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| Quarter | Letter Date | Fund Name | QTD | YTD | Tickers | Themes | Quick Take |
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"Merchant West's money market fund outperformed benchmarks while maintaining ultra-liquid positioning amid rising inflation risks. Iran conflict and oil shocks prompted central banks to scale back rate cut expectations, with SARB reducing 2026 cuts from two to one."
The Merchant West SCI Money Market Fund delivered 1.65% returns in Q1 2026, outperforming its STeFI benchmark by 5 basis points. The fund maintains a highly liquid portfolio with 74.4% allocated to instruments maturing within one month, reflecting the manager's emphasis on liquidity and credit quality as core investment principles. The quarter was marked by renewed inflation pressures, with US CPI holding at 2.4% and oil shocks from the Iran conflict threatening further upside. Both the Federal Reserve and South African Reserve Bank adopted more cautious stances, with the SARB reducing its 2026 rate cut projections from two to one and raising inflation forecasts to 3.7%. The fund is positioned defensively for potential global growth slowdown scenarios, prioritizing capital preservation over aggressive yield seeking. With additional domestic inflation headwinds from Eskom's 8.76% tariff increase, the manager's conservative approach appears well-suited to navigate the challenging macro environment while maintaining immediate liquidity for investors.
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