Robeco Smart Materials D USD
Scarce resources, abundant investment opportunities
Share classes
Share classes
Every share class of a product invests in the same portfolio of securities and has the same investment objectives and policies. However, their parameters might deviate. For instance and amongst others, their distribution type, currency exposure or fees and expenses might differ. The most common share classes at Robeco are:
a) D/DH shares, which are regular shares and available for all Investors;
b) I/IH shares, for institutional investors as defined from time to time by the Luxembourg supervisory authority.
For more information on share classes please go to the prospectus.
D-USD
D-CHF
D-EUR
F-CHF
F-EUR
F-USD
G-EUR
G-GBP
I-EUR
I-GBP
I-USD
IE-GBP
Z-EUR
Z-GBP
Class and codes
Asset class:
Equities
ISIN:
LU2145463704
Bloomberg:
RSSMDUA LX
Index
MSCI World Index TRN
Sustainability-related information
Sustainability-related information
Under the EU Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation, products can be labelled as either Article 6, 8 or 9 fund.
Article 6 - The fund is not in scope of enhanced sustainability disclosures compared to Article 8 and 9.
Article 8 - The fund does not have a sustainable investment objective but promotes environmental or social characteristics and is subject to enhanced sustainability disclosures.
Article 9 - The fund has a sustainable investment objective and is subject to enhanced sustainability disclosures.
Regardless of Article 8 or 9, the companies in which investments are made must follow good governance practices, and sustainable investments must not do any significant harm.
Article 9
Morningstar
Morningstar
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Rating (30/08)
- Overview
- Performance & costs
- Portfolio
- Sustainability
- Commentary
- Documents
Fund topics
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Key points
- Focus on innovative materials and process technologies that help optimize the use of natural resources within scalable and efficient industrial solutions
- Investing in structural winners along the entire materials value chain including efficient and innovative materials, smart manufacturing solutions and end-of-life valorization of materials
- Strong tailwinds from decarbonization and net zero targets, government incentives for reshoring of manufacturing and sourcing, and the shift to more circular practices and sustainability
About this fund
Robeco Smart Materials Equities is an actively managed fund that invests globally in companies that provide innovative materials and process technologies. The selection of these stocks is based on fundamental analysis. The fund has sustainable investment as its objective, within the meaning of Article 9 of the Regulation (EU) 2019/2088 of 27 November 2019 on Sustainability-related disclosures in the financial sector. The strategy integrates sustainability criteria as part of the stock selection process and through a theme-specific sustainability assessment. The portfolio is built on the basis of an eligible investment universe that includes companies whose business models contribute to the thematic investment objectives. The assessment regarding relevant SDGs uses an internally developed framework, more information on which can be obtained at www.robeco.com/si. The fund also aims to achieve a better return than the index.
Key facts
Total size of fund
$ 668,888,794
Size of share class
$ 5,251,840
Inception date share class
29-10-2020
1-year performance
-1.36%
Dividend paying
No
Fund manager
Pieter Busscher CFA
Mutlu Gundogan CFA
Pieter Busscher is Portfolio Manager of the Robeco Smart Materials and Robeco Smart Mobility strategies and member of the Thematic Investing team. He started at Robeco in 2007 as a Deputy Portfolio Manager for the Sustainable Water strategy. Pieter became the Portfolio Manager for Smart Materials in 2009; for Smart Mobility he had been Deputy Portfolio for since strategy launch in 2018 and took over the portfolio management responsibilities in 2021. He began his career at Credit Suisse Asset Management in Zurich in 2006. He graduated from the International Business at RSM Erasmus University (Bachelor), the Banking and Finance at the University of St. Gallen (Master) and is a CFA® charterholder. Mutlu Gundogan is Co-Portfolio manager of the Robeco Smart Materials strategy and member of the Thematic Investing team. Prior to joining in 2021, he worked at ABN AMRO – ODDO BHF as a sell-side equity analyst, covering the European Chemicals sector. Before that, he worked as a sell-side analyst at ABN AMRO and Royal Bank of Scotland covering the Materials, Industrials, and Health Care sectors. He started his career in 2003 at Kempen & Co., where he covered the Industrials, Consumer Staples, and Health Care sectors. Mutlu holds a Master’s in Business Administration from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. He is a CFA® Charterholder.
Performance
Per period
Per annum
- Per period
- Per annum
1 month
-0.56%
2.64%
3 months
-4.27%
6.58%
YTD
-2.44%
16.72%
1 year
-1.36%
24.43%
2 years
4.89%
19.94%
3 years
-6.28%
6.90%
5 years
6.73%
13.11%
10 years
5.12%
9.57%
Since inception 01/2011
4.76%
9.89%
2023
15.05%
23.79%
2022
-26.08%
-18.14%
2021
15.66%
21.82%
2020
29.20%
15.90%
2019
15.82%
27.67%
2021-2023
-0.55%
7.27%
2019-2023
8.04%
12.80%
Statistics
Statistics
Hit-ratio
- Statistics
- Hit-ratio
Tracking error ex-post (%)
The ex-post tracking error is defined as the volatility of the fund's achieved excess return over the index return. In fund management, most managers are subject to an ex-ante (pre-determined) tracking error, which defines the extent of the additional risk they may take when aspiring to outperform the fund's benchmark. The ex-post tracking error explains the distribution of past fund performances compared to those of its underlying benchmark. With a higher tracking error, the fund's returns deviate more from its index's returns, hence there is a greater chance that the fund may outperform. The wider the spread of returns relative to the benchmark, the more "actively" a fund has been managed. In contrast, a low tracking error indicates more "passive" management.
11.44
10.61
Information ratio
This ratio serves to evaluate the quality of the excess return a fund manager has achieved because it takes the active risk involved into account. The information ratio is defined as the excess return over the benchmark return divided by the fund's tracking error. The higher the information ratio, the better. For example, a fund with a tracking error of 4% and an excess return of 2% over benchmark has an information ratio of 0.5, which is quite good.
-1.01
-0.41
Sharpe ratio
This ratio measures the risk-adjusted performance and allows the performance quality of different investments to be compared. It is calculated by subtracting the risk-free rate from the fund's returns and dividing the result by the fund's standard deviation (risk). So the Sharpe ratio tells us whether a fund's returns are the result of smart investment decisions or stem from taking extra risk. The higher the ratio, the better, meaning that a greater return is achieved per unit of risk. This ratio is named after its inventor, Nobel Laureate, William Sharpe.
-0.33
0.26
Alpha (%)
Alpha measures the difference between a portfolio's actual return and its expected performance, given the level of risk, compared to the benchmark. A positive alpha figure indicates that the fund has performed better than expected, given the level of risk. Beta is used to calculate the level of risk compared to the benchmark..
-10.77
-5.41
Beta
Beta is a measure of a portfolio's volatility, or systematic risk, in comparison to the benchmark. A beta of 1 indicates that the portfolio will move with the benchmark. A beta of less than 1 means that the portfolio will be less volatile than the benchmark. A beta of more than 1 indicates that the portfolio will be more volatile than the benchmark. For example, if a portfolio's beta is 1.2 it is theoretically 20% more volatile than the benchmark.
1.33
1.25
Standard deviation
Standard deviation is a measure of the dispersion of a set of data from its mean. The more spread out the data is, the higher the deviation. In finance, standard deviation is applied to the annual rate of return of an investment to measure the investment's volatility (risk).
24.94
24.13
Max. monthly gain (%)
The maximum (i.e. highest) absolute positive monthly performance in the underlying period.
15.84
16.81
Max. monthly loss (%)
The maximum (i.e. highest) absolute negative monthly performance in the underlying period.
-14.41
-18.11
Months out performance
Number of months in which the fund outperformed the benchmark in the underlying period.
11
25
Hit ratio (%)
This percentage indicates the number of months in which the fund outperformed in a given period.
30.6
41.7
Months Bull market
Number of months of positive benchmark performance in the underlying period.
21
39
Months outperformance Bull
Number of months in which the fund outperformed positive benchmark performance in the underlying period.
10
20
Hit ratio Bull (%)
This percentage indicates the number of months the fund outperformed a positive benchmark in an underlying period.
47.6
51.3
Months Bear market
Number of months of negative benchmark performance in the underlying period.
15
21
Months outperformance Bear
Number of months in which the fund outperformed negative benchmark performance in the underlying period.
1
5
Hit ratio Bear (%)
This percentage indicates the number of months the fund outperformed a negative benchmark performance in an underlying period.
6.7
23.8
Costs
Ongoing charges
Indication of annual charges that are deducted for this fund. This indication is based on the costs over the last calendar year and may vary from year to year. Transaction costs incurred by the fund, any performance fees and other one-off costs are not included in the ongoing charges.
1.72%
Included management fee
A fee paid by the fund to the asset management company for the professional management of the fund.
1.50%
Included service fee
This fee is intended to cover official fees, such as the cost of annual reports, annual shareholders' meetings and price publications.
0.16%
Transaction costs
The transaction costs shown are the average annual transaction costs over the last three years calculated in accordance with European regulations.
0.03%
Fiscal product treatment
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.
Fiscal treatment of investor
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.
Fund allocation
Asset
Currency
Sector
Top 10
- Asset
- Currency
- Sector
- Top 10
Policies
The fund is allowed to pursue an active currency policy to generate extra returns and can engage in currency hedging transactions.
In principle the fund does not intend to distribute dividend and so both the income earned by the fund and its overall performance are reflected in its share price.
Robeco Smart Materials Equities is an actively managed fund that invests globally in companies that provide innovative materials and process technologies. The selection of these stocks is based on fundamental analysis. The fund has sustainable investment as its objective, within the meaning of Article 9 of the Regulation (EU) 2019/2088 of 27 November 2019 on Sustainability-related disclosures in the financial sector. The strategy integrates sustainability criteria as part of the stock selection process and through a theme-specific sustainability assessment. The portfolio is built on the basis of an eligible investment universe that includes companies whose business models contribute to the thematic investment objectives. The assessment regarding relevant SDGs uses an internally developed framework, more information on which can be obtained at www.robeco.com/si. The fund also aims to achieve a better return than the index. The fund has sustainable investment as its objective within the meaning of Article 9 of the European Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation. The fund fosters solutions to reduce resource intensity in the economy by investing in more efficient, scalable materials that have lower emissions over the lifetime, mainly investing in companies that advance the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Decent Work and Economic Growth, Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, Sustainable Cities and Communities, and Responsible Consumption and Production and Climate Action. The fund integrates ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) factors in the investment process and applies Robeco’s Good Governance policy. The fund applies sustainability indicators, including but not limited to, normative, activity-based and region-based exclusions, carbon reduction target and proxy voting. The securities selected for the Sub-fund's investment universe may be components of the Benchmark, but securities outside the Benchmark may be selected too. The investment policy is not constrained by a benchmark but the Sub-fund uses a benchmark for comparison purposes. The Portfolio Manager has discretion over the composition of the portfolio subject to the investment objectives. The Sub-fund can deviate substantially from the issuer, country and sector weightings of the benchmark. There are no restrictions on the deviation from the benchmark. The benchmark is a broad market weighted index that is not consistent with the sustainable objective of the Sub-fund. The Sub-fund will use the Custom Bloomberg Climate Transition Benchmark to monitor the carbon profile of the Sub-fund.
Risk management is fully integrated into the investment process to ensure that positions always meet predefined guidelines.
Sustainability profile
ESG Important Information
The sustainability information below can help investors integrate sustainability considerations in their process. This information is for informational purposes only. The reported sustainability information may not at all be used in relation to binding elements for this fund. A decision to invest should take into account all characteristics or objectives of the fund as described in the prospectus.
Sustainability
The fund's sustainable investment objective is to help mitigate the resource scarcity challenge within industries while supporting economic growth. Resource scarcity and sustainability considerations are incorporated in the investment process by the means of a target universe definition, exclusions, ESG integration, a carbon footprint target and voting. The fund only invests in companies that have a significant thematic fit as per Robeco's thematic universe methodology. Through screening on both Robeco's internally developed SDG Framework and Robeco’s exclusion policy, the fund does not invest in issuers that have a negative impact on the SDGs, are in breach of international norms or where products have been deemed controversial. Financially material ESG factors are integrated in the bottom-up fundamental investment analysis to assess existing and potential ESG risks and opportunities. The fund's weighted carbon footprint will be equal to or better than that of its Climate Transition Benchmark. In addition, where a stock issuer is flagged for breaching international standards in the ongoing monitoring, the issuer will become subject to exclusion. Lastly, the fund makes use of shareholder rights and applies proxy voting in accordance with Robeco's proxy voting policy.The following sections display the ESG-metrics for this fund along with short descriptions. For more information please visit the sustainability-related disclosures.The index used for all sustainability visuals is based on MSCI World Index TRN.
Market development
In August, the Smart Manufacturing cluster declined slightly while Advanced Equipment saw gains, thanks to strong results from Onto. Industry 4.0 Software weakened, due to ARM Holdings, but was buoyed slightly by better earnings from Autodesk. Industrial Automation was weak, with Cognex, Yaskawa Electric and Inovance all down. The Advanced Materials cluster was down for the month. Building Efficiency gave up some previous performance gains, as TopBuild and Owens Corning were down. Resource Recovery saw slight improvements, led by ARE Holdings. Specialty Chemicals declined on news from Avantium and Syensqo. Energy Storage saw a modest increase due to a rebound in LG Chem and Samsung SDI. Transition Metals weakened slightly, with declines in Arcadium and Albemarle.
Performance explanation
Based on transaction prices, the fund's return was -0.56%. Advanced Equipment was the only subcluster in positive territory. Onto, a prominent supplier of semiconductor inspection equipment, recovered from the recent weakness following the announcement of better than expected Q2 results. The company raised its outlook for 2024 and announced significant orders for 2025. In August, the Advanced Materials cluster experienced a downturn. The Building Efficiency subcluster was the weakest performer, primarily due to TopBuild, a US insulation installation company. The company cited project delays for lower-than-expected 2024Q2 results and full-year guidance. Owens Corning, a US building materials company, also saw a decline. In contrast, the Energy Storage subcluster saw a modest increase, largely driven by improved sentiment toward South Korean battery producers LG Energy Solution and Samsung SDI, as expectations grew that the slowdown in electric vehicle demand might be nearing an end.
Expectation of fund manager
Pieter Busscher CFA
Mutlu Gundogan CFA
Strong secular growth themes related to decreased emissions (net zero targets) and more efficient materials and production techniques (e.g. smart manufacturing) are impacting their respective sectors. More specifically, efficient building materials, 3D software, the Internet of Things and robotics companies are presenting attractive investment opportunities. In the Recycling and Circular Systems investment cluster, which focuses on reusing, recycling and repurposing plastics, attractive opportunities are leading to more circular business models.
Important information
Past performance is no indication of current or future performance. This is not a buy, sell or hold recommendation for any particular security. No representation is made that these examples are past or current recommendations, that they should be bought or sold, nor whether they were successful or not.
Any opinion or estimate contained in this website is made on a general basis and is not to be relied on by the reader as advice. Robeco reserves the right to make changes and corrections to its opinions expressed here, this website and the associated materials and links at any time, without notice.