June was a very poor month for European equities with very few sectors escaping from the overwhelmingly negative sentiment. Oil and gas, basic materials and telecoms all outperformed the market whilst those stocks most exposed to consumer demand, the financial sector or the general industrial cycle were the worst. Macro data, such as a worse than expected jobs report from the US and April’s poor German industrial production figure, also contributed to the negative sentiment. Stock specific news in the financial sector helped drive many banking stocks to new 12 month lows. Fortis of the Netherlands, amongst others, announced a capital increase to shore up their troubled balance sheet. Until the market can be sure such events are well and truly past us it is difficult to see much value in this sector and we remain underweight.
The Fund outperformed over the course of the month falling just short of the double digit decline posted by the index. Unsurprisingly financials were some of the worst performers accounting for four of the ten worst performers. The other major source of disappointment was Sevan Marine of Norway which fell by 22% despite announcing a series of new contract wins. The negative share price reaction we put down to spurious rumour mongering as well as an element of profit taking. We remain firm holders of the stock.
Telecommunications
Many companies in the sector are producing improved results. The recent price deflation, particularly in mobile, now looks to have subsided, driving earnings growth and allowing managers to return cash and participate in mergers and acquisitions. Trading on undemanding valuations, we favour those stocks with restructuring and take-out potential.