period.(1) This share price return reflects an increase in its share price from $7.50 on February 29, 2020 to $7.85 on August 31, 2020, after taking into account quarterly distributions. To reflect the strategic emphasis of the Fund, the equity portfolio uses the MSCI All Country Asia Pacific ex-Japan® Index as a reference index. The MSCI All Country Asia Pacific ex-Japan® Index (a market weighted equity index without any style tilt and without call option writing) returned 14.04% for the reporting period. During the period, the Fund made quarterly distributions totaling $0.43 per share, which were characterized as $0.34 per share return of capital and $0.09 per share of net investment income.(2) As of August 31, 2020, the Fund had 11,898,854 shares outstanding.
Portfolio Specifics: Equity Portfolio: The underlying equity portfolio underperformed the reference index in the six-month period ending August 31, 2020. The underperformance was driven by stock selection, the Fund’s smaller market capitalization relative to the reference index, higher dividend yield and a negative impact from the core model. Within the core model, valuation was a headwind, but this was partially offset by the positive impact from the operations and sentiment signals.
Regionally, stock selection in Developed Asia and Emerging Markets had a negative impact on performance. The Fund’s slight allocation to North America had a positive impact, but this was partially offset by negative stock selection in the region.
From a sector perspective, consumer discretionary, health care, and consumer staples had the largest negative impact. On an individual stock basis, an underweight to Meituan Dianping, and not owning JD.com, Inc. and Reliance Industries Limited detracted the most.
By contrast, holdings in materials, industrials and financials sectors had a positive impact on relative returns. The top individual stock contributors were an overweight position in Kakao Corp., and not owning Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. and Housing Development Finance Corporation Limited.
Option Portfolio: Over the reporting period, we wrote call options against Asia Pacific indices (ASX, KOSPI 200, TWSE and Hang Seng). The option portfolio consists of a basket of short-dated index options with a low tracking error to the shared reference index of the international equity portfolio, the MSCI All Country Asia Pacific ex-Japan® Net Index. We may adjust the composition of the option basket to seek to capitalize on the relative attractiveness of volatility premiums and market trading opportunities.
The options generally were sold at-the-money, with maturities in the range of four to five weeks. The coverage ratio for the Asia Pacific portfolio was approximately 25%. We implemented options in the over-the-counter market, to enable the Fund managers to profit from the flexibility, liquidity and trading opportunities there.
From March until the end of August, the region was down. The Fund’s option portfolio contributed slightly to performance, while meeting the Fund’s objective to reduce NAV volatility.
Current Strategy and Outlook: After a tumultuous January, stocks staged an impressive recovery until the last week of February, at which point the financial markets fell sharply as fears of the spreading coronavirus darkened the outlook. The tumult has since continued: as of this writing in mid-March, U.S. stocks have spiraled down into a bear market, a drop of 20%, thereby ending the 11-year bull market that had begun with the end of the financial crisis.
Until the picture is clearer, we expect the wild market swings to continue. In our opinion, we believe investors should resist the temptation of the 24-hour “breaking news” cycle; in the end, fundamentals will count most. In the meantime, the most valuable insight we can offer is a reminder that we believe events such as the coronavirus are exactly why investors prepare portfolios for risk. As markets continue to recoil in the face of the coronavirus threat, we believe the Fund may potentially benefit from its call-writing activities.
(1)
Total returns shown include, if applicable, the effect of fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements by the investment adviser. Had all fees and expenses been considered, the total returns would have been lower.
(2)
The final tax composition of dividends and distributions will not be determined until after the Fund’s tax year-end.
The views expressed in this commentary are informed opinions. They should not be considered promises or advice. The views expressed reflect those of the portfolio managers, only through the end of the period as stated on the cover. The portfolio managers’ views are subject to change at any time based on market and other conditions.
Portfolio holdings and characteristics are subject to change and may not be representative of current holdings and characteristics. Fund holdings are subject to change daily. The outlook for this Fund may differ from that presented for other Voya mutual funds. This report contains statements that may be “forward-looking” statements. Actual results may differ materially from those projected in the “forward-looking” statements. The Fund’s performance returns shown reflect applicable fee waivers and/or expense limits in effect during this period. Absent such fee waivers/expense limitations, if any, performance would have been lower. An index has no cash in its portfolio and imposes no sales charges. An investor cannot invest directly in an index.