Robeco Life Cycle Fund 2060 F EUR

Ernesto Sanichar is Portfolio Manager and member of the Sustainable Multi Asset team. He responsible for the Robeco Multi Asset funds, Robeco ONE and Defined contribution funds. His asset specialties are fixed income and FX. He has been part of Robeco's Investment Solutions department since 2005. Previously, he was Treasury Manager for four years. Prior to joining Robeco in 2001, Ernesto worked at ING Barings as a Product controller at the cash equities and derivatives desk for three years. Ernesto started his career in the investment industry in 1998. He holds a Master's in Financial Economics from Erasmus University Rotterdam.

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 invests a minimum of 80% in other Robeco managed or externally managed funds which are classified under Article 8 or 9 of SFDR and either promote environmental or social characteristics or have sustainable investment as their objective. Sustainability is thus one of the considerations in the fund selection.

Markets inched forward over April, as investors nervously await guidance from the Federal Reserve as to whether April is likely to be the last rate rise of this cycle. Within equities, US tech companies continue to deliver strong earnings and dragged markets higher. This leads to a very narrow number of stocks that outperform, which creates a challenging backdrop for stock pickers. First-quarter earnings continue to come in slightly ahead of expectations, but given the 12 to 18 months it typically takes for the Fed to soften the labor market – any compression on company margins may not be visible until later in the year. From a macro perspective, US economic growth slowed sharply in the first quarter of 2023, despite strong consumer spending. The Eurozone also posted meagre growth over the quarter. In contrast, China reported stronger-than-expected growth, with the surprise double-digit export and retail growth in March, spurring optimism that China's economic rebound has begun. Both global equities (EUR) and global government bonds (hedged to EUR) delivered a marginal positive return of 0.1%.

Based on transaction prices, the fund's return was 0.18%. It was a good month for the Robeco Life Cycle Funds. All funds delivered a positive performance. The performance of the funds varied between +0.05% and 0.42%. The funds with a shorter time horizon performed better due to their higher exposure to fixed income markets. Within fixed income, the allocation to investment grade credit and high yield was the main performance driver. Within equities, emerging markets were the main detractor.

The equity exposure of the Life Cycle Funds was neutral during most of the month. Towards the end of the month, the exposure to equities was lowered slightly in favor of cash.