Interactive Investor

ii Super 60 investments:TM Crux European Special Situations

Asset GroupAsset Sub-GroupInvestment Category
EquitiesEuropean equitiesAdventurous

Selection rationale:
Launched in 2009, this fund changed its name from Henderson European Special Situations when its managers Richard Pease and James Milne moved to Crux, which they co-founded in 2014. A well-defined approach and experienced team are two of the main competitive advantages this strategy has.  

The duo aim to back around 60 of the best stock ideas and consider four key criteria in their stock selection. They look for companies with identifiable business strategies that have high barriers to entry and strong pricing power, enabling them to generate robust earnings with growth potential. They also seek sound businesses that are not highly capital-intensive and where the return on capital employed exceeds the cost of capital.

Pease and Milne assess quality management, picking businesses whose managements have proven track records and meaningful equity ownership of the companies they manage. Finally, companies need to be on attractive valuations. If valuations are high, it is considerably harder for shares to exceed expectations, they say.

The managers have the courage of their convictions and are not afraid to avoid index heavyweights if the investment case is lacking. 

October 2020

Risk warnings

Past performance of the underlying constituents is not a guarantee of future performance. The value of investments, and any income from them, can fall as well as rise so you could get back less than you invest. 

Annual performance can be found on the factsheet of each fund, trust or ETF. Simply click on the asset’s name and then the performance tab. 

The information we provide in the ii Super 60 investments list is an opinion provided by ii or one of its partners on whether to buy a specific investment. Please note that none of the opinions we provide are a “personal recommendation”, which means that we have not assessed your investing knowledge and experience, your financial situation or your investment objectives. Therefore you should ensure that any investment decisions you make are suitable for your personal circumstances.

If you are unsure about the suitability of a particular investment or think that you need a personal recommendation, you should speak to a suitably qualified financial advisor. 

Any changes to the ii Super 60 investments list and the rationale behind those decisions will be communicated through the Quarterly Investment Outlook.

Details of all recommendations issued by ii during the previous 12 month period can be found here.

ii adheres to a strict code of conduct. Members of ii staff may hold shares in companies mentioned in the ii Super 60 investments list, which could create a conflict of interest. Any member of staff intending to complete some research about any financial instrument in which they have an interest are required to disclose such interest to ii. We will at all times consider whether such interest impairs the objectivity of the recommendation.

In addition, staff involved in the production of this ii Super 60 list are subject to a personal account dealing restriction. This prevents them from placing a transaction in the specified instrument(s) for five working days before and after an investment is included or amended and made public within the list. This is to avoid personal interests conflicting with the interests of the recipients of this ii Super 60 investments list.