Carmignac

Carmignac P. Credit: Letter from the Fund Managers

  • +1.30%
    Carmignac P. Credit’s performance

    in the 1st quarter of 2023 for the A EUR Share class

  • +1.85%
    Reference indicator’s performance

    in the 1st quarter of 2023 for the 75% ICE BofA Euro Corporate Index et 25% ICE BofA Euro High Yield Index

  • +4.87%
    Of annualized performance

    over 3 years for the fund, compared to -0.36% for its reference indicator1

Carmignac Portfolio Credit is up 1.30% since the beginning of the year versus 1.85% for its reference indicator1.

Quick overview of 2023 first quarter

The first quarter has been rich in eventful developments, the highlights of which were the failure of a number of banks in the United States as well as Credit Suisse in Europe. Although tensions in the banking sector may persist and more dominoes could fall, we do not expect these incidents to lead to a cardiac arrest of the financial system similar to what we had in 2008. Paradoxically, we think what transpired in the past weeks was that the reforms and regulations put in place over the last 15 years function (on this topic, it is very interesting to note that SVB demise has been made possible by a loosening of the regulations under the previous US administration). SVB and Credit Suisse were certainly not the best managed among their peers but there were the buffers in place necessary to absorb the consequences of their mistakes, absent a crisis of confidence. We also witnessed that regulators, far from being asleep at the wheel, were ready to act with determination and pragmatism to avoid any contagion.

More specifically we certainly do not think the Additional Tier 1 market will disappear following the absorption of Credit Suisse (CS) by UBS. The initial reaction, the following Monday morning, was poor, probably more due to the effective subordination of CS AT1 bonds to equities than on the zeroing of AT1. The market wasn’t surprised by the full write-down of those junior subordinated bonds, arguably those instruments have been designed precisely to facilitate shotgun weddings. The $3bn+ payout to shareholders was problematic though, even perceived as potentially killing the additional tier one market. European regulators (EBA, SRB, ECB, BoE) were quick to reiterate that equities take losses before even the riskiest bonds, and participants realized that it was not only a Swiss specificity, but also most likely an idiosyncratic and diplomatic negotiation with CS main shareholder. After reaching levels not seen since March 2020 on Monday the 20th of March, bailinable bank bond spreads quickly came back to levels tighter than the close of the previous week. It is not surprising for senior holdco/non-preferred senior and Tier 2 (even CS coco tier 2 have been spared in its resolution, and market participants realized how difficult writing-down bonds outside of AT1 would have been). Most AT1 spreads are currently wider than their resets, implying it would not be economic for most to be refinanced were they callable today, but they are within range of those resets as spreads have stabilized 100-150 bps wider for high quality issuers vs. early March. It’s a significant achievement for this market to remain stable considering that c.7% has been zeroed over a week-end.

If the dominant headlines of the quarter were not a symptom of broader rot within the financial system, they were certainly illustrative of what always happens in the credit cycle when capital becomes costlier. This is consistent with our long-term view that we will witness more credit accidents in the coming years, which is healthy and will generate performance. Some cans become too heavy to kick down the road and, on closer inspection, turn out to be full of worms. This particular turn of the cycle is especially accentuated as we are exiting a long period of financial repression where capital, for all intents and purposes, was almost free. For regular and extended periods of times during the past 10 years, investment grade companies could borrow for close to 0%. At this cost, capital allocation can quickly become undisciplined and when 0% turns into 5%, adjustments are certain to be in order. Similarly, during the last decade, single B rated companies could regularly borrow below 5%. Even with a difficult business position, issuers could deal with very high leverage. This is not the case anymore when this 5% becomes 10% or more (and we have seen solid HY companies issuing at more than 13% during the quarter!). Inevitably, thus, we are going to see defaults pick up from their unusually low baseline in recent times.

Outlook

This is excellent news for bond pickers. Fundamental risk is now competitively remunerated across the board, sometimes even handsomely if one is willing to put in the analytical work to get comfortable with more complex investment cases. Carmignac Portfolio Credit’s portfolio is well diversified, constructed in a balanced fashion with still c.10% of hedging through CDS on high yield indices , sports a BB+ average rating and yields in excess of 10% (source: Carmignac, 31/03/2023). This is before considering the exercise of early refinancing options by many of our issuers: in many cases, it will make rational sense for them to address their maturities before the final date, which could potentially add an extra 1% or 2% to this yield. With such a high yield, the prospects of returns are exciting and we believe that the downside from potentially volatile markets will be limited (as the carry quickly offsets potential drawdowns). The fund is meaningfully exposed to the natural resources and financial sectors, where credit quality structurally improves in times of inflation, as well as to attractive (floating rates) tranches of CLOs. As a result, it should behave well even if inflationary pressure persists longer than expected.

Beyond the current favourable setup, we are excited by this ongoing regime change. With some perspective, the years since the Great Financial Crisis have seen a financial repression unique in the 5 000 years of recorded history of interest rates. There was literally no known worse period (in peace time) to invest in credit. Returning to a world where the cost of capital is not suppressed anymore and good businesses with bad balance sheets have to go through bankruptcy, offering potential asymmetric opportunities, is immensely exciting for bond pickers.

Source: Carmignac, Bloomberg, 31/03/2023. Performance of the A EUR acc share class ISIN code: LU1623762843. ¹Reference indicator: 75% BofA Merrill Lynch Euro Corporate Index, 25% BofA Merrill Lynch Euro High Yield Index. 231/07/2017. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future performance. The return may increase or decrease as a result of currency fluctuations. Performances are net of fees (excluding possible entrance fees charged by the distributor). Marketing communication. Please refer to the KID/prospectus of the fund before making any final investment decisions

Carmignac P. Credit

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Carmignac Portfolio Credit A EUR Acc

ISIN: LU1623762843

Recommended minimum investment horizon

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Main risks of the Fund

CREDIT: Credit risk is the risk that the issuer may default.

INTEREST RATE: Interest rate risk results in a decline in the net asset value in the event of changes in interest rates.

LIQUIDITY: Temporary market distortions may have an impact on the pricing conditions under which the Fund might be caused to liquidate, initiate or modify its positions

DISCRETIONARY MANAGEMENT: Anticipations of financial market changes made by the Management Company have a direct effect on the Fund's performance, which depends on the stocks selected.

The Fund presents a risk of loss of capital.

Carmignac Portfolio Credit A EUR Acc

ISIN: LU1623762843
2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 (YTD)
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Year to date
Carmignac Portfolio Credit A EUR Acc - - - +1.79 % +1.69 % +20.93 % +10.39 % +2.96 % -13.01 % +10.58 % +1.58 %
Reference Indicator - - - +1.13 % -1.74 % +7.50 % +2.80 % +0.06 % -13.31 % +9.00 % -0.29 %

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3 Years 5 Years 10 Years
Carmignac Portfolio Credit A EUR Acc -0.22 % +5.22 % -
Reference Indicator -1.80 % +0.36 % -

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Source : Carmignac at 29/02/2024

Entry costs : 2,00% of the amount you pay in when entering this investment. This is the most you will be charged. Carmignac Gestion doesn't charge any entry fee. The person selling you the product will inform you of the actual charge.
Exit costs : We do not charge an exit fee for this product.
Management fees and other administrative or operating costs : 1,20% of the value of your investment per year. This estimate is based on actual costs over the past year.
Performance fees : 20,00% when the share class overperforms the Reference indicator during the performance period. It will be payable also in case the share class has overperformed the reference indicator but had a negative performance. Underperformance is clawed back for 5 years. The actual amount will vary depending on how well your investment performs. The aggregated cost estimation above includes the average over the last 5 years, or since the product creation if it is less than 5 years.
Transaction Cost : 0,43% of the value of your investment per year. This is an estimate of the costs incurred when we buy and sell the investments underlying the product. The actual amount varies depending on the quantity we buy and sell.
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Marketing communication. Please refer to the KID/KIID, prospectus of the fund before making any final investment decisions. This document is intended for professional clients.

This material may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, without prior authorisation from the Management Company. This material does not constitute a subscription offer, nor does it constitute investment advice. This material is not intended to provide, and should not be relied on for, accounting, legal or tax advice. This material has been provided to you for informational purposes only and may not be relied upon by you in evaluating the merits of investing in any securities or interests referred to herein or for any other purposes. The information contained in this material may be partial information and may be modified without prior notice. They are expressed as of the date of writing and are derived from proprietary and non-proprietary sources deemed by Carmignac to be reliable, are not necessarily all-inclusive and are not guaranteed as to accuracy. As such, no warranty of accuracy or reliability is given and no responsibility arising in any other way for errors and omissions (including responsibility to any person by reason of negligence) is accepted by Carmignac, its officers, employees or agents.

Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future performance. Performances are net of fees (excluding possible entrance fees charged by the distributor). The return may increase or decrease as a result of currency fluctuations, for the shares which are not currency-hedged.

Reference to certain securities and financial instruments is for illustrative purposes to highlight stocks that are or have been included in the portfolios of funds in the Carmignac range. This is not intended to promote direct investment in those instruments, nor does it constitute investment advice. The Management Company is not subject to prohibition on trading in these instruments prior to issuing any communication. The portfolios of Carmignac funds may change without previous notice. The reference to a ranking or prize, is no guarantee of the future results of the UCIS or the manager.

Morningstar Rating™ : © Morningstar, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The information contained herein: is proprietary to Morningstar and/or its content providers; may not be copied or distributed; and is not warranted to be accurate, complete or timely. Neither Morningstar nor its content providers are responsible for any damages or losses arising from any use of this information.

Access to the Funds may be subject to restrictions regarding certain persons or countries. This material is not directed to any person in any jurisdiction where (by reason of that person’s nationality, residence or otherwise) the material or availability of this material is prohibited. Persons in respect of whom such prohibitions apply must not access this material. Taxation depends on the situation of the individual. The Funds are not registered for retail distribution in Asia, in Japan, in North America, nor are they registered in South America. Carmignac Funds are registered in Singapore as restricted foreign scheme (for professional clients only). The Funds have not been registered under the US Securities Act of 1933. The Funds may not be offered or sold, directly or indirectly, for the benefit or on behalf of a «U.S. person», according to the definition of the US Regulation S and FATCA. The risks, fees and ongoing charges are described in the KID (Key Information Document). The KID must be made available to the subscriber prior to subscription. The subscriber must read the KID. Investors may lose some or all their capital, as the capital in the funds are not guaranteed. The Funds present a risk of loss of capital.

The Funds’ prospectus, KIDs, NAVs and annual reports are available at www.carmignac.com, or upon request to the Management Carmignac Portfolio refers to the sub-funds of Carmignac Portfolio SICAV, an investment company under Luxembourg law, conforming to the UCITS Directive. The French investment funds (fonds communs de placement or FCP) are common funds in contractual form conforming to the UCITS or AIFM Directive under French law.

  • In France, Luxembourg, Sweden: The risks, fees and ongoing charges are described in the KID (Key Information Document). The KID must be made available to the subscriber prior to subscription. The subscriber must read the KID. Investors may lose some or all their capital, as the capital in the funds are not guaranteed. The Funds present a risk of loss of capital. The Funds’ prospectus, KIDs, NAV and annual reports are available at www.carmignac.com, or upon request to the Management.

  • In the United Kingdom: the Funds’ respective prospectuses, KIIDs and annual reports are available at www.carmignac.co.uk, or upon request to the Management Company, or for the French Funds, at the offices of the Facilities Agent at BNP PARIBAS SECURITIES SERVICES, operating through its branch in London: 55 Moorgate, London EC2R. This document was prepared by Carmignac Gestion, Carmignac Gestion Luxembourg or Carmignac UK Ltd. FP Carmignac ICVC (the “Company”) is an Investment Company with variable capital incorporated in England and Wales under registered number 839620 and is authorised by the FCA with effect from 4 April 2019 and launched on 15 May 2019. FundRock Partners Limited is the Authorised Corporate Director (the “ACD”) of the Company and is authorised and regulated by the FCA. Registered Office: Hamilton Centre, Rodney Way, Chelmsford, Essex, CM1 3BY, UK; Registered in England and Wales with number 4162989. Carmignac Gestion Luxembourg SA has been appointed as the Investment Manager and distributor in respect of the Company. Carmignac UK Ltd (Registered in England and Wales with number 14162894) has been appointed as a sub-Investment Manager of the Company and is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority with FRN:984288.

  • In Switzerland: the prospectus, KIDs and annual report are available at www.carmignac.ch, or through our representative in Switzerland, CACEIS (Switzerland), S.A., Route de Signy 35, CH-1260 Nyon. The paying agent is CACEIS Bank, Montrouge, Nyon Branch / Switzerland, Route de Signy 35, 1260 Nyon.

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