Robeco Global Consumer Trends I USD

Stocks in developed markets rallied strongly on optimism about the economic recovery and signs from the labor market that employment is gathering pace. The rotation out of growth stocks towards cyclical value names continued in March, as investors continued to focus on inflation risks and US Treasury yields continued to climb and reached the 1.75% mark. The market gained confidence, as central banks reasserted their commitment to keep interest rates low for the foreseeable future. The Standard & Poor's rose and reached a record intra-day of the month. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite was firmly in the red for most of the month. European stocks, which normally have a larger value component, performed very well. The Japanese Topix Index also gained, while the strength in the dollar pushed down stocks from emerging markets.

The fund can engage in currency hedging transactions. Typically currency hedging is not applied.

The fund does not distribute dividend. Any income earned is retained, and so the fund's entire performance is reflected in its share price.

Robeco Global Consumer Trends integrates ESG factors into its investment process by analyzing the impact of financially material ESG factors to a company’s competitive position and value drivers. We believe that this enhances our ability to understand existing and potential (long-term) risks and opportunities of a company. The impact of material ESG factors can be positive or negative, reflecting risks or opportunities, that ensue from a company’s ESG analysis. If ESG risks and opportunities are significant, the ESG analysis could impact a stock’s fair value and the portfolio allocation decision. In addition to ESG integration, Robeco also has an exclusion policy and conducts proxy voting and engagement activities focused on specific themes, such as climate change, aiming to improve a company’s sustainability profile.

Robeco Global Consumer Trends is an actively managed fund that invests in stocks in developed and emerging countries across the world. The selection of these stocks is based on fundamental analysis. The fund's objective is to achieve a better return than the index. The fund promotes ESG (i.e. Environmental, Social and corporate Governance) characteristics within the meaning of Article 8 of the European Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation and integrates ESG and sustainability risks in the investment process. In addition, the fund applies an exclusion list on the basis of controversial behavior, products (including controversial weapons, tobacco, palm oil and fossil fuel) and countries, next to voting and engaging. The fund invests in a number of structural growth trends in consumer spending. The first is the "digital transformation of consumption". The second trend is that of the growth in the “emerging middle class”. The third trend focuses on the increasing importance of "health & wellbeing". The fund managers aims to select stocks of the structural winners within these trends. The majority of stocks selected will be components of the Benchmark, but stocks outside the Benchmark may be selected too. The investment policy is not constrained by a Benchmark but the fund may use a benchmark for comparison purposes. The 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 ESG characteristics promoted by the fund.

Risk management is fully integrated into the investment process to ensure that positions always meet predefined guidelines.