Robeco BP Global Premium Equities FH EUR

Mr. Hart is a senior portfolio manager for Boston Partners Global Equity and International Equity products. Prior to this, he was the portfolio manager for the Boston Partners International Small Cap Value product and before that, an assistant portfolio manager for the Boston Partners Small Cap Value products for three years. Previously, he was a research analyst and specialized in conglomerates, engineering and construction, building, machinery, aerospace & defense, and REITs sectors of the equity market. He joined the firm from Fidelity Investments where he was a research analyst. Mr. Hart holds a B.S. degree in finance, with a concentration in corporate finance from Clemson University. He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation. He has more than 25 years of investment experience. Mr. Jones is a portfolio manager on Boston Partners Global and International products. Prior to this role, he was a research analyst specializing in the energy, metals and mining sectors of the equity market and was a global generalist. He joined the firm from Cambridge Associates where he was a consulting associate specializing in hedge fund clients. Mr. Jones holds a B.A. degree in economics from Bowdoin College. He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation. He has eleven years of investment experience.

The fund is established in Luxembourg and is subject to the Luxembourg tax laws and regulations. The fund is not liable to pay any corporation, income, dividend or capital gains tax in Luxembourg. The fund is subject to an annual subscription tax ('tax d'abonnement') in Luxembourg, which amounts to 0.05% of the net asset value of the fund. This tax is included in the net asset value of the fund. The fund can in principle use the Luxembourg treaty network to partially recover any withholding tax on its income.

The fiscal consequences of investing in this fund depend on the investor's personal situation. For private investors in the Netherlands real interest and dividend income or capital gains received on their investments are not relevant for tax purposes. Each year investors pay income tax on the value of their net assets as at 1 January if and inasmuch as such net assets exceed the investor’s tax-free allowance. Any amount invested in the fund forms part of the investor's net assets. Private investors who are resident outside the Netherlands will not be taxed in the Netherlands on their investments in the fund. However, such investors may be taxed in their country of residence on any income from an investment in this fund based on the applicable national fiscal laws. Other fiscal rules apply to legal entities or professional investors. We advise investors to consult their financial or tax adviser about the tax consequences of an investment in this fund in their specific circumstances before deciding to invest in the fund.

The fund incorporates sustainability in the investment process via exclusions, ESG integration, a carbon target, engagement and voting. Through exclusions the fund avoids investments in issuers that are in breach of international norms or where activities have been deemed detrimental to society following Robeco's exclusion policy. Financially material ESG factors are integrated in the bottom-up investment analysis to assess the sustainability risk profile of companies. In the stock selection the fund limits exposure to elevated sustainability risks. The fund also targets a lower carbon footprint compared to the reference index. In addition, where a stock issuer is flagged for breaching international standards in the ongoing monitoring, the issuer will become subject to engagement. Lastly, the fund makes use of shareholder rights and applies proxy voting in accordance with Robeco's proxy voting policy.

Global markets as measured by the MSCI World Index climbed higher in the first month of 2023, with the index posting a gain of 7.08% (net/USD), while the MSCI World Value Index rose less at 4.67% (net/USD). Every sector, with the exception of healthcare, was in positive territory for the core MSCI World Index, led by consumer discretionary.

Based on transaction prices, the fund's return was 0.48%. Robeco BP Global Premium Equities trailed the MSCI World Index in the first month of 2023, as sector allocation caused the relative lag, primarily due to the fund's overweight positioning in the healthcare sector and underweight positioning in the information technology sector. Healthcare was the weakest-performing sector for the index, and the fund's overweight allocation detracted from the absolute and relative performance. Providers and services holdings including Cigna, CVS Health and Centene underperformed. Index constituents in information technology performed better than the overall market, but our underweight position detracted due to not holding Apple and NVIDIA. Conversely, the fund's underweight position in consumer staples contributed positively to the relative performance. Stock selection was relatively flat in the month, with the contributions from the industrials and information technology sectors being partially offset by detractions from healthcare and consumer discretionary. In industrials, defense company Rheinmetall has continued to outperform, benefiting the relative performance, while in technology, STMicroelectronics NV and not holding Microsoft was favorable.

The Federal Reserve continues to face a dilemma: while CPI and PCE headline inflation readings are falling, largely due to goods disinflation, core inflation readings remain elevated and are showing only minor progress towards the Fed's 2% target as consumers swap from 'buying things' to 'having experiences', putting upward pressure on services inflation. With geopolitical risk rising and earnings expectations falling, one would expect the markets to take a more cautionary tone. The fund remains well positioned with holdings that reflect Boston Partners' three-circle characteristics – attractive valuations, solid business fundamentals and identifiable catalysts.