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RUFFER INVESTMENT COMPANY LIMITED
(a closed-ended investment company incorporated in Guernsey with registration number 41996)
LEI 21380068AHZKY7MKNO47
Attached is a link to the Monthly Investment Report for February 2024.
http://www.rns-pdf.londonstockexchange.com/rns/4881G_1-2024-3-12.pdf
February saw a continuation of the AI-fuelled rally with both the S&P and Nasdaq indices ending the month at new all-time highs. The equity market exuberance was given a shot in the arm by Nvidia's earnings announcement mid-month, following which the stock rallied more than 16% in a day. Nvidia's market value gain on that day alone was greater than the total value of US gold mining companies. The market jitters evident around a single company's earnings release hints to us of an unstable trend that could just as easily surprise to the downside. This observation makes the derivative protections we hold especially attractive, albeit they were a drag on performance during the month.
Equities were a key driver of performance during February despite our low weight. Notably, Chinese equity markets rebounded. This turnaround followed an announcement by the Chinese securities regulator at the end of January banning stock lending. We believe sentiment and positioning in Chinese equities has reached extreme lows and this is reflected in attractive valuations. Furthermore, the incremental support being provided to asset markets by the Chinese authorities gives us comfort they are pushing in our direction. This stands in stark contrast to the setup for US equity markets where, needless to say, we remain cautious of both valuations and momentum.
Meanwhile bond yields continued to rise in February, as expectations for the number of interest rate cuts in 2024 fell, increasing the divergence between bond and equity market performance so far this year. Despite this, long-dated UK inflation-linked bonds were a positive contributor to performance as the oversold dynamics of January were reversed. However, our other interest rate sensitive holdings such as gold mining equities and the yen suffered as yields rose.
Having entered 2024 believing markets were priced for perfection (aka a soft landing), we are now watching closely as growth and inflation risks start to be re-priced. Expectations of a US recession in the next six months are falling fast, and the pace of disinflation has abated. Looking ahead, we expect persistent inflation to remain an issue as policy makers have shown a willingness to deliver a swift and deep-pocketed response to any economic pain and the most realistic long term solution to bulging government deficits is inflation. We continue to position the fund to benefit from this structural theme, through exposure to gold, inflation-linked bonds and commodities.
However, our focus in the immediate future remains on liquidity risks, as central bankers continue to shrink the size of their balance sheets. Any meaningful fiscal or monetary support for markets is, in our view, likely only to arrive after asset prices have been hit. In such an environment, we find confidence in a portfolio that leans heavily on the attractive real return available in cash and short dated bonds whilst holding additional protection to benefit from falling markets.
Enquiries:
Sanne Fund Services (Guernsey) Limited
Jamie Dodd
Email: [email protected]
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