Brummer Multi-Strategy monthly commentary October 2026
Brummer 1xL USD and Brummer 2xL (Bermuda) USD posted estimated returns of -3.2 per cent and -5.7 per cent respectively in October, bringing year-to-date returns to an estimated 1.5 per cent and 0.4 per cent respectively.
Markets
October was an eventful month as political unrest, earnings season, and AI dominated news cycles and asset class prices.
US equities initially got off to a promising start to the month, with domestic indices such as the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 reaching all-time highs on the back of a strong earnings season. Things came to a head, as increased AI capital expenditures coupled with elevated rates caused major concerns given the cost of AI infrastructure. This caused a major sector rotation as investors sold off AI winners such as semiconductors and tech hardware in favour of more defensive sectors such as energy and healthcare. All in all, US equities ended down for the month, with the tech-exposed Nasdaq 100 detracting more than 6 per cent for the month. In Europe, equities fared better as the European markets’ heavier exposure to industrials, financials and energy proved advantageous during the global rotation out of tech. For Japan and South Korea, their heavy exposure to chipmakers caused a major detraction with the Japanese and South Korean indices Nikkei 225 and KOSPI ending the month down in excess of 5 and 16 per cent.
Following last month’s widespread sell off, government bonds recovered across the board as more investors took a ‘risk-off’ allocation in the wake of the rotation out of tech. This caused most sovereign bond yields to move lower, save for the French OAT yield which continued its climb amid the fiscal troubles and political turmoil plaguing the country.
Brummer Multi-Strategy
The fund struggled in October, mainly attributable to the global rotation in tech and its ripple effects.
The fixed income & macro portfolio detracted the least for the month. Systematic fixed income contributed positively, thanks to long positioning in US rates, while discretionary fixed income & macro saw minor gains on the back of Swedish sovereign bonds and positioning in French OATs. Systematic macro detracted somewhat, owing to unfavourable positioning in FX, equities, and rates. Long/short credit also detracted, fuelled mainly by positioning in US Treasuries.
The convexity bucket detracted as well in October, mainly driven by developed markets trend which detracted on the previous months’ trends reversing, e.g. sovereign bond yields moving lower and East Asian equity indices, particularly South Korean, plummeting. Alternative markets trend fared far better for the month, contributing positively to the portfolio thanks to its positioning in energy commodities such as natural gas and baseload electricity futures.
The long/short equity bucket was the major detractor for the month, as losses stemming from the wide deleveraging and sector rotation out of tech were exacerbated by single name-specific losses. In US TMT, the largest detractors were derived from short positioning in commercial services and software, coupled with some longs in semiconductors and technology hardware, which were offset by positioning in consumer staples and financial services. Similar losses could be seen in European TMT, also detracting on media & entertainment on top of software and consumer services. In global healthcare, some gains in healthcare equipment & services were entirely offset by negative alpha in the pharmaceutical and biotech space. For European financials, losses were accrued across subsectors but mainly attributable to financial services, banking and insurance. In listed real estate, the portfolio saw some gains in Asian and UK real estate, while Canadian and Scandinavian real estate detracted.
From a risk management perspective, the fund exited October with a balanced and broadly market neutral stance, with net equity exposure close to zero and factor risks, including the AI theme, remaining small. Consistent with our portfolio-level risk discipline, risk reductions within long/short equity have been selective, focused on areas of weak alpha, while allocations have been maintained where losses were more driven by general deleveraging and the underlying investment processes remain in line with expectations. BMS remains firmly on its long-term path of broadening the portfolio across genuinely differentiated sources of alpha, strengthening diversification through distinct underlying return drivers rather than simply adding strategies or teams.
Return estimates*
| Last month | Year to date | |
|---|---|---|
| Brummer 1xL USD** | -3.2% | +1.4% |
| Brummer 2xL (Bermuda) USD | -5.7% | +0.4% |
Monthly contribution by strategy bucket (est.)
Capital allocation (est.)***
* These estimates apply to investors who have been invested in the funds since inception. Please note that the final results may deviate.
** Brummer 1xL USD (Brummer Multi-Strategy B USD) unit class was launched August 1st 2024. Year to date performance, up to that point in time, is calculated using the Brummer Multi-Strategy A SEK unit class, adjusted for currency hedging.
*** Allocation per strategy bucket is shown as percentage of total allocated capital. Brummer Multi-Strategy may use leverage and/or allocate to strategies targeting higher volatility than their reference strategy, which means that the total allocated capital can vary over time and be higher than the fund's net asset value.
This is marketing communication. Read the fund's information memorandum and key investor document (KID) before making any definitive investment decisions.