RobecoSAM Euro SDG Credits CH EUR

The final month of the year was a fairly boring one: spreads were basically stable in December. After a very volatile year, the year ended at more or less the same spread level as we saw at the start of the year. As expected, the ECB announced a further expansion of its bond buying program, both in terms of the amount that can be invested and in the duration of the program. The Fed was fairly dovish in its December meeting too, signaling that it will take years before interest rates are raised again. While the picture for monetary support remained rosy, the short-term outlook for economies actually deteriorated, as more and more countries are applying strict lockdowns again. Investors are not too concerned, as vaccination programs have started. This means that the economic outlook for the second part of the year looks better now. This was also visible in a continued rise in oil prices; in this case, it was helpful that the OPEC alliance still seems to be determined to restrain production growth. The tail risk of a hard Brexit has been removed now that Europe and the UK have finally come to an agreement on trade relations.

The fund only invests in Euro-denominated bonds.

RobecoSAM Euro SDG Credits make use of derivatives for hedging purposes as well as for investment purposes. These derivatives are very liquid.

The fund distributes dividend on a quarterly basis. This fund aims to pay a quarterly dividend of 1.00%. The dividends referred to are target dividends and may be subject to change as a result of market conditions.

In the RobecoSAM Euro SDG Credits strategy we look for investments with a positive societal impact, whilst generating healthy financial returns. We define impact as an alignment with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We identify and evaluate the impact that specific credits have on the SDGs, and score all the issuers under coverage of the analyst team. These scores categorize credits as having either a Positive, Neutral, or Negative impact on the SDGs. The scores are then used in a screening process, to define the investable universe that exclude credits with a Negative impact on the SDGs. In addition to the universe screening, our credit analysts integrate ESG factors in their analysis of the companies fundamental credit quality.

RobecoSAM Euro SDG Credits provides a diversified exposure to the Euro investment grade credit market. The selection of the bonds is based on fundamental analysis. The fund applies a screening process to select issuers that contribute to realizing the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) goals. The methodology used in the screening process assesses the SDG contribution of all companies it invests in to create the fund’s investable universe. The fund excludes companies that contribute negatively to these goals. Engagement, ESG Integration and Robeco's exclusion policy also form part of the investment policy. Following the screening process, the fund is actively managed. The fund can take some off-benchmark positioning in emerging markets, covered bonds and a limited exposure to high yield bonds. Top-down beta positioning is based on the outcome of our credit quarterly outlook meeting, in which the team is discussing the fundamental market outlook, valuation. of bond markets and market technicals. Bottom-up issuer research is executed by our credit analysts, who execute the fundamental analysis. The analyst research reports are being discussed in approx. 500 credit committees per year. The portfolio managers are responsible for the portfolio construction. A proprietary developed risk management approach avoids high risk concentration in the portfolio. As the investment process is well-structured and proven over time, it contributes to repeatable performance delivery.

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