosyncratic event.
We keep strong convictions on the Long side in European companies excelling globally and benefiting from local monopolies.
These include industries such as luxury goods, specialty engineering, ERP software, specialty chemicals, medical technology, aerospace and defense, and classifieds.
We believe Europe presents for the first time in a long time a very attractive entry point, with a risk/reward skewed to the upside thanks to several factors we discuss in our latest quarterly letter.
Germany has removed the fiscal drag which has weighted on Europe for more than a decade and the upcoming defense and infrastructure historic investment plan will have a profound impact on the overall region.
On the short side, we continue to find many new names in the Consumer and Industrials spaces with poor balance sheets and deteriorating fundamentals, bringing tightened margins and profit warnings.
Europe EUR | 41.0 % |
Others | 9.5 % |
North America | 7.0 % |
Europe ex-EUR | -3.1 % |
Index Derivatives | -19.8 % |
We strive to build a high-conviction portfolio of long and short positions, based on a thorough fundamental company analysis to identify the best opportunities in Europe.
Market environment
• May 2025 saw a robust rebound in U.S. equities, with all major indices posting their strongest monthly gains since late 2023. • This surge followed a period of extreme volatility in April, which had been triggered by the announcement and partial implementation of sweeping new tariffs by the Trump administration. • May’s rally was fueled by easing U.S.-China trade tensions, with both countries agreeing to reduce some tariffs, and by the EU agreeing to fast-track trade talks with the U.S. These developments alleviated fears of a prolonged trade war and boosted investor confidence. • Significant risks remain, including unresolved tariffs, economic slowdown fears and fiscal challenges.