Last checked at 
13 Dec 2023 07:00
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 November 2023.
http://www.rns-pdf.londonstockexchange.com/rns/5590W_1-2023-12-12.pdf
November proved to be a positive month for asset owners, as both bonds and equities rallied sharply. The catalyst was a growing hope that falling inflation will not be accompanied by slowing economic growth. This is an ideal outcome since it would allow policymakers to gently ease interest rates, helping to sustain high equity valuations without dampening earnings. Policymakers have also changed their tone, leaving investors less concerned about further monetary policy tightening.
The market moves were significant, with global bonds experiencing their best monthly return since 2008 and US equities recording their best monthly return this year. We added to the Company's bond duration in recent months to take advantage of compelling valuations (eg US ten year real yields reaching 2.5%), and with the belief that yields were reaching levels beyond which they would begin to cause acute pain to the financial system. The increased exposure enabled the Company to further benefit from November's rally in fixed income, which was the largest contributor to returns over the month. Likewise in equities, we had tactically added to the Company's exposure as risk assets struggled with rising yields in prior months. These increases to both bonds and equities enabled the portfolio to deliver a positive return and outweighed the headwinds from our protective assets. From a stock picking perspective, holdings in Ryanair, Coty and Jackson Financial were large positive contributors, alongside exposure to US banks Citi and EastWest.
On the negative side of the ledger, protective positions to guard against pain in the corporate bond market naturally suffered in the buoyant environment as credit spreads narrowed sharply. Elsewhere, exposure to energy was a headwind, partly as the perceived risk of wider military conflict across the Middle East has faded. Within our growth seeking assets, the exposure to Chinese equities continued to stutter. Whilst we deem the visit of Xi Jinping to San Francisco as a positive step in easing the tensions between the World's two largest powers, investor sentiment remains weak. We acknowledge there are good reasons for the high risk premium applied to Chinese equities, but it does stand out for both depressed valuations and, in our view, the increasing likelihood of further policy stimulus to come.
Given the speed of the rally across bonds and equities, we felt it was prudent to reduce the Company's exposures towards the end of the month. Bond markets are now pricing in over 1% of interest rate cuts in 2024 from the Federal Reserve. High equity valuations, tight credit spreads and low volatility suggest complacency may have returned to financial markets. There is a path for policymakers to pull off the magic trick of raising interest rates aggressively without derailing the economy, but we see an obvious vulnerability should events deviate from this narrow route. Policy changes feed through with a lag and the initial signs of a possible soft landing are eerily similar to those pre-empting something more severe. The Company's portfolio is designed to deliver positive returns in both benign conditions such as we saw this month, but also in those which are likely to be more challenging ahead.
Enquiries:
Sanne Fund Services (Guernsey) Limited
Jamie Dodd
Email: RIC@apexfs.group