Ruffer Investment Company: New research
03/10/2018
Highlights:
· A defensive but balanced portfolio, designed to protect capital during downturns while paying investors for the wait in between
· Has delivered annualised returns of 7.3% since launch, not far behind the annualised return from the FTSE All-Share Index (8.6%) - whilst recording far less downside during negative periods
· The managers have moved with the times to diversify away from depending solely on equities and bonds, as the two have become more correlated, and the portfolio now includes illiquid strategies and derivatives designed to protect the portfolio in a downturn
Ruffer Investment Company is designed to deliver steady all-weather returns across the cycle - aiming to protect capital in falling markets and deliver double the Bank of England base rate on a twelve-month rolling basis.
Primarily a long only vehicle, the trust also uses currencies and derivatives as part of its investment process and is managed on a day-to-day basis by Steve Russell, Hamish Baillie and Duncan MacInnes.
The managers have believed for a long time that efforts to reflate the economy will eventually result in too much inflation, which central banks will find hard to control, and the portfolio is designed to perform well in an inflationary environment, with significant exposure to UK and US index linked treasuries.
In the meantime, however, the managers are keen to ensure that investors are paid to wait - and just under half of the portfolio is invested in equities which are a mix of special situations, macro-opportunities and value plays.
The trust has delivered muted returns in recent years as the managers' bearish stance has not matched the mood of the market. The trust has done well over the longer term however, and particularly held up during negative periods. The trust won acclaim for its performance in 2008 - when it delivered positive returns of 24% while over the same period the market lost 29% - but it has shown similar resilience in other negative periods.
Since the fund was launched, it has delivered annualised returns of 7.8%, not far behind the FTSE All Share's 8.6%, whilst keeping a tight grip on volatility; with a max drawdown over that period of -8.6% in stark contrast to the 45% recorded by the index.
The managers are keen to stress this combination of long-term annualised returns which keep up with the market and resilience during times of crisis and the message appears to work well with investors; the trust has been issuing shares actively in recent months in response to ongoing demand for the shares.
Click here to read the full report
Visit http://www.trustintelligence.co.uk/investor for more high quality independent investment trust research.
Not for distribution, directly or indirectly, in or into the United States or any jurisdiction in which such distribution would be unlawful.
Important information
Ruffer Investment Company Limited is a client of Kepler Trust Intelligence. This material should be considered a marketing communication, and is not independent research.
Kepler Partners is not authorised to make recommendations to Retail Clients. This report is based on factual information only, and is solely for information purposes only and any views contained in it must not be construed as investment or tax advice or a recommendation to buy, sell or take any action in relation to any investment.
This report has been issued by Kepler Partners LLP solely for information purposes only and the views contained in it must not be construed as investment or tax advice or a recommendation to buy, sell or take any action in relation to any investment. If you are unclear about any of the information on this website or its suitability for you, please contact your financial or tax adviser, or an independent financial or tax adviser before making any investment or financial decisions.
The information provided on this website is not intended for distribution to, or use by, any person or entity in any jurisdiction or country where such distribution or use would be contrary to law or regulation or which would subject Kepler Partners LLP to any registration requirement within such jurisdiction or country. Persons who access this information are required to inform themselves and to comply with any such restrictions. In particular, this website is exclusively for non-US Persons. The information in this website is not for distribution to and does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of any offer to buy any securities in the United States of America to or for the benefit of US Persons.
This is a marketing document, should be considered non-independent research and is subject to the rules in COBS 12.3 relating to such research. It has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research.
No representation or warranty, express or implied, is given by any person as to the accuracy or completeness of the information and no responsibility or liability is accepted for the accuracy or sufficiency of any of the information, for any errors, omissions or misstatements, negligent or otherwise. Any views and opinions, whilst given in good faith, are subject to change without notice.
This is not an official confirmation of terms and is not to be taken as advice to take any action in relation to any investment mentioned herein. Any prices or quotations contained herein are indicative only.
Kepler Partners LLP (including its partners, employees and representatives) or a connected person may have positions in or options on the securities detailed in this report, and may buy, sell or offer to purchase or sell such securities from time to time, but will at all times be subject to restrictions imposed by the firm's internal rules. A copy of the firm's conflict of interest policy is available on request.
Past performance is not necessarily a guide to the future. The value of investments can fall as well as rise and you may get back less than you invested when you decide to sell your investments. It is strongly recommended that Independent financial advice should be taken before entering into any financial transaction.
PLEASE SEE ALSO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS
Kepler Partners LLP is a limited liability partnership registered in England and Wales at 9/10 Savile Row, London W1S 3PF with registered number OC334771.
Kepler Partners LLP is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.
About this service
Kepler Trust Intelligence for private investors is not just another news and research website. Our aim is to create a library of high quality investment strategy research, fund analysis and useful guides for private investors, all written in-house by experienced analysts on the investment companies team at Kepler Partners.
We are focused entirely on investment trusts, however we believe that it helps to understand them better if they are placed on a level playing field with OEICs, so you will see comparisons between the two in these pages often.
Our content falls into three categories;
Investment strategy articles are designed to highlight opportunities and developments which are of interest to investment trust investors, positive or negative.
Fund research focuses on individual trusts, examining them in detail to create a snapshot picture which you can use to decide whether or not you want to invest in them.
Educational output is split into simple guides, designed to help beginners understand how investment trusts work, and more complex guides to sectors, regions and strategies which may be of interest to investors.
We do not produce massive amounts of research. Our focus is on quality, not quantity, so we are unlikely to publish more than four or five articles in a given week. For this reason we recommend that you join our mailing list, and we'll send you an email once a week alerting you to what's new on the site. We won't sell your details, and we won't spam you with useless updates.
How are we funded?
Kepler Trust Intelligence is funded entirely by the providers of investment trusts, and is made available freely to any person (professional or private individual) who wants to access it. We clearly disclose all of our relationships, but our research is either paid for directly by specific trusts and their boards, or more generally by the larger asset management groups who pay to have adverts and advertorial. As a result, all of our research should be considered "non-independent" and readers should consider it as marketing.
All of our content is freely available to anyone. We run two versions of the site - one for professionals and one for private investors. The professional site requires readers to volunteer the name of the company they work for and the city / region - so that from a compliance perspective we can be satisfied that all readers really are a professional.
We provide information, not advice
While we hope that you find the research we publish useful, and we believe it will help you to make a more informed decision, but we must of course stress that none of the research published here constitutes a recommendation, or advice, and you should not think that - just because we've published a report on a trust - we believe that trust is a 'buy'. Please read our terms and conditions.
If you want to manage your own investments we hope that this website is a useful source of information which helps you to do that, however if you are in any doubt, you should speak to a financial adviser.
Pascal Dowling
Kepler Partners