Robeco Indian Equities D USD

Indian equities declined 6% (USD terms) in May, underperforming the MSCI APxJ by 5.9% – the sharpest underperformance in any month YTD. Performance of mid caps (-5.3% MoM) and small caps (-10.2% MoM) was weaker than that of large caps (-3.0% MoM). Performance of most sectors was weak, with only consumer discretionary and staples showing positive returns, while materials, healthcare and utilities were the major laggards. The INR depreciated by 1.6% MoM, reaching ~77.64/USD in May. FIIs remained net sellers in May, marking the eight consecutive month of outflows (-USD 4.7 bln). DIIs maintained their buying trend, recording 15 consecutive months of inflows. In a surprise move, the RBI hiked policy rates by 40 bps during the month. The Indian government also announced a range of measures to curb rising prices – cutting excise duty on petrol and diesel, imposing export duties on steel products and reducing import duties on coal.

The fund is allowed to pursue an active currency policy to generate extra returns.

The fund does not distribute dividend; any income earned is reinvested.

The fund incorporates sustainability in the investment process through exclusions, ESG integration, engagement and voting. The fund does not invest 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 existing and potential ESG risks and opportunities. In the stock selection the fund limits exposure to elevated sustainability risks. 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.

Robeco Indian Equities is an actively managed fund that invests in stocks listed on the major Indian stock exchanges. The selection of these stocks is based on fundamental analysisThe fund's objective is to achieve a better return than the index. The fund promotes E&S (i.e. Environmental and Social) characteristics within the meaning of Article 8 of the European Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation, integrates sustainability risks 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, proxy voting and engagement. The fund focuses on largecap stocks, supplemented by select high-conviction midcap stocks. Managed by our Asia-Pacific team in Hong Kong, the fund combines the market expertise of local Indian investment adviser Canara Robeco (Mumbai) with Robeco's operational strength as an international asset manager.The majority of stocks selected through this approach will be components of the Benchmark, but stocks outside the Benchmark index may be selected too. The fund can deviate substantially from the weightings of the Benchmark. The fund aims to outperform the Benchmark over the long run, whilst still controlling relative risk through the applications of limits (on countries, currencies and sectors) to the extent of deviation from the Benchmark. This will consequently limit the deviation of the performance relative to the Benchmark. The Benchmark is a broad market weighted index that is not consistent with the ESG characteristics promoted by the fund.

Monitored by an independent department in Rotterdam, risk management is fully integrated into the investment process to ensure that positions always meet predefined guidelines.