Combining our time-tested abilities in developed and emerging international markets
The Causeway International Opportunities strategy is a blend of Causeway’s best skills, combining our international value (bottom-up, fundamental, developed international markets, excluding the US) and emerging markets (quantitatively managed with a targeted tracking error of 5%) equity strategies. Tracking error is a measurement of dispersion from a benchmark index. Our quantitative research team developed a proprietary multi-factor model that measures the relative attractiveness of emerging markets, and guides the portfolio managers in tactically allocating between the developed and emerging portfolio segments.
- Benchmark
- MSCI ACWI ex US
- Inception
- June 30, 2007
Portfolio managers
Sarah Ketterer
Fundamental Portfolio Manager
Ms. Ketterer is the chief executive officer at Causeway, fundamental portfolio manager, and is responsible for investment research across all sectors. Ms. Ketterer co-founded the firm in June 2001 and is a member of the operating committee.
From 1996 to 2001, Ms. Ketterer worked for the Hotchkis & Wiley division of Merrill Lynch Investment Managers (HW-MLIM). At HW-MLIM, she was a managing director and co-head of the firm's HW-MLIM International and Global Value team. From 1990 to 1996, Ms. Ketterer was a portfolio manager at Hotchkis & Wiley, where she founded the International Equity product.
Ms. Ketterer earned a BA in economics and political science from Stanford University and an MBA from the Tuck School, Dartmouth College. She is currently a member of the Stanford University Board of Trustees, co-chair of the Los Angeles World Affairs Council and Town Hall, a director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Music Center Foundation (as chair of the investment committee), and serves on the Advisory Board of Girls Who Invest.
Harry Hartford
Head of Fundamental Research
Fundamental Portfolio Manager
Mr. Hartford is the president at Causeway, fundamental portfolio manager, and head of fundamental research. Mr. Hartford co-founded the firm in June 2001 and is a member of the operating committee.
From 1996 to June 2001, Mr. Hartford was a managing director for the Hotchkis & Wiley division of Merrill Lynch Investment Managers (HW-MLIM) and co-head of the firm's HW-MLIM international and global value team. From 1994 to 1996, Mr. Hartford was a portfolio manager for Hotchkis & Wiley. From 1984 to 1994, Mr. Hartford was with The Investment Bank of Ireland, where he gained ten years’ experience in both international and global equity management. During this time, Mr. Hartford also managed the Irish Investment Fund, a closed-end country fund quoted on the NYSE. Before entering the investment business, Mr. Hartford lectured in micro and macroeconomics at Oklahoma State University.
Mr. Hartford earned a BA, with honors, in economics from the University of Dublin, Trinity College, an MSc in economics from Oklahoma State University, and is a Phi Kappa Phi member. Mr. Hartford is a member of The Ireland Funds America Board of Directors and serves as chair of the Los Angeles Regional Board.
James Doyle
Mr. Doyle is a director and a fundamental portfolio manager at Causeway and has been with the firm since its inception in June 2001. Mr. Doyle has covered a variety of industries, including financials, industrials and consumer. His current responsibilities include technology, telecommunications and healthcare. He is also a member of the operating committee.
Previously, Mr. Doyle was an equity analyst and portfolio manager with the international team of the Hotchkis & Wiley division of Merrill Lynch Investment Managers. He also was an equity research consultant for Morgan Stanley Asset Management, and a financial analyst for LaSalle Partners.
Mr. Doyle earned a BA in economics from Northwestern University and an MBA in finance from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. He is the co-chair of the Northwestern University Leadership Circle of Los Angeles.
Jonathan Eng
Mr. Eng is a director and fundamental portfolio manager at Causeway and is responsible for investment research in the global consumer discretionary and industrials sectors. He joined the firm in July 2001 and has been a portfolio manager since February 2002.
From 1997 to 2001, Mr. Eng was an equity research associate for the Hotchkis & Wiley division of Merrill Lynch Investment Managers (HW-MLIM). In 1996, Mr. Eng worked as a summer research associate for Hotchkis & Wiley, performing U.K. and European equity research. From 1993 to 1995, Mr. Eng analyzed merger and acquisition candidates at Slusser Associates. From 1990 to 1993, Mr. Eng worked as a middle market corporate lender for Bank of Boston.
Mr. Eng earned a BA in history and economics from Brandeis University and an MBA from the UCLA Anderson Graduate School of Management.
Conor Muldoon, CFA
Mr. Muldoon is a director and fundamental portfolio manager at Causeway and is responsible for investment research in the global financials and materials sectors. He joined the firm in August 2003 and has been a portfolio manager since September 2010.
From 1995 to 2003, Mr. Muldoon was an investment consultant for Fidelity Investments where he served as a liaison between institutional clients and investment managers within Fidelity. He was responsible for communicating current information on the financial markets, the economy and investment performance.
Mr. Muldoon earned a BSc and an MA from the University of Dublin, Trinity College and an MBA, with high honors, from the University of Chicago. Mr. Muldoon was inducted into the Beta Gamma Sigma honors society and is also a CFA charterholder.
Alessandro Valentini, CFA
Mr. Valentini is a director and fundamental portfolio manager at Causeway and is responsible for investment research in the global healthcare and financials sectors. He joined the firm in July 2006 and has been a portfolio manager since April 2013.
During the summer of 2005, Mr. Valentini worked as a research analyst at Thornburg Investment Management, where he conducted fundamental research for the international value fund and the value fund, focusing on the European telecommunication and Canadian oil sectors. From 2000 to 2004, Mr. Valentini worked as a financial analyst at Goldman Sachs in the European equities research-sales division in New York.
Mr. Valentini earned an MBA from Columbia Business School, with honors, an MA in economics from Georgetown University and a BS, magna cum laude, from Georgetown University. Mr. Valentini was inducted into the Beta Gamma Sigma honors society, is a Phi Beta Kappa member, and is a CFA charterholder.
Ellen Lee
Ms. Lee is a director and fundamental portfolio manager at Causeway and is responsible for investment research in the global consumer, utilities, and energy sectors. Prior to the current role, she also covered transportation and autos. She joined the firm in August 2007 and has been a portfolio manager since January 2015.
During the summer of 2006, Ms. Lee interned at Tiger Asia, a long short equity hedge fund focused on China, Japan, and Korea. From 2001 to 2004, Ms. Lee was an associate in the mergers and acquisitions division of Credit Suisse First Boston in Seoul, where she advised Korean corporates and multinational corporations. From 1999 to 2000, she was an analyst in the mergers and acquisitions division of Credit Suisse First Boston in Hong Kong.
Ms. Lee earned a BA in business administration from Seoul National University and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. She currently serves on the audit and investment committee at the Center for Early Education in West Hollywood.
Steven Nguyen, CFA
Mr. Nguyen is a director and fundamental portfolio manager at Causeway and is responsible for investment research in the energy, utilities, and healthcare sectors. He joined the firm in April 2012.
From 2006 to 2012, Mr. Nguyen was a senior credit analyst at Bradford & Marzec covering high yield and investment grade companies in the telecommunication services, cable, media, gaming, insurance, and REIT industries. From 2003 to 2006, Mr. Nguyen was a credit analyst/portfolio manager in the corporate bond department of Allegiance Capital.
Mr. Nguyen earned a BA in business economics from Brown University and an MBA, with honors, from the UCLA Anderson School of Management. Mr. Nguyen was the president of the Anderson Student Asset Management association. Mr. Nguyen is a CFA charterholder.
Arjun Jayaraman, PhD, CFA
Quantitative Portfolio Manager
Dr. Jayaraman is a director, quantitative portfolio manager and head of the quantitative research at Causeway and has been with the firm since January 2006. Dr. Jayaraman’s responsibilities and research include stock selection, asset allocation, risk model development, and portfolio construction.
From 2004 to 2005, Dr. Jayaraman was a portfolio manager at PanAgora Asset Management. He was the lead portfolio manager on the non-U.S. large cap core equity portfolios and was the co-portfolio manager on the global large cap core equity portfolios. From 2000 to 2004, Dr. Jayaraman managed the same portfolios at Putnam Investments, in addition to working closely with the teams that managed Putnam's traditional non-U.S. strategies. From 1998 to 2000, Dr. Jayaraman worked as a quantitative analyst at Harborview Trading Associates.
Dr. Jayaraman earned a PhD from New York University at the Stern School of Business and a BA in economics from Columbia University. Dr. Jayaraman is a CFA charterholder.
MacDuff Kuhnert, CFA
Mr. Kuhnert is a director and a quantitative portfolio manager at Causeway and has been with the firm since its inception in June 2001. Mr. Kuhnert’s responsibilities and research include stock selection, asset allocation, risk model development, and portfolio construction.
From 1996 to 2001, Mr. Kuhnert worked for the international team of the Hotchkis & Wiley division of Merrill Lynch Investment Managers (HW-MLIM) as a quantitative research associate. During his tenure at HW-MLIM, Mr. Kuhnert created and developed advanced quantitative models used in the international value investment process. He also helped develop the team’s first equity risk model.
Mr. Kuhnert earned a BA in chemistry from Dartmouth College. He is a CFA charterholder, a member of the CFA Society of Los Angeles, and a member of the Chicago Quantitative Alliance. Mr. Kuhnert co-authored “To Hedge or Not to Hedge: Factor Dependence and Skill among Hedge Funds” published in The Journal of Alternative Investments.
Joe Gubler, CFA
Mr. Gubler is a quantitative portfolio manager at Causeway. He joined the firm in 2005 and has been a portfolio manager since January 2014. In addition to managing quantitative portfolios and conducting alpha research, Mr. Gubler also leads the efforts to maintain and enhance Causeway’s proprietary risk models. He is also a member of the operating committee.
From 1999 to 2005, Mr. Gubler worked as a software engineer, with employers ranging from startups to established businesses such as Monster.com. From 1998 to 1999, Mr. Gubler worked as a staff scientist for News Corporation, conducting studies on the RF propagation of broadcast signals. While studying astrophysics at UC San Diego, Mr. Gubler worked as a graduate research assistant in the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's stellar interferometry group.
Mr. Gubler earned a BS, cum laude, in physics from UC Irvine, an MS in physics from UC San Diego, and an MBA from the UCLA Anderson Graduate School of Management. Mr. Gubler is a CFA charterholder.
Performance
Account returns for the Causeway International Opportunities Composite (“International Opportunities Composite”) are calculated daily. Monthly account returns are calculated by geometrically linking the daily returns. The return of the International Opportunities Composite is calculated monthly by weighting monthly account returns by the beginning market values. Valuations and returns are computed and stated in US dollars. Returns include the reinvestment of interest, dividends and any capital gains. Returns are calculated gross of withholding taxes on dividends, interest income, and capital gains. Past performance is no guarantee of future performance. Gross-of-fees returns are presented before management, performance and custody fees but after trading expenses. Net-of-fees returns are presented after the deduction of actual management fees, performance-based fees, and all trading expenses, but before custody fees. Causeway’s basic management fee schedules are described in its firm brochure pursuant to Part 2 of Form ADV. A complete list and description of firm composites is available upon request. The information in the downloadable Composite Performance report supplements the performance presented. Investing involves risk including loss of principal. In addition to the normal risks associated with investing, international investments may involve risk of capital loss from unfavorable fluctuation in currency values, from differences in generally accepted accounting principles or from economic or political instability in other nations. Emerging markets involve heightened risks related to the same factors as well as increased volatility and lower trading volume. Diversification does not prevent all investment losses.
Portfolio (as of December 31, 2019)
Asset Allocation
| Strategy | |
|---|---|
| Stocks | 98.8% |
| Cash | 1.2% |
Strategy Characteristics
| Strategy | Benchmark | |
|---|---|---|
| No. of holdings | 198 | 2411 |
| Weighted avg. market cap (US $MM) | $67,807 | $61,374 |
| FY2 price/earnings | 11.1 | 13.9 |
| Price/book value | 1.3 | 1.7 |
| Dividend yield (%) | 3.7 | 3.0 |
TOP 10 HOLDINGS
| Security | Country | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| Volkswagen AG | Germany | 3.7% |
| BASF SE | Germany | 3.0% |
| UniCredit S.p.A. | Italy | 3.0% |
| Takeda Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. | Japan | 2.9% |
| British American Tobacco plc | United Kingdom | 2.6% |
| FANUC Corp. | Japan | 2.5% |
| ABB Ltd. | Switzerland | 2.4% |
| Siemens AG | Germany | 2.4% |
| Barclays Plc | United Kingdom | 2.2% |
| Linde Plc | Germany | 2.1% |
A “weighted average” measures a characteristic by the market capitalization of each stock. Price/book ratio is the weighted average of the price/book ratios of all the stocks in a portfolio. The P/B ratio of a company is calculated by dividing the market price of its stock by the company’s per-share book value. The price/earnings ratio is the weighted average of the price/earnings ratios of the stocks in a portfolio. The FY2 P/E ratio is a forward P/E ratio using a next-twenty-four months EPS estimate in the denominator.
Holdings are subject to change.
SECTOR WEIGHTS
| Sector | Strategy | Benchmark |
|---|---|---|
| Financials | 22.2% | 21.4% |
| Industrials | 17.1% | 11.9% |
| Health Care | 9.7% | 8.9% |
| Information Technology | 9.3% | 9.4% |
| Materials | 9.1% | 7.4% |
| Energy | 8.8% | 6.5% |
| Consumer Discretionary | 8.1% | 11.8% |
| Consumer Staples | 6.9% | 9.4% |
| Communication Services | 4.9% | 6.7% |
| Utilities | 1.7% | 3.4% |
| Real Estate | 0.8% | 3.2% |
TOP 10 COUNTRIES
| Country | Strategy | Benchmark |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 22.3% | 10.8% |
| Germany | 16.5% | 5.7% |
| Japan | 10.2% | 16.1% |
| China | 9.7% | 9.4% |
| Switzerland | 6.2% | 6.1% |
| France | 6.1% | 7.5% |
| Taiwan | 4.2% | 3.2% |
| South Korea | 3.7% | 3.2% |
| Brazil | 3.0% | 2.1% |
| Italy | 3.0% | 1.5% |
Regional Allocation
- Europe – other 58.7%
- Emerging Asia 20.9%
- Pacific 10.2%
- North America 2.5%
- Emerging Latin America 3.5%
- Emerging Europe, Middle East, Africa 3.0%
Commentary (As of December 31, 2019)
Highlights
Portfolio attribution
The Portfolio outperformed the Index during the month, due primarily to stock selection. Holdings in the banks, food beverage & tobacco, utilities, energy, and real estate industry groups contributed to performance compared to the Index. Portfolio holdings in the pharmaceuticals & biotechnology, software & services, materials, and semiconductors & semi equipment industry groups, along with an overweight position in the transportation industry group, detracted from relative performance. The top contributor to return was power & automation technology company, ABB Ltd.(Switzerland). Other notable contributors included British American Tobacco plc (United Kingdom), oil & natural gas producer, Encana (Canada), online services company, Tencent Holdings Ltd. (Hong Kong), and electronic equipment manufacturer, Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (South Korea). The largest detractor was Takeda Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.(Japan). Additional notable detractors included robotics manufacturer, FANUC Corp. (Japan), telecommunication services provider, Vodafone Group (United Kingdom), jet engine manufacturer, Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc (United Kingdom), and enterprise infrastructure software company, Micro Focus International Plc (United Kingdom).
Investment outlook
We believe that much of the global central bank monetary expansion is in the rear-view mirror. Massive liquidity creation has suppressed market volatility and favored momentum relative to value-oriented trading. With developed market central banks curtailing accommodative policies, value stocks should eventually rebound. In the absence of a recession, earnings of economically sensitive stocks should attract enough attention to garner a re-rating of valuation multiples. This process began last year, as developed market cyclical stocks outperformed broad indices in the last four months of 2019. In 2020, we expect investors to look to diversifying systematic risks, and risk aversion could rise with an escalation of US-Iranian conflict. Therefore, transparency of investment risks and full financial disclosure will become increasingly important. These preferences may favor well-established companies with a history of rewarding shareholders (via dividends and share buybacks) and place a greater hurdle rate of return on speculative, unprofitable companies. We seek talented senior management teams steering financially strong companies through profitability setbacks by focusing on reaccelerating earnings and cash flow. To complement these “self-help” stocks, we seek consistent cash generating companies with generous dividend payouts. In years of more traditional equity market returns, rather than runaway bull markets, stability of cash flows and income should attract investor attention.
While our value factor in our quantitative emerging markets model lagged in 2019, it has outperformed in recent months. Interestingly, the MSCI Emerging Markets Value Index underperformed the MSCI Emerging Markets Growth Index during the fourth quarter. The return differential between our value factor and the MSCI indices can be attributed in part to the strong performance of a few large cap growth stocks. While the Index is capitalization-weighted, we use equally-weighted returns for our factor in order to avoid assigning a handful of stocks a disproportionate weight. Secondly, our value factor has a sector-relative component while MSCI’s style classification schemes do not include sector adjustments. We continue to emphasize value factors in our quantitative investment process.
The market commentary expresses the portfolio managers’ views as of the date of this report and should not be relied on as research or investment advice regarding any stock. These views and the portfolio holdings and characteristics are subject to change. There is no guarantee that any forecasts made will come to pass. The securities identified and described above do not represent all of the securities purchased, sold or recommended for client accounts. The reader should not assume that an investment in the securities identified was or will be profitable. Past performance does not guarantee future results. For a description of our performance attribution methodology, or to obtain a list showing every holding's contribution to the overall account's performance during the quarter, please contact our product manager, Kevin Moutes, at 310-231-6116 or moutes@causewaycap.com.