Invesco European Growth Fund 4th-Quarter Performance Commentary

Industry overview

• International equity markets posted gains in the fourth quarter as great information about COVID-19 vaccines outweighed worries about sharply growing an infection fees and tightening social limits.

• In most world-wide locations, equity market place leadership shifted as value shares outperformed progress shares.

• Sectors that had been severely afflicted by the pandemic, like energy and financials, were being between the quarter’s best performers.
• The European Union’s approval of a budget bundle, restoration fund and Brexit trade offer with the Uk boosted European equities. Uk equities also benefited from the Brexit trade offer.

Positioning and outlook

• We included various new holdings during the quarter: Norway-primarily based electricity firm TGS NOPEC Geophysical (OSL:TGS), British isles-based mostly on-line gaming firm Gamesys (LSE:GYS), Netherlands-dependent international brewer Heineken (XAMS:HEIA), Italy-dependent fitness center equipment maker Technogym (MIL:TGYM), Uk-centered shipping services business Clarkson (LSE:CKN), Eire-primarily based creating elements firm CRH (NYSE:CRH) and United kingdom-based rental devices business Ashtead (LSE:AHT) (1.37{46dd52bca0123ad67b2d1222819e83fd0a56e45ca5068239f05f0c514f1e20f9}, 1.06{46dd52bca0123ad67b2d1222819e83fd0a56e45ca5068239f05f0c514f1e20f9}, 1.08{46dd52bca0123ad67b2d1222819e83fd0a56e45ca5068239f05f0c514f1e20f9}, .86{46dd52bca0123ad67b2d1222819e83fd0a56e45ca5068239f05f0c514f1e20f9}, .81{46dd52bca0123ad67b2d1222819e83fd0a56e45ca5068239f05f0c514f1e20f9}, .50{46dd52bca0123ad67b2d1222819e83fd0a56e45ca5068239f05f0c514f1e20f9} and .47{46dd52bca0123ad67b2d1222819e83fd0a56e45ca5068239f05f0c514f1e20f9} of whole internet assets, respectively). We exited a few positions: Germany-primarily based organizations Allianz (XTER:ALV) and SAP (NYSE:SAP) and United kingdom-based mostly RELX (RELX) (all .00{46dd52bca0123ad67b2d1222819e83fd0a56e45ca5068239f05f0c514f1e20f9} of full web assets).

• No matter of the macroeconomic setting, we continue to be centered on making use of our nicely-proven, extended-term, bottom-up EQV investment decision approach that seeks to establish attractively valued, superior-top quality advancement firms.

Efficiency highlights

Contributors to general performance

• Fund holdings in the buyer staples sector outperformed those people of the benchmark, including to relative return. An underweight in the sector was also useful. Multinational tobacco company Philip Morris Global (PM) and Danish brewer Carlsberg (OCSE:CARL B) were essential contributors for the duration of the quarter (2.11{46dd52bca0123ad67b2d1222819e83fd0a56e45ca5068239f05f0c514f1e20f9} and 1.38{46dd52bca0123ad67b2d1222819e83fd0a56e45ca5068239f05f0c514f1e20f9} of whole net assets, respectively).
• A significant over weight in financials, blended with inventory variety, extra to relative performance.
• Inventory choice in communication solutions contributed to relative effects. France-centered Criteo (CRTO) (.86{46dd52bca0123ad67b2d1222819e83fd0a56e45ca5068239f05f0c514f1e20f9} of complete internet property), an ecommerce marketing engineering organization, was a notable contributor within just the sector.
• Geographically, stock collection in Switzerland, blended with an underweight, was the major contributor to relative benefits. Exposure in Russia and Turkey also positively affected relative return.
• Russia-based mostly financials company Sberbank (MIC:SBERP) was the premier personal contributor. The stock benefited from the company’s strong nine-months earnings consequence, paired with management’s maximize in 2020 earnings direction.

Detractors from efficiency

• The fund’s holdings in the client discretionary sector outperformed all those of the benchmark sector. Nonetheless, an underweight in the sector, just one of the quarter’s most effective-performing sectors, hampered relative return.

• Stock assortment in the industrials sector detracted from relative return. Inside of the sector, Uk-based corporations DCC (LSE:DCC) and HomeServe (LSE:HSV) underperformed for the duration of the quarter. Absence of exposure to superior-undertaking index stocks, like Airbus, Vestas Wind Units and Safran, also detracted from relative effects.

• Security range and an underweight in information technology detracted from relative effectiveness.

• Geographically, inventory assortment in France, the Netherlands and Germany, as very well as underweights in France and Germany, have been between the greatest detractors from relative return.

• Presented the soaring equity market, the fund’s money situation dampened relative results. As a reminder, income is a by-merchandise of our base-up inventory range approach.

• Germany-dependent software package business SAP was the fund’s greatest particular person detractor in the course of the quarter. We exited the posture owing to deteriorating Earnings-Top quality-Valuation (EQV) traits.

In advance of investing, buyers should really diligently examine the prospectus and/or summary prospectus and meticulously consider the investment targets, hazards, charges and fees. For this and a lot more finish data about the fund(s), buyers should inquire their advisors for a prospectus/summary prospectus or check out invesco.com/fundprospectus.

This does not constitute a recommendation of any expenditure system or products for a particular investor.

Investors ought to check with a monetary professional right before producing any expense conclusions.

About the author: