Fidelity Emerging Markets Limited (LON:FEML) has announced its Half Year Report for the six months ended 31 December 2024Highlights
- During the six months ended 31 December 2024, Fidelity Emerging Markets Limited reported a share price total return of +1.2% and Net Asset Value Return (NAV) of -0.3%
- The benchmark index, the MSCI Emerging Markets Index, returned +1.0% over the same period
- Stock picking in India in aggregate was the most notable driver of performance over the six months
- The short book also contributed positively during the review period and full calendar year
- The portfolio remains overweight to the financials, consumer discretionary and consumer staples sectors
Financial Highlights
| 31 December2024 | 30 June2024 | |
| Assets | ||
| USD | ||
| Gross Asset Exposure1 | $1,073.5m | $1,177.3m |
| Equity Shareholders’ Funds | $677.7m | $753.4m |
| NAV per Participating Preference Share2 | $9.77 | $10.09 |
| Gross Gearing2,3 | 58.4% | 56.3% |
| Net Gearing2,4 | 1.0% | 4.3% |
| GBP | ||
| Gross Asset Exposure1,5 | £857.2m | £940.7m |
| Equity Shareholders’ Funds5 | £541.1m | £596.0m |
| NAV per Participating Preference Share2,5 | £7.80 | £7.98 |
| Participating Preference Share Price and Discount Data | ||
| Participating Preference Share Price at the period end | £6.95 | £7.03 |
| Discount to NAV per Participating Preference Share at period end2 | 10.9% | 11.9% |
| Number of Participating Preference Shares in issue | 69,334,702 | 74,646,287 |
| Earning for the six months ended 31 December | 2024 | 2023 |
| Revenue Earnings per Participating Preference Share6 | $0.17 | $0.06 |
| Capital (Loss)/Earnings per Participating Preference Share6 | ($0.37) | $0.23 |
| Total (Loss)/Earnings per Participating Preference Share6 | ($0.20) | $0.29 |
| Ongoing charges ratio2 | 0.84% | 0.82% |
1 The value of the portfolio exposed to market price movements.
2 Alternative Performance Measure
3 Gross Asset Exposure less Equity Shareholders’ Funds expressed as a percentage of Equity Shareholders’ Funds.
4 Net Market Exposure less Equity Shareholders’ Funds expressed as a percentage of Equity Shareholders’ Funds.
5 The conversion from USD to GBP is based on exchange rates prevailing at the reporting dates.
6 Calculated based on weighted average number of participating preference shares in issue during the period.
Contacts
For further information please contact:
George Bayer
Company Secretary
FIL Investments International
Chairman’s Statement
I am pleased to present your Company’s Half Year Report covering the six months ended 31 December 2024.
Overview
While a great deal has gone on in the world in the period under review, there were three principal events – two of them emanating from the US – that most affected investors in emerging markets during the period. The first was at the start of August, as concerns grew over the likelihood of a US recession. This caused a sharp sell-off in technology stocks globally, with effects felt across emerging as well as developed markets. While the recession fears ebbed with a larger-than-expected interest rate cut from the Federal Reserve in September, the announcement of a stimulus package by the Chinese government the same month had more impact for EM investors, given how long China had remained in the post-Covid doldrums.
November saw Donald Trump win the US presidential election, combined with a Republican sweep in both houses of Congress. Given the incoming president’s ‘America first’ agenda, the result caused an immediate sell-off in EM stocks as market participants looked ahead to the spectre of renewed trade tariffs.
Against this backdrop, net asset value (‘NAV’) total return performance for the six months ended 31 December 2024 was marginally negative, at -0.3%. While this was slightly behind the +1.0% sterling return of the Company’s benchmark, the MSCI Emerging Markets Total Return Index (‘the Index’), the share price total return per Participating Preference Share again outperformed the Index, rising by 1.2%.
The Company now has a three-year track record under the management of the team at Fidelity (appointed with effect from 4 October 2021), although both NAV and share price returns over this period are behind the Index, largely owing to a legacy overweight position in Russia in the period leading up to the country’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. As stated in previous reports, the value of Russian holdings in the portfolio at the time of suspension of international trading in such securities has been written down to zero. However, there was some good news during the period under review as a liquidity opportunity allowed for the disposal of one of the holdings. From 31 March 2022 (just after the invasion) to 31 December 2024, the Company’s NAV total return was 7.4% versus an Index return of 6.6%, and we look forward to this outperformance being reflected in our three-year track record – an important yardstick for many investors – in the near future. Furthermore, while the last six months of 2024 saw broadly flat returns, the Company outperformed strongly for the full calendar year, with NAV and share price total returns of 14.7% and 15.4% respectively versus an Index total return of 9.4%.
These positive returns speak to the uniqueness of Fidelity’s investment process, with its ability to hold short as well as long positions being a key differentiating factor. While the core of the approach is to invest in well financed, well managed businesses that can drive growth, the ability to make money from identifying those at risk of disruption is a great advantage against the current fractured geopolitical backdrop. Both the long and the short book contributed positively to relative performance in Q4 2024 and for the calendar year as a whole, although the impact was negative in the more volatile third quarter of the year.
Outlook
While at the time of writing, the imposition or increase of US tariffs on cross-border trade is dominating the news agenda, there are reasons to believe that the year ahead may see a continuation of the recovery in emerging markets. As your Portfolio Managers, Nick Price and Chris Tennant, point out in their review of the period, valuations across their investment universe are at multi-decade lows relative to developed markets, and particularly relative to the US. Many EM economies remain robust, having avoided the fiscal excesses of the West in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, with monetary policy headroom and less dollar-denominated debt than has historically been the case, which will be beneficial if the domestic inflationary effects of President Trump’s trade tariffs cause US interest rates to remain higher for longer. Meanwhile, there is considerable strength in EM companies’ balance sheets, and many are returning capital to shareholders.
However, the ramifications of a trade war must not be ignored, particularly in China – by far the largest market in the EM universe – although the impact may be far-reaching across both developed and emerging markets. For this reason, and in a world where seven stocks now make up more than 20% of the entire world stock market, it is more important than ever for investors to be selective. The amount of investors’ capital globally that is passively tracking indices has become very high, and as in the US, that leads to a handful of dominant companies and countries, as size becomes its own reward. Homogeneity is not the same as stability, and if investors want to build an ‘anti-fragile’ portfolio, they need to own things that others don’t. Emerging markets are a good way to diversify into some stocks that are less correlated with the US S&P 500 Index, which is increasingly prevalent in global investors’ portfolios, but differentiation within emerging markets is also important. At 31 December 2024, your Company’s 10 largest holdings made up 49% of the gross portfolio but only 16% of the index. Combining this active approach with Fidelity’s deep research resources and full investment toolkit allowing short as well as long positions, your Board believes the Company remains well placed to achieve its objective of delivering long-term capital growth for shareholders.
Discount management
During the period under consideration, the Company’s discount to NAV narrowed slightly from 11.9% to 10.9%, which is not inconsiderable in an environment of generally widening investment trust discounts. Your Board continues to focus on building awareness of the strength and differentiation of Fidelity’s approach, as well as keeping costs in check – at 0.84%, our ongoing charges are the second lowest in our AIC Global Emerging Markets peer group, well below the average of 1.0%. However, we also recognise the importance to investors of taking direct action to limit the discount, and as such we have continued the programme of share buybacks launched in November 2023, repurchasing 5,311,585 shares (c 7.1% of the total at the start of the Half Year) between 1 July and the end of December 2024. Since then, a further 654,576 shares have been bought back, and at the latest practicable date (6 March 2025), the discount to NAV stood at 9.9%. As well as having completed a tender offer for 14.99% of the shares in March 2024, I would remind shareholders of the performance conditional tender offer (for up to 25% of shares then in issue) that will take place should the Company’s NAV total return fail to exceed the benchmark over the five years ending on 30 September 2026.
2024 AGM and final dividend
The Company held its Annual General Meeting (‘AGM’) on 10 December 2024. The other directors and I thank you for your approval of all resolutions presented at the meeting. We particularly appreciate the level of shareholder support and engagement evidenced by more than 39 million shares – a turnout approaching 60% – being voted. Recent news headlines have underlined the importance of shareholder enfranchisement as a key advantage of the investment trust structure, and it is gratifying to see such a high level of engagement even when there is no extraordinary business to be considered.
At the AGM, shareholders approved the final dividend of $0.20 (15.74p) per Participating Preference Share, a 5.3% increase on the $0.19 (15.27p) paid in respect of FY23. The dividend was paid on 13 December 2024.
Shareholders should note that the Board will review the final dividend payment for FY25 later in the year based on dividend receipts from the companies held in the portfolio.
Heather Manners
Chairman
12 March 2025
Portfolio Managers’ Half Year Review
Macroeconomic Review
Emerging markets pulled back in the last six months of 2024 and underperformed developed markets. It was a mixed period for the asset class. Markets globally sold off in early August as concerns about a US recession emerged and the yen carry trade unwound. The backdrop was more supportive for emerging markets over September as the Fed started to ease policy and China announced stimulus measures. The underperformance of emerging markets was largely concentrated in the fourth quarter of the year. Emerging markets retreated in October in advance of the US election and remained under pressure in November and December, as concerns around higher tariffs and a stronger dollar weighed on sentiment, and investors rotated into US equities.
Portfolio performance: Six months to 31 December 2024
Over the six months ending 31 December 2024, the net asset value (‘NAV’) total return of Fidelity Emerging Markets Limited was -0.3%, while the share price increased by 1.2%. This was relative to a 1.0% increase for the benchmark index (all figures are stated on a total return basis, in GBP terms). The portfolio’s underperformance relative to the index followed a strong first half of the year, which meant the portfolio outperformed the index over the calendar year. While the long book detracted, the short book contributed to performance.
Top five contributors and detractors, six months ending 31 December 2024
| Order | Security | Country | Relative(%) | ActualCRR(bps) |
| Top 5 | ||||
| 1 | MakeMyTrip | India | 5.06 | 154 |
| 2 | Headhunter Group | Russia | 0.00 | 111 |
| 3 | Naspers | South Africa | 6.63 | 86 |
| 4 | PPC | South Africa | 1.51 | 72 |
| 5 | Lundin Gold | Canada | 1.58 | 59 |
| Bottom 5 | ||||
| 1 | Kaspi.KZ | Kazakhstan | 4.77 | (127) |
| 2 | Inter & Co | Brazil | 2.10 | (109) |
| 3 | Alkhorayef Water & Power Technologies | Saudi Arabia | 2.21 | (72) |
| 4 | Short Position – name withheld | United States | (1.03) | (58) |
| 5 | Axis Bank | India | 2.63 | (58) |
Source: Fidelity International, 31 December 2024.
China was the largest driver of underperformance over the period. Positioning was a headwind as the underweight exposure to mainland China detracted after the September stimulus announcement prompted a stock market rally, although the position in Naspers, a holding company for China’s Tencent, partly offset this (the portfolio’s small overweight exposure to China is achieved through positions in mainland China, Hong Kong, and Naspers). Stock picking in China/Hong Kong was also a headwind as names not held detracted from performance.. The lack of exposure to electric vehicle and smartphone maker Xiaomi hurt performance as it rallied after releasing a new electric vehicle, as did the underweight position in food delivery business Meituan after indications of traction in its revenue per delivery (we initiated a small position in the company towards the end of the year).
Underweight exposure to mainland China detracted following stimulus announcement
Exposure to Brazil and Kazakhstan detracted
The exposure to Brazil detracted as concerns about the country’s fiscal deficit and rising interest rates weighed on performance. Several of the portfolio’s Brazilian financials positions derated, including Inter & Co, the holding company for digital bank Banco Inter. We think that higher rates will have a limited impact on Inter’s fundamentals and expect net interest margins will keep expanding and the cost of risk to remain benign given a tight labour market. While the fiscal and interest rate backdrop has deteriorated, the broader macro picture is more positive, with unemployment at decade lows, GDP growth robust, and credit quality positive, creating a relatively strong backdrop for the financials we hold, although we did trim exposure to more rate sensitive names during the period.
Positioning in Kazakhstan also detracted. We have a pair trade in Kazakhstan financials, with a long position in Kazakhstan’s ecommerce and payments platform Kaspi.KZ and a short position in a Kazakh bank, which plays an important role in reducing the portfolio’s country risk. Kaspi.KZ initially sold off after the publication of a short report (to which the company issued a robust rebuttal) and was later impacted by local currency weakness. Fundamentals for Kaspi.KZ remain robust, and the company announced the acquisition of Turkish ecommerce business Hepsiburada later in the year, which should expand its addressable market. The bank that we have a short position in rallied despite continuing to exhibit weak fundamentals, a performance trajectory we expect to reverse over time.
Other notable detractors include Indian private bank Axis Bank, which underperformed peers. We shifted some funds from Axis Bank to higher quality peer HDFC Bank over the period. Also weak was Saudi water utility Alkhorayef Water & Power Technologies, which corrected following a period of strong performance after indications of weak execution, prompting us to reduce the position size.
Stock picking in India was a key driver of performance
Stock picking in India in aggregate was the most notable driver of performance. The lead contributor was Indian online travel agent MakeMyTrip. The company has a dominant share of the Indian travel market, and with a market cap of only $13bn, we expect can be 2-3 times the size it is today as it catches up with international peers. MakeMyTrip has a significant growth runway ahead of it over the next decade as the penetration of online travel and hotel spending increases. While valuations are relatively high, they are more reasonable than that of consumer peers in India given its superior growth trajectory. Given the strong share price performance we took profit in the stock at year end. Several short positions in Indian businesses also contributed as overvalued small caps corrected at the end of the year.
Materials stocks also supported returns. South African cement producer PPC rallied as the outlook for local construction improved after the election outcome. The company is an attractive self-help story where a new management team with a track record of generating robust margins should drive better execution. The gold price was the driver for other strong performers, Lundin Gold and Pan African Resources, with Lundin continuing to execute exceptionally well and Pan African outperforming the sector given its depressed valuations.
Short book contributed to performance
The short book contributed to performance. While short positions in China detracted during the rally in September, these stocks gave up almost all their gains in the subsequent months. The period exemplified how our disciplined approach to bet-sizing (where short positions are capped at 100bps) means we do not need to cover shorts at the most painful point. The most successful short was an Asian battery maker suffering from market oversupply that sold off with the local market. It has been pleasing to see a positive contribution from the short book in what has been a relatively challenging period for shorting given the consistent outperformance of crowded shorts.
The position in Russian online recruiter Headhunter Group contributed after the position was partly disposed of after the identification of a liquidity opportunity.
Portfolio positioning as of 31 December 2024
In the portfolio’s long book, we look for well capitalised businesses with underlevered balance sheets. Although the long book remains quality focused, a deliberate search for value remains central to our thinking. The ability to venture further down the market cap spectrum also provides exposure to companies benefiting from excellent structural growth drivers. In aggregate, the long book displays positive style tilts to growth, quality, and value characteristics, and is underweight size, given the midcap bias. When identifying ideas for the short book, we look for companies with a fundamentally negative outlook that also have several red flags around their balance sheets.
Regional positioning
The exposure to China is highly active. The portfolio is overweight the consumer given this is where policy stimulus is being directed, whether it be trade-in subsidies, rate cuts, or measures designed to stabilise house prices. Consumers also have significant excess savings, which will likely be spent when confidence returns. Positions here are centred around internet businesses such as Tencent (including through a position in Naspers), Alibaba, and PDD, sportswear business Anta Sports, white goods maker Haier Smart Home, and online travel company Trip.com. These companies trade at attractive valuations and most show positive momentum in returning capital to shareholders. Elsewhere in China, we are underweight banks, where stimulus will have a negative effect, given rate cuts and measures that allow borrowers to refinance loans and encourage banks to lend to bankrupt developers.
Given the derating in China, the focus has been on increasing the quality of holdings, adding for example positions in companies like leading battery maker CATL, digital truck broker Full Truck Alliance, and auto glass maker Fuyao Glass, which benefit from strong moats in their respective industries. We also have several short positions in the market, for example in bankrupt property developers, or indebted producers of commodities in oversupply.
We see opportunities in the rest of Asia, too. Despite some recent cyclical headwinds, India remains a long-term structural growth story. Exposure to the Indian market is predominantly via financials, which trade on more attractive valuations than the broader market, and we hold leading private banks HDFC and ICICI, as well as SME lender Five Star Business Finance. We also have select exposure to the consumer through online travel business MakeMyTrip and motorcycle business Eicher Motors. We hold short positions in India, for example in businesses suffering from deteriorating market structures but trading at extended valuations.
Elsewhere in Asia, there is exposure to ASEAN through Indonesia, where we hold consumer and financials names, and frontier market Vietnam, where the main exposure is to IT services business FPT, which benefits from a higher skilled workforce and lower costs than peers.
While the portfolio has an underweight exposure to South Korea and Taiwan, we have core positions in semiconductor and memory names. The focus here has been diversifying the exposure beyond index heavyweight TSMC and adding smaller positions in Artificial Intelligence (AI) beneficiaries such as Elite Material, which has a dominant position in the copper-clad laminate used in the server industry, and ASIC design house Alchip, which should benefit from increased investment in custom silicon. We see ample opportunities to take out short positions in technology stocks that have rallied on excitement around AI despite having little tangible revenue exposure to the theme. We also hold short positions in Asian battery makers suffering from oversupply.
The exposure to Latin America has been carefully managed. A widening fiscal deficit and rising interest rates in Brazil are a headwind but we still see opportunities to generate alpha in the market. High conviction positions include fintechs like Nu Bank and Inter & Co and the bank BTG Pactual which is shifting its business from more volatile areas like sales and trading to wealth and asset management, and which we expect to generate robust returns on equity even in a weaker macro backdrop. In Mexico the market has also derated, largely down to political volatility both north and south of the border. Here we have limited exposure to domestic names that are at risk of a weaker currency and tariffs. Positions include Grupo Mexico, the holding company for high quality, low-cost copper producer Southern Copper, and tortilla maker Gruma, which is relatively insulated from any increase in tariffs given its localised production bases in the US.
In EMEA, South Africa is enjoying an improving economic backdrop and a market-friendly election outcome. The largest exposure is to Naspers, but we also hold financials like direct-to-consumer insurer Outsurance Group, which is replicating the success it has had locally in Australia, as well as FMCG business Tiger Brands, which is an attractive turnaround story. Turkey is a relatively new area of focus following its return to monetary orthodoxy, positions here include airport operator Tav and hard discount retailer Bim. Our work on scoping out the opportunity set in the Turkish market is ongoing and we carried out a successful research trip to the country earlier this year. Central and eastern Europe continues to offer up interest value opportunities in the financials space – here we hold Greece’s Piraeus Financial and Hungary’s OTP Bank. We continue to explore opportunities in the Middle East market while remaining cognisant of valuations and liquidity. Recent additions include Emaar Development, a UAE property developer benefiting from higher expat demand, and which offers an attractive dividend yield. Given high retail ownership and extended valuations there are ample opportunities for shorting in the market.
Sector positioning
At a sector level, the portfolio’s largest overweight exposure is to consumer companies. The consumer discretionary exposure is predominantly through China names, including internet, sportwear, white goods, and online travel companies. Here the focus is on companies that will benefit from a recovery in consumer confidence, and which are returning capital to shareholders. Beyond China, our exposure includes staples businesses in South Africa and Mexico. There are also several short positions in companies across markets that are exposed to competitive threats or operate in deteriorating market structures, including retailers and electric vehicle makers.
Financials remains another significant overweight. The exposure is not overly geared to any one interest-rate scenario given uncertainty surrounding the inflation outlook. The financials exposure can broadly be broken into three buckets. The first is to fintechs in Kazakhstan and Brazil which are growing their customer bases and taking market share. The second is to structural growth stories such as Indian private banks, which benefit from the same demographic drivers as consumer companies, but without the lofty valuations. And finally, we see many value opportunities, particularly in central and eastern European markets such as Hungary, Georgia, and Greece.
Our positioning in the commodities space is selective. The majority of the exposure is to copper, where we see attractive supply-demand drivers over the medium term given the tailwind of electrification and a constrained supply backdrop. While the copper price has been weaker recently, this has largely been sentiment driven and fundamentals remain attractive. We also have exposure to gold, which should benefit as central banks shift their FX reserves into the precious metal. Again, there are ample opportunities to take short positions in this market, and the long positions in gold miners are paired with short positions in structurally challenged peers. We also have short positions in iron ore miners, which will continue to grapple with structurally weak demand from China. We have a bearish outlook for oil given the market is reasonably well supplied and demand remains weak, particularly in China, and there is limited exposure to oil in the portfolio.
Outlook
Emerging markets are well placed
The backdrop for global inflation and interest rates is fundamental to the outlook for emerging markets. There are signs of a very strong US economy which may well sustain the dollar strength we experienced in 2024. An increase in tariffs will likely be inflationary, although the response from China and others will be key, with an RMB devaluation an offsetting deflationary force, for example. There are other factors at play, too. Artificial intelligence may start playing a deflationary role, while any resolution of the Ukraine war could see energy prices fall. Emerging markets are in general far better placed to deal with these higher rates than Europe given the broadly better fiscal backdrop. Given that rates should remain more elevated than recent history, we continue to think that some form of value exposure (without compromising on quality) has a role to play in actively managed portfolios.
China is key
China is an important part of the puzzle. The extent to which we will see a rebound in 2025 or further malaise is not clear. We are watching closely the enduring impact of a property bubble and signs of price stabilisation. Return of capital while patchy is improving, but we have lower visibility of cashflows than in developed markets. In addition, many industries in China have a deluge of overcapacity. Bond yields in China have collapsed as domestic investors put money in the bond market, and while this has yet to feed into negative performance for banks, this sector faces net-interest margin compression and, at some point, a very negative credit cycle. We have started to see developments around tariffs and are closely watching China’s reaction, including the potential for further stimulus or currency devaluation. An escalation of geopolitical tensions is also possible.
Real-world impact of AI is being closely monitored
Elsewhere, dispersion is very broad, which offers the potential to unlock attractive shareholder returns. In Latin America, the market has derated significantly, obscuring the fact there are many attractive companies that are relatively insulated from higher interest rates and trade tensions, while the EMEA region is home to some interesting value opportunities among financials and consumer stocks. Looking to Asia, we expect that demand for chip makers and memory plays in Taiwan and Korea will remain robust given the AI arms race is a battle no-one can afford to lose. We are closely watching too the potential real-world impact of AI, as technological progress drives innovation and creates opportunities for consumers of AI but also has the potential to render obsolete or severely impair existing business models.
Utilise full toolkit to reduce risk
Although the emerging market universe is trading at multi-decade lows relative to developed markets, bouts of stronger performance can result in rapid re-rating, underlining the importance of active management and disciplined position sizing. Against an uncertain backdrop we take a prudent approach to managing country exposures and make use of the full toolkit in the investment company, using, for example, pair trades and index positions to reduce country risk. In the long book there is a continued emphasis on owning well capitalised businesses that are returning capital to shareholders – quality characteristics that should offer support in what will likely remain a more volatile backdrop.
Nick Price
Chris Tennant
Portfolio Managers
12 March 2025
Spotlight on the Top 5 Holdings
as at 31 December 2024
The top five holdings comprise 33.2% of the Company’s Net Assets.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing
Industry: Information Technology
Country: Taiwan
% of Net Assets 10.8%
TSMC is a pre-eminent Taiwanese semiconductor foundry with leading-edge technology, which reinforces the company’s competitive position and ability to generate incremental return on invested capital. The company has built a technological moat over the past three decades and occupies an especially dominant position at the forefront of the industry as competitors have dropped from the race due to technical hurdles and the barrier of high required capital expenditures. TSMC’s ability to hire the best talent while continuously improving its know-how keeps it ahead of the competition and able to generate cashflow to feed back into investing in R&D and capacity.
Naspers
Industry: Financials
Country: India
% of Net Assets 7.8%
Naspers is a global internet and entertainment group and one of the world’s largest technology investors. It is a South African holding company specialising in internet investments and operates in more than 120 countries and markets with long-term growth potential. It runs some of the world’s leading internet, video entertainment, and media platforms. The company owns a sizeable stake in Tencent, the Chinese multinational technology and entertainment conglomerate. Naspers operates in various sectors, including online classifieds, food delivery, payments, travel, education, health, and social and internet platforms.
MakeMyTrip
Industry: Consumer Discretionary
Country: India
% of Net Assets 5.9%
MakeMyTrip is the largest online travel agency in India. The company has a leading share in air ticketing and dominant market share in bus ticketing. It also has a strong and growing presence in hotels. The company has a long growth runaway given low penetration of airlines and hotels in India along with improving air connectivity and infrastructure. The company is benefiting from rising income levels and increasing internet penetration in the country. Trip.com’s ownership and board presence are likely to give further impetus to international growth, improve strategic decision making and the competitive position of the company.
HDFC Bank
Industry: Financials
Country: India
% of Net Assets 4.5%
HDFC Bank is the best run bank in India with a focus on non-mortgage retail lending. It has an excellent history of balancing growth and shareholder returns. Its conservative capital management practices enable it to continually invest across the cycle. Its leading-edge technology reinforces its competitive position and ability to generate incremental returns on invested capital.
Kaspi.KZ
Industry: Financials
Country: Kazakhstan
% of Net Assets 4.2%
Kaspi.KZ is the dominant consumer finance, e-commerce, and payments platform in Kazakhstan. It provides interconnected technology and products and services that help people to pay, shop, and manage their finances. Its ecosystem connects consumers and merchants, enabling digital payments, e-commerce, and financial services. The company’s gateway to its ecosystem is the mobile app, which is powered by the company’s proprietary technology and enables users to navigate between interconnected products and services. Kaspi.KZ serves customers in Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan.
Twenty Largest Investments
as at 31 December 2024
The Asset Exposures shown below measure the exposure of the Company’s portfolio to market price movements in the shares and equity linked notes owned or in the shares underlying the derivative instruments. The Fair Value is the value the portfolio could be sold for and is the value shown on the Statement of Financial Position. Where a contract for difference (“CFD”) is held, the fair value reflects the profit or loss on the contract since it was opened and is based on how much the share price of the underlying shares has moved (in effect, the unrealised gain or loss on the exposed positions). Where the Company only holds shares, the Fair Value and Asset Exposure will be the same.
| Asset Exposure | Fairvalue | ||
| Long Exposures – shares unless otherwise stated | $’000 | %1 | $’000 |
| Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (shares, options andlong CFD) | 73,486 | 10.8 | 61,500 |
| Information Technology | |||
| Naspers (shares and long CFD) | 52,881 | 7.8 | 44,704 |
| Consumer Discretionary | |||
| MakeMyTrip (option and long CFD) | 40,145 | 5.9 | (768) |
| Consumer Discretionary | |||
| HDFC (shares and long CFD) | 30,760 | 4.5 | 24,421 |
| Financials | |||
| Kaspi.KZ | 28,608 | 4.2 | 28,608 |
| Financials | |||
| ICICI (shares and long CFD) | 25,821 | 3.8 | 2,826 |
| Financials | |||
| Groupo Mexico (long CFD) | 20,219 | 3.0 | (446) |
| Materials | |||
| Samsung Electronics (option and long CFD) | 20,161 | 3.0 | (423) |
| Information Technology | |||
| Piraeus Financial Holdings | 20,009 | 3.0 | 20,009 |
| Financials | |||
| Five-Star Business Finance | 18,663 | 2.8 | 18,663 |
| Financials | |||
| Bank Central Asia | 18,202 | 2.7 | 18,202 |
| Financials | |||
| TBC Bank Group (long CFD) | 16,283 | 2.4 | (8) |
| Financials | |||
| FPT | 15,145 | 2.2 | 15,145 |
| Information Technology | |||
| ANTA Sports Products (option and long CFD) | 14,395 | 2.1 | (977) |
| Consumer Discretionary | |||
| Trip.com Group | 14,375 | 2.1 | (683) |
| Consumer Discretionary | |||
| Inter | 14,168 | 2.1 | 14,168 |
| Financials | |||
| Nu Holdings (option and long CFD) | 13,897 | 2.1 | (687) |
| Financials | |||
| PPC | 13,863 | 2.0 | 13,863 |
| Materials | |||
| Tencent (option and long CFD) | 13,548 | 2.0 | (106) |
| Communication Services | |||
| Auto Partner | 13,298 | 2.0 | 13,298 |
| Consumer Discretionary | |||
| Twenty largest long exposures | 477,927 | 70.5 | 271,309 |
| Other long exposures | 517,508 | 76.4 | 350,823 |
| Total long exposures before long futures and hedges | 995,435 | 146.9 | 622,132 |
| Add: long future contracts | |||
| Hang Seng China Enterprises Index | 23,611 | 3.5 | 209 |
| Total long futures contracts | 23,611 | 3.5 | 209 |
| Less: hedging exposures | |||
| MSCI Emerging Markets Index (future) | (140,077) | (20.7) | 5,233 |
| Total hedging exposures | (140,077) | (20.7) | 5,233 |
| Total long exposures after the netting of hedges | 878,969 | 129.7 | 627,574 |
| Add: short exposures | |||
| Short CFDs (58 holdings) | 159,307 | 23.5 | 1,954 |
| Short futures (12 holdings) | 31,800 | 4.7 | 1,465 |
| Short options (2 holdings) | 3,447 | 0.5 | 713 |
| Total short exposures | 194,554 | 28.7 | 4,132 |
| Gross Asset Exposure2 | 1,073,523 | 158.4 | |
| Forward currency contracts | 629 | ||
| Portfolio Fair Value3 | 632,335 | ||
| Net current assets (excluding derivative assets and liability ies) | 45,331 | ||
| Total Net Assets | 677,666 | ||
1 Asset Exposure expressed as a percentage of Net Assets.
2 Gross Asset Exposure comprises market exposure to investments of $632,011,000 plus market exposure to derivative instruments of $441,512,000.
3 Portfolio Fair Value comprises investments of $632,011,000 plus derivative assets of $13,984,000 less derivative liabilities of $13,660,000 (per the Statement of Financial Position below).
Interim Management Report
Principal and Emerging Risks and Uncertainties, Risk Management
In accordance with the AIC Code, the Board has in place a robust process for identifying, evaluating and managing the principal risks and uncertainties faced by the Company, including those that could threaten its business model, future performance, solvency or liquidity. The Board, with the assistance of the Manager, has developed a risk matrix which, as part of the risk management and internal controls process, identifies the key existing and emerging risks and uncertainties faced by the Company. The list of risks includes: volatility of emerging markets and market risk; investment performance risk; changing investor sentiment; cybercrime and information security risk; level of discount to net asset value risk; lack of market liquidity risk; business continuity and event management risk; gearing risk; foreign currency exposure risk; environmental, social and governance (ESG) risk and key person risk. Full details of these risks and how they are managed are set out on pages 22 to 24 of the Company’s Annual Report for the year ended 30 June 2024 which is available on the Company’s website at www.fidelity.co.uk/emergingmarkets. The Audit and Risk Committee continues to identify new emerging risks and take any necessary action to mitigate their potential impact. The risks identified are placed on the Company’s risk matrix and graded appropriately. This process, together with the policies and procedures for the mitigation of existing and emerging risks, is updated and reviewed regularly in the form of comprehensive reports considered by the Audit and Risk Committee. The Board determines the nature and extent of any risks it is willing to take in order to achieve its strategic objectives.
The Manager also has responsibility for risk management for the Company. It works with the Board to identify and manage the principal and emerging risks and uncertainties and to ensure that the Board can continue to meet its Corporate Governance obligations.
Key emerging issues that the Board has identified include; rising geopolitical tensions, including contagion of the Ukraine crisis or tensions between China and Taiwan into the wider region or an increase in tensions in the South China Sea; rising inflation and the so-called cost of living crisis impacting demand for UK-listed shares; and climate change, which is one of the most critical emerging issues confronting asset managers and their investors. Macro and ESG considerations, including climate change have been included into the Company’s investment process. The Board continues to monitor these issues.
The Board seeks to ensure high standards of business conduct are adhered to by all of the Company’s service providers and that agreed service levels are met. The Board is responsible for promoting the long-term success of the Company for the benefit of all stakeholders and in particular its shareholders. Although the majority of the day-to-day activities of the Company are delegated to the Manager, the Investment Manager, and other third-party service providers, the responsibilities of the Board are set out in the schedule of matters reserved for the Board and the relevant terms of reference of its committees, all of which are reviewed regularly by the Board.
Transactions with the Alternative Investment Fund Manager and Related Parties
The Alternative Investment Fund Manager (“AIFM”) has delegated the Company’s investment management to FIL Investments International. Transactions with the AIFM and related party transactions with the Directors are disclosed in Note 12.
Going Concern
In accordance with provision 35 of the 2019 AIC Code of Corporate Governance, the Directors have assessed the prospects of the Company over a longer period than the twelve month period required by the “Going Concern” basis. The Company is an investment fund with the objective of achieving long-term capital growth by investing in emerging markets. The Board considers long-term to be at least five years, and accordingly, the Directors believe that five years is an appropriate investment horizon to assess the viability of the Company, although the life of the Company is not intended to be limited to this or any other period.
The Directors have considered the Company’s investment objective, risk management policies, liquidity risk, credit risk, capital management policies and procedures, the nature of its portfolio and its expenditure and cash flow projections. In preparing the Financial Statements, the Directors have measured the impacts of the war in Ukraine and how the conflict has increased the risk for business continuity as well as the impact of climate change risks. The Board has considered the impact of regulatory changes and how this may affect the Company.
The Board has also assessed the ongoing risks posed on the Company by continued evolving variants of COVID such as liquidity risks to markets, risks associated with the maintenance of the current dividend policy and business continuity risks for the Company’s key service providers. The Board continues to review emerging risks that could have a potential impact on the operational capability of the Investment Manager and the Company’s other key service providers. During the year under review, the Board received updates from Fidelity and other key service providers confirming that they continued to service the Company in line with service level agreements and have suitable and robust business continuity arrangements in place.
The Directors, having considered the liquidity of the Company’s portfolio of investments (being mainly securities which are readily realisable) and the projected income and expenditure, are satisfied that the Company is financially sound and has adequate resources to meet all of its liabilities and ongoing expenses and can continue in operational existence for a period of at least twelve months from the date of this Half Year Report.
Accordingly, the Financial Statements of the Company have been prepared on a going concern basis.
Responsibility Statement
In accordance with Chapter 4 of the Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules, the Directors confirm that to the best of their knowledge:
• the condensed set of financial statements contained within the Half Year Report has been prepared in accordance with IAS 34 ‘Interim Financial Reporting’ and gives a true and fair view of the assets, liabilities, financial position and return of the Company;
• the Half Year Report includes a fair review of the development and performance of the Company and important events that have occurred during the first six months of the financial year and their impact on the condensed financial statements;
• the Half Year Report includes a description of the principal risk and uncertainties for the remaining six months of the financial year; and
• the Half Year Report includes a fair review of the information concerning related party transactions.
The Half Year Report has not been audited or reviewed by the Company’s Independent Auditor.
For and on behalf of the Board
Heather Manners
Chairman
12 March 2025
Fidelity Emerging Markets Limited (LON:FEML) is an investment trust that aims to achieve long-term capital growth from an actively managed portfolio made up primarily of securities and financial instruments providing exposure to emerging markets companies, both listed and unlisted.
