International Equity Investment Strategy

Strategy Highlights

: Benefits from a broad perspective owing to our global thematic research

Flexibility to deviate from the benchmark and to invest directly in a range of opportunities globally

Stock selection driven by bottom-up proprietary research which incorporates consideration of environmental, social and governance (ESG) risks, issues and opportunities
: This strategy is offered by Newton Investment Management Ltd (‘NIM’). NIM is part of the Newton Investment Management Group.

Our Philosophy and Process

: The strategy is conviction-based with no sector constraints and few country constraints; the portfolio may invest in any country except the U.S. and has the scope to invest in emerging markets. A constantly evolving and forward-looking approach seeks to anticipate change, manage risk, and identify opportunities.

ESG considerations are integrated throughout the research process and via proprietary quality reviews, to ensure that any material issues are captured.

Every time we consider a security or look at an industry or country, it’s in the context of what’s happening across the world. We believe the investment landscape is shaped over the long term by some key trends, and we use themes to help identify opportunities.

Investment Team

Our International Equity strategy is managed by a team with a wide range of backgrounds. In-house research analysts are at the core of our investment process, and our multidimensional research platform spans fundamental, thematic, ESG, quantitative, geopolitical, investigative and private-market research to promote better-informed investment decisions.

22: years’ average investment experience
18: years’ average time at Newton

Simon Nichols

Portfolio manager, Global Opportunities team
Karen Miki Behr

Portfolio manager
Jonathan Dennis

Portfolio analyst, Global Opportunities team

Strategy Profile

Objective: The strategy seeks to outperform the MSCI EAFE Index (NDR) by 2% per annum (before fees) over a full market cycle by achieving long-term capital growth from a portfolio of global securities (ex-U.S.).
Performance benchmark: MSCI EAFE (NDR)

Typical number of equity holdings: 55 to 80

Strategy size: C$1.3bn (as at March 31, 2023)
Strategy inception: November 1, 1997

Your capital may be at risk. The value of investments and the income from them can fall as well as rise and investors may not get back the original amount invested.

The outperformance target stated is net of fees, for indicative purposes only, and may be changed without notice. Targeted return is generally aspirational in nature, not necessarily based on criteria and assumptions, and is not a guarantee of future returns.

Newton will make investment decisions that are not based solely on ESG considerations. It is one of many inputs into the fundamental analysis. Other attributes of an investment may outweigh ESG considerations when making investment decisions. The way that material ESG considerations are assessed may vary depending on the asset class and strategy involved. As of September 2022, the research team performs ESG analysis on equity securities prior to their addition to Newton’s Research Recommended List (RRL). ESG reviews are not performed for all fixed income securities. The portfolio managers may purchase equity securities that are not included on the RRL and which do not have ESG reviews. Not all securities held by Newton’s strategies have an ESG review completed prior to investment.

Key Investment Risks

: Objective/Performance Risk: There is no guarantee that the strategy will achieve its objectives.

Currency Risk: This strategy invests in international markets which means it is exposed to changes in currency rates which could affect the value of the strategy.

Derivatives Risk: Derivatives are highly sensitive to changes in the value of the asset from which their value is derived. A small movement in the value of the underlying asset can cause a large movement in the value of the derivative. This can increase the sizes of losses and gains, causing the value of your investment to fluctuate. When using derivatives, the strategy can lose significantly more than the amount it has invested in derivatives.

Emerging Markets Risk: Emerging Markets have additional risks due to less-developed market practices.

Concentration Risk: A fall in the value of a single investment may have a significant impact on the value of the strategy because it typically invests in a limited number of investments.

Investment in Smaller Companies Risk: This strategy may invest in the smaller companies. The securities of smaller companies may possess greater potential for growth, but can also involve greater risks, such as limited product lines and markets, and financial or managerial resources. Trading in these securities may be subject to more abrupt price movements and greater fluctuations in available liquidity than trading in the securities of larger companies.