Kate Howitt

For the second year in a row, Fidelity International’s Kate Howitt has been named in Citywire’s list of the top 30 female fund managers in the world, ranking 11th out of 1,762 female active managers and scoring 286 points.

Howitt is based in Sydney and has been portfolio manager of the Fidelity Australian Opportunities Fund since 2012.  She is the only Australian-based fund manager in Citywire’s top 30, with Citywire’s report “Alpha Female Report 2020” showing that just seven percent of funds domiciled in Australia are run by women.

To develop the report, Citywire analyses the individual monthly ratings of every manager in its database, across all asset classes. Every month a manager carried a AAA-rating was worth six points, while an AA rating was worth 5, and A rating 4, and a + rating 3. These scores were added up over the five years to identify which female fund managers stood out across the world.

Howitt said that it is a great honour to be recognised at a global level, particularly as the only Australian on the list.

She comments: “Fund management is a challenging and absorbing profession that plays an increasingly important role in contributing to the retirement outcomes of Australians and the efficient allocation of capital in the economy.  In the current economic uncertainty, this is more crucial than ever.

“Currently, only 11 percent of the asset management teams in the Citywire database are being led by women.  It frustrates me that we don’t have more female portfolio managers because it means women are missing out on such a great job – and clients are missing out on more diverse perspectives.”

Howitt launched the Fidelity Australian Opportunities Fund in 2012.  Before this, she was a portfolio manager and analyst with Fidelity International, joining the firm in 2004.  She has also worked at AMP Capital and as a consultant with the Boston Consulting Group.

Since inception, the Fidelity Australian Opportunities Fund has returned 11.09% pa net of fees compared to the S&P/ASX 200 Accumulation Index return of 9.06%.

Fidelity International supports Future IM/Pact, an industry initiative aimed at attracting more diverse talent into the investment teams of fund managers and super funds in Australia.

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When you compare asset classes, Australian equities are looking better than many other allocations, says Kate Howitt, Fidelity Australian Equities Portfolio Manager.

She says bank deposits provide around a 5% yield pre-tax and with no capital growth to help offset inflation. And if the Reserve Bank cuts interest rates again to protect growth that could see deposit rates weaken further.

Bond yields are too low and there is still a risk of capital loss when you look at previous periods when bond yields have been this low. And the local bond market is lamentably thin.

Property net yields may be positive, but are often still too low and also require significant capital gains to offset inflation. The Reserve Bank is unlikely to do anything that will boost property prices, rather it seeks a gradual decline in real residential property values.

“This leaves equities, but why would anyone want to buy stocks when the world economic outlook is so grim? Stepping back from the headlines, we see that the Australian stock market offers close to a 5% yield with solid blue-chip stocks offering higher income flows.

“The Australian equity market as a whole offers over a 5% market dividend yield. This is above the 10 year bond rate of less than 4%. If you invest in shares of the four major banks and Telstra that dividend yield rises to 8.4%, franked for tax, coupled with the opportunity for capital growth to assist with inflation.

“Also, the market offers good value, with price-earnings ratio (P/E) down to 11.5x and close to its lowest levels since the global financial crisis and before that 1989-90. Australian companies are in healthy shape and their stocks priced at attractive valuations.

“As always there is a risk to earnings and P/Es may turn out not to be as low as they seem, and of course there are risks in the external environment that could have an impact on shares prices near term. But if your time horizon is for a longer period, for example if you are building up assets for a future retirement, and you average into the market over time then you do not need to be as concerned about the near-term risks.

As Warren Buffett reminds us, for those with a longer horizon, weak markets are a positive because  they allow a cheaper entry point.”

Ms Howitt said “while top-down macro economic risks are unusually high, it is even more important to think bottom-up when selecting equities.

“If you’re bearish, own good yield with solid prospects.

“If you’re bullish, own good prospects with solid yields.”

Ms Howitt adds “in 2008, investors experienced the downside of holding equities. Now the stock market offers good valuations, good yield income and the potential to reflect reflationary policy moves. These factors suggest that at some point in 2012 we may experience something more similar to the rebound of 2009 than the directionless 2010 and 2011. So the biggest gamble of all this year might be not holding equities.
This document is issued by FIL Responsible Entity (Australia) Limited ABN 33 148 059 009, AFSL No. 409340 (“Fidelity Australia”).  Fidelity Australia is a member of the FIL Limited group of companies commonly known as Fidelity Worldwide Investment. This document is intended for use by advisers and wholesale investors. Retail investors should not rely on any information in this document without first seeking advice from their financial adviser. This document has been prepared without taking into account your objectives, financial situation or needs.  You should consider these matters before acting on the information.  You also should consider the Product Disclosure Statements (“PDS”) for respective Fidelity products before making a decision whether to acquire or hold the product.  The relevant PDS can be obtained by contacting Fidelity Australia on 1800 119 270 or by downloading from our website at www.fidelity.com.au. The issuer of Fidelity’s managed investment schemes is FIL Responsible Entity (Australia) Limited ABN 33 148 059 009. Details about Fidelity Australia’s provision of financial services to retail clients are set out in our Financial Services Guide, a copy of which can be downloaded from our website at www.fidelity.com.au. © 2012 FIL Responsible Entity (Australia) Limited. Fidelity, Fidelity Worldwide Investment and the Fidelity Worldwide Investment logo and F symbol are trademarks of FIL Limited.

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When you compare asset classes, Australian equities are looking better than many other allocations, says Kate Howitt, Fidelity Australian Equities Portfolio Manager.

She says bank deposits provide around a 5% yield pre-tax and with no capital growth to help offset inflation. And if the Reserve Bank cuts interest rates again to protect growth that could see deposit rates weaken further.

Bond yields are too low and there is still a risk of capital loss when you look at previous periods when bond yields have been this low. And the local bond market is lamentably thin.

Property net yields may be positive, but are often still too low and also require significant capital gains to offset inflation. The Reserve Bank is unlikely to do anything that will boost property prices, rather it seeks a gradual decline in real residential property values.

“This leaves equities, but why would anyone want to buy stocks when the world economic outlook is so grim? Stepping back from the headlines, we see that the Australian stock market offers close to a 5% yield with solid blue-chip stocks offering higher income flows.

“The Australian equity market as a whole offers over a 5% market dividend yield. This is above the 10 year bond rate of less than 4%. If you invest in shares of the four major banks and Telstra that dividend yield rises to 8.4%, franked for tax, coupled with the opportunity for capital growth to assist with inflation.

“Also, the market offers good value, with price-earnings ratio (P/E) down to 11.5x and close to its lowest levels since the global financial crisis and before that 1989-90. Australian companies are in healthy shape and their stocks priced at attractive valuations.

“As always there is a risk to earnings and P/Es may turn out not to be as low as they seem, and of course there are risks in the external environment that could have an impact on shares prices near term. But if your time horizon is for a longer period, for example if you are building up assets for a future retirement, and you average into the market over time then you do not need to be as concerned about the near-term risks. As Warren Buffett reminds us, for those with a longer horizon, weak markets are a positive because  they allow a cheaper entry point.”

Ms Howitt said “while top-down macro economic risks are unusually high, it is even more important to think bottom-up when selecting equities.

“If you’re bearish, own good yield with solid prospects.

“If you’re bullish, own good prospects with solid yields.”

Ms Howitt adds “in 2008, investors experienced the downside of holding equities. Now the stock market offers good valuations, good yield income and the potential to reflect reflationary policy moves. These factors suggest that at some point in 2012 we may experience something more similar to the rebound of 2009 than the directionless 2010 and 2011. So the biggest gamble of all this year might be not holding equities.
This document is issued by FIL Responsible Entity (Australia) Limited ABN 33 148 059 009, AFSL No. 409340 (“Fidelity Australia”).  Fidelity Australia is a member of the FIL Limited group of companies commonly known as Fidelity Worldwide Investment. This document is intended for use by advisers and wholesale investors. Retail investors should not rely on any information in this document without first seeking advice from their financial adviser. This document has been prepared without taking into account your objectives, financial situation or needs.  You should consider these matters before acting on the information.  You also should consider the Product Disclosure Statements (“PDS”) for respective Fidelity products before making a decision whether to acquire or hold the product.  The relevant PDS can be obtained by contacting Fidelity Australia on 1800 119 270 or by downloading from our website at www.fidelity.com.au. The issuer of Fidelity’s managed investment schemes is FIL Responsible Entity (Australia) Limited ABN 33 148 059 009. Details about Fidelity Australia’s provision of financial services to retail clients are set out in our Financial Services Guide, a copy of which can be downloaded from our website at www.fidelity.com.au. © 2012 FIL Responsible Entity (Australia) Limited. Fidelity, Fidelity Worldwide Investment and the Fidelity Worldwide Investment logo and F symbol are trademarks of FIL Limited.

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Paul Taylor, Head of Australian Equities at Fidelity Worldwide Investment and Portfolio Manager of the Fidelity Australian Equities Fund, says “banking crises are generally followed by sovereign debt crises and these tend to be followed by increasing inflation.

“The events in Europe are part of this bigger cycle. It’s not the end of the world, but you have to be aware of what it means – for the local market, local companies and local investors.

“One thing that the latest gyrations in Europe will definitely lead to is slower global growth and a prolonged recovery period. This will impact our currency, exporters, consumer demand and more.

“Despite this, there are still pockets of good growth in the local economy and market, with several companies remaining in good shape and growing well – and not valued as such.”

Mr Taylor says “we’re in a very different environment to that of the original global financial crisis (GFC), which was all about debt on corporate balance sheets. Through the GFC Australian companies repaired their balance sheets and are now in a much better position.

“Though some strengthened more than others. Investors need to take a back to basics approach and seek good companies with good cash flow. Investors need to find the structural growth opportunities, find which companies are growing faster, which companies have really good industry positions and the best growth opportunities.”

Besides looking for companies that are continuing to grow he is also looking for those that are providing income. “Stocks that can provide both growth and yield will be bid up by the market.  There are several listed companies that are paying dividend yields that are well above that of bank term deposit rates and these will increasingly be in demand from investors seeking consistent income from the market.”

He adds “what investors should try to do, what I am trying to do, is to withdraw the macro influences from a portfolio as much as possible. You can only do this by taking a bottom-up stock picking approach.

“While European economies will take a long time to recover, markets should recover more quickly, albeit it will still take some time.”

Kate Howitt, Portfolio Manager Australian Equities at Fidelity Worldwide Investment, says there are four issues that will drive markets in 2012.

“One of the main factors to include markets in 2012 is that it will become clear that ‘halfway house’ solutions for the Euro won’t work, so 2012 will either see a push towards European fiscal integration, or the dismantling of the single currency in its current state. Germany must decide on the fate of the eurozone – and this will have significant impacts for the rest of the global economy.

“A second factor is that markets will grapple with the ability of the US to maintain its current slight positive economic momentum. US election-year inertia means fiscal policy is unlikely to be a factor, either in stimulating the economy or in implementing the cuts required to by the extension of the debt ceiling. If the US economy needs further stimulus it will again have to come from the Fed, most likely this time in the guise of asset purchases of residential mortgage backed securities in an attempt to provide relief to homeowners via lower mortgage rates. 

“A third factor will be the outcome of the current policy debate in China between reformers who would like to see a faster rebalancing of the Chinese economy towards consumption by continuing the squeeze on investment, and the provincial authorities who are supportive of reflationary policy moves.

“The outcome here has obvious implications for China’s demand for raw materials and hence Australia’s terms of trade, commodity stocks as well as domestic interest rates. We know that the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) will be responsive to any weakening in the economic outlook for Australia, but it also seems clear that it doesn’t want to see house prices grow to any meaningful extent in the interest of restraining household debt levels and so it will remain vigilant to any signs of housing market exuberance.

“Fourth, the net outcome of these situations will be seen in the currency markets. A stronger US$, ongoing restrictive Chinese policies and lower RBA cash rates would weaken the A$; while reflationary moves by either the Fed or the Chinese authorities could easily see the A$ sustained back above parity for much of the year.”

These factors would have different impacts on different asset classes over 2012.

“The RBA appears to remain comfortable with flat nominal house prices. So property is unlikely to be the stand-out asset class. 

“Given the macro uncertainties it is also hard to see cash returns trend up in the next 12 months, with bank deposit rates already dropping recently. Accordingly, cash may no longer be king and its attraction is likely to weaken. 

“That leaves us with equities.  But, why would you possibly want to buy equities when the world is so grim?  Stepping back from the headlines, we know that the local equity market is offering close to a 5% dividend yield – with even higher yields from selected blue chip stocks such as the banks, Telstra and REITs. We know that our banks are some of the strongest in the world, corporate gearing is at 30 year lows and earnings are generally below cycle-peaks, with the market offering reasonable valuations, yield support, solid fundamentals and the potential for reflationary policy moves.

“These factors suggest it may not be too long until we are back to 2009 where there was a greater risk to not holding equities. Markets tend to ‘climb the wall of worry’.  So even though Europe is unlikely to be ‘solved’ in any quick way, an end to the uncertainty would likely give rise to a relief rally.” 
 

This document is issued by FIL Responsible Entity (Australia) Limited ABN 33 148 059 009, AFSL No. 409340 (“Fidelity Australia”).  Fidelity Australia is a member of the FIL Limited group of companies commonly known as Fidelity Worldwide Investment. This document is intended for use by advisers and wholesale investors. Retail investors should not rely on any information in this document without first seeking advice from their financial adviser. This document has been prepared without taking into account your objectives, financial situation or needs.  You should consider these matters before acting on the information.  You also should consider the Product Disclosure Statements (“PDS”) for respective Fidelity products before making a decision whether to acquire or hold the product.  The relevant PDS can be obtained by contacting Fidelity Australia on 1800 119 270 or by downloading from our website at www.fidelity.com.au. The issuer of Fidelity’s managed investment schemes is FIL Responsible Entity (Australia) Limited ABN 33 148 059 009. Details about Fidelity Australia’s provision of financial services to retail clients are set out in our Financial Services Guide, a copy of which can be downloaded from our website at www.fidelity.com.au. © 2012 FIL Responsible Entity (Australia) Limited. Fidelity, Fidelity Worldwide Investment and the Fidelity Worldwide Investment logo and F symbol are trademarks of FIL Limited.

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