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AXA WF Euro Credit Short Duration

ISIN LU1105446428

Last NAV 100.7400 HKD as of 05/03/15

Why this fund

With interest rates looking likely to rise gradually from their record lows, we believe the global financial system is now on a path to normalisation, bolstered by the growing belief that inflation is finally beginning to return to developed markets. With generally lower sensitivity to rising interest rates than the broader all-maturities market, Short Duration bond strategies could help you navigate volatile markets and changing interest rates.

Please note that the funds or securities referred to herein may not be registered nor available in your jurisdiction, and that the information provided does not constitute an offer to buy or sell, solicitation or investment advice. Please check the countries of registration with the asset manager, or on the website, where a fund registration map is available.

Reasons to invest:

  1. Ability to mitigate the impact of market volatility
    By the nature of a lower duration and spread duration, short duration investing offers lower volatility when compared to the wider, all maturities market. Short duration bonds are less sensitive to credit spread movements compared with longer duration bonds, implying lower volatility of returns than the broader market. This is predominantly because the prices of bonds which are closer to maturity tend to be close to par than longer duration bonds, and the discounted value of coupon payments is less sensitive to changes in interest rates.
  2. Lower sensitivity to rising interest rates (yields)
    One of the key risks of investing in fixed income is the capital eroding effect of rising yields. While we currently face a low (and in some countries negative) interest rate environment, should central bank policies prove to be successful and global growth picks up, investors are likely to face rising interest rates. Interest rates and bond prices usually move in opposite directions, therefore rising yields could have an negative impact on bond prices. Due to their shorter maturities, short duration bonds can mitigate losses in periods of rising interest rates, as cash flows from maturing bonds can be reinvested at higher rates in the market.
  3. Better liquidity than long duration bond funds
    Exhibiting a naturally attractive liquidity profile, due to regular cash flows from maturing bonds and coupon income, enables a short duration strategy to minimise turnover when implementing active strategies. Holding bonds until their maturity also implies lower transaction costs, which can improve returns over the long term. Fixed income indices traditionally exclude bonds with maturities of less than one year.
  4. The risk versus return profile
    In a low interest rate environment, short duration bonds can offer an intermediate step into riskier asset classes for investors seeking incremental yields. Investors may consider looking beyond domestic markets towards Asia, high yield and emerging markets, where short duration products can offer an attractive risk-return profile.

Key figures

  • 15 years

    15 years of experience in managing short duration strategies

  • €27 billion

    €27 billion* globally under management

  • 8

    8 short duration strategies

Risk factors:

AXA WF US Credit Short Duration IG, AXA WF Euro Credit Short Duration, AXA WF Emerging Markets Short Duration Bonds and AXA WF Asian Short Duration Bonds  are sub-funds of AXA World Funds, which is a SICAV fund domiciled in Luxembourg. They are recognised by the UK Financial Conduct Authority and are  available for sale to the public in the UK. A SICAV is a type of open-ended investment fund in which the amount of capital in the fund varies according to the number of investors, similar to a UK ICVC. SICAV funds are some of the most common investment vehicles in Europe. There may be tax implications for a UK investor investing in the Fund and tax advice should be obtained before an investment is made.

AXA WF Euro Credit Short Duration launched in 1999 as an aggregate fund, the Fund’s strategy shifted to pure credit in 2009.

Not for Retail distribution: This document is intended exclusively for Institutional/Qualified Investors and Wholesale/Professional Clients under MIFID ( 2004/39/EC) only, as defined by applicable local laws and regulation. Circulation must be restricted accordingly. This communication is for informational purposes only and does not constitute on the part of AXA Investment Managers or its affiliated companies an offer to buy or sell any investments, products or services and should not be considered as a solicitation or as investment, legal or tax advice. Due to its simplification, this document is partial and opinions, estimates and forecasts herein are subjective and subject to change without notice. There is no guarantee forecasts made will come to pass. Data, figures, declarations, analysis, predictions and other information in this document is provided based on our state of knowledge at the time of creation of this document. Whilst every care is taken, no representation or warranty (including liability towards third parties), express or implied, is made as to the accuracy, reliability or completeness of the information contained herein. Reliance upon information in this material is at the sole discretion of the recipient. This material does not contain sufficient information to support an investment decision. Before making an investment, investors should read the relevant Prospectus and the Key Investor Information Document / scheme documents, which provide full product details including investment charges and risks. The information contained herein is not a substitute for those documents or for independent advice. The recipient agrees that it will use the information contained in this communication only to evaluate its potential interest in the strategies  described herein. Any reproduction of this information, in whole or in part, is prohibited.
Past performance is not a guide to current or future performance. References to league tables and awards are not an indicator of future performance or places in league tables or awards. The value of investments, and the income from them, can fall as well as rise and investors may not get back the amount originally invested. Exchange-rate fluctuations may also affect the value of their investment. Due to this and the initial charge that is usually made, an investment is not usually suitable as a short term holding. Investments in smaller companies offer the possibility of higher returns but may involve a higher degree of risk.
This document has been Issued in the UK by AXA Investment Managers UK Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority in the UK. Registered in England and Wales No: 01431068. Registered Office: 7 Newgate Street, London EC1A 7NX.
Please check the countries of registration and the share classes with the asset manager, or on the web site https://www.axa-im-international.com/fund-centre-for-cross-border-ranges, where a fund registration map is available. The most recent prospectus and Key Investor Information Document (KIID) is available to all investors and must be read prior to subscribing and the decision whether to invest or not must be based on the information contained in the prospectus. The tax treatment relating to the holding, acquisition or disposal of shares or units in the fund depends on each investor’s tax status or treatment and may be subject to change. Any potential investor is strongly encouraged to seek advice from its own tax advisors.
AXA WF Euro Credit Short Duration, AXA WF US Credit Short Duration IG, AXA WF Emerging Markets Short Duration, AXA WF Asian Short Duration and AXA WF Global Inflation Short Duration are sub-funds of AXA World Funds, which is a SICAV fund domiciled in Luxembourg. AXA IM FIIS US Short Duration High Yield and AXA IM FIIS Europe Short Duration High Yield are sub-funds of AXA IM Fixed Income Investment Strategies, which is a mutual investment fund (FCP) domiciled in Luxembourg. The sub-funds are not recognised by the UK Financial Conduct Authority and are not to be marketed to retail investors in the UK.
Information concerning portfolio holdings and sector allocation is subject to change and, unless otherwise noted herein, is representative of the target portfolio for the investment strategy described herein and does not reflect an actual account . The performance information shown herein reflects the performance of a composite of accounts that does not necessarily reflect the performance that any particular account investing in the same or similar securities may have had during the period. Actual portfolios may differ as a result of client-imposed investment restrictions, the timing of client investments and market, economic and individual company considerations. The holdings shown herein should not be considered a recommendation or solicitation to buy or sell any particular security, do not represent all of the securities purchased, sold or recommended for any particular advisory client, and in the aggregate may represent only a small percentage of an account’s portfolio holdings. Representative Accounts have been selected based on objective, non-performance based criteria, including, but not limited to the size and the overall duration of the management of the account, the type of investment strategies and the asset selection procedures in place. Therefore, the results portrayed relate only to such accounts and are not indicative of the future performance of such accounts or other accounts, products and/or services described herein. In addition, these results may be similar to the applicable GIPS composite results, but they are not identical and are not being presented as such. Account performance will vary based upon the inception date of the account, restrictions on the account, along with other factors, and may not equal the performance of the representative accounts presented herein. The performance results for representative accounts are gross of all fees and do reflect the reinvestment of dividends or other earnings.

Overview

Investment objectives

The Sub-Fund's investment objective is to seek performance by investing in investment grade corporate and government debt securities in Euros over a medium term period. The Share Class aims at hedging the foreign exchange risk resulting from the divergence between the reference currency of the Sub-Fund and the currency of this Share Class by using derivatives instruments whilst retaining the exposure to Investment Policy described above.

Risk

Synthetic Risk & Reward Information scale

1 SRRI Value 2 3 4 5 6 7

The risk category is calculated using historical performance data and may not be a reliable indicator of the Sub-Fund's future risk profile. The risk category shown is not guaranteed and may shift over time. The lowest category does not mean risk free.

Why is this Fund in this category?

The capital of the Sub-Fund is not guaranteed. The Sub-Fund is invested in financial markets and uses techniques and instruments which are subject to low levels of variation under normal market conditions but, which may still result in losses.

Additional risks

Credit Risk: Risk that issuers of debt securities held in the Sub-Fund may default on their obligations or have their credit rating downgraded, resulting in a decrease in the Net Asset Value. Liquidity Risk: risk of low liquidity level in certain market conditions that might lead the Sub-Fund to face difficulties valuing, purchasing or selling all/part of its assets and resulting in potential impact on its net asset value. Counterparty Risk: Risk of bankruptcy, insolvency, or payment or delivery failure of any of the Sub-Fund's counterparties, leading to a payment or delivery default. Impact of any techniques such as derivatives: Certain management strategies involve specific risks, such as liquidity risk, credit risk, counterparty risk, legal risk, valuation risk, operational risk and risks related to the underlying assets.The use of such strategies may also involve leverage, which may increase the effect of market movements on the Sub-Fund and may result in significant risk of losses.

Investment horizon

This Sub-Fund may not be suitable for investors who plan to withdraw their contribution within 18 months.

Main documents

KIID product 03/07/2019

KIID product 13/11/2019

KIID product 14/10/2019

Fund manager comment : 30/11/19

• After a solid month of October, Euro IG credit markets reported mixed performance with BofA ML index widening by 1bp over the month affected notably by a dynamic primary market but also related to some fresh news on the trade front. Indeed, news that US President Donald Trump had signed the Hong Kong bill by end of November raised investor concern about the prospects for the phase-one trade deal between the US and China. The rise in government bond yield leading to a negative total return at -0,28%, although YTD total return remains solid at 6.3%. The subordinated area outperformed this month, especially the insurance Subordinated with a tightening of 9bps while the banking sector widened by 3bps. The senior indices widened by around 3bps with the Telecom underperforming the rest of the industrials with a 4bps widening. • Major macroeconomics risks have started fading in November as fear of a 2019 global recession abated. US manufacturing ISM stabilized at 48, and 3rd quarter GDP was revised up at +2.1% from +1.9%. • In the Eurozone, German 3rd quarter was also above expectation at +0.1% avoiding a technical recession. In addition, manufacturing PMI was up at 46.9 versus 45.9 a month earlier. Finally, the IFO has increased for the second consecutive month to 95.0 from 94.7, suggesting mounting evidence that German business sentiment is potentially bottoming out. • The earnings season ended, results were better-than-expected but light on absolute terms. Softness is particularly witnessed in names and sectors that are exposed to global trade volumes like Autos and chemicals. Defensive sectors like healthcare, Telcos, and luxury outperformed. • The pace of primary activity has increased in November following a lighter month of October, while demand for Euro IG was again very strong with continuous inflows. Euro issuance totalled over € 63bn in the month up from the € 52 recorded in the previous month, probably boosted by the end of the earnings black-out period. The bulk of new issues were in the Corporates (€ 40bn). Gross performance was at -0.04% versus -0.06% for its performance Indicator. In this environment we remain constructive on Euro Investment Grade credit for the year end and we favour high-beta buckets such as Corporate Hybrids, Financial Subordinated and peripheral corporates. As such we used the cash to increase exposure to issuers like Unicredito, Intesa, Sabadell, Logicor, EDF, General Electric, Naturgy and Comcast.

Performance

Performance chart

Period

1M
3M
6M
1Y
3Y
5Y
8Y
10Y
YTD
Since launch

Start date

End date

The figures provided relate to previous months or years and past performance is not a reliable indicator as to future performance. The Fund may not have a reference index. In such case, the Fund’s performance indicator is given as a basis for comparison only.

SRRI stands for Synthetic Risk & Reward Information: From 1 lower risk to 7 higher risk. Lower risk has potentially lower reward and higher risk has potentially higher reward. The risk category is calculated using historical performance data and may not be a reliable indicator of the Sub-Fund's future risk profile. The risk category shown is not guaranteed and may shift over time. The lowest category does not mean risk free.

Benchmark

Performance indicator Start date End date
- - -

Performance table

End date

Performance table Net performance Performance indicator  Start date End date
- - - - -
1M - - - -
QTD - - - -
3M - - - -
6M - - - -
YTD - - - -
1Y - - - -
2Y - - - -
3Y - - - -
4Y - - - -
5Y - - - -
8Y - - - -
10Y - - - -
Since launch - - - -
1y - - - -
2y - - - -
3y - - - -
4 ans - - - -
5y - - - -
8 ans - - - -
10y - - - -
Since launch - - - -

Risk table

End date

Risk table Fund volatility Benchmark volatility Tracking error Information ratio Sharpe ratio Beta Alpha
1M - - - - - - -
QTD - - - - - - -
3M - - - - - - -
6M - - - - - - -
YTD - - - - - - -
1Y - - - - - - -
3Y - - - - - - -
5Y - - - - - - -
8Y - - - - - - -
10Y - - - - - - -
Since launch - - - - - - -

Price table

Start date

End date

Price Date Portfolio AUM
- - -

NAV

First NAV date 06/09/05

Administration

Fees

Ongoing Charges 0.91%

Fund facts

Currency EUR
Start date 01/01/99
Asset class FIXED INCOME
RI fund False
Legal authority Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier

Portfolio management

Fund Manager Boutaina DEIXONNE
Co-manager Thomas COUDERT
Investment team MT Active FI Paris - Credit & Aggregate

Structure

Investment area Euro
Legal form SICAV

Subscription and redemption

The subscription, conversion or redemption orders must be received by the Registrar and Transfer Agent on any Valuation Day no later than 3 p.m. Luxembourg time. Orders will be processed at the Net Asset Value applicable to such Valuation Day. The investor's attention is drawn to the existence of potential additional processing time due to the possible involvement of intermediaries such as Financial Advisers or distributors.The Net Asset Value of this Sub-Fund is calculated on a daily basis.

Literature