Arctic Norwegian Value Creation Monthly Report January 2021
Arctic Norwegian Value Creation Monthly Report January 2021 FUND COMMENTS Arctic Norwegian Value Creation (Class B) declined by 2.2% in January. Since inception in August 2014, the fund has returned 97.5% compared to a return of 67.4% for the Norwegian OSEFX benchmark. The largest positive contributors to fund performance in January were Aker, Borregaard, and Yara. Aker Horizons, previously 100% owned by Aker ASA, announced the EUR 785 mill investment in 75% of Mainstream Renewable Power, a producer of onshore and offshore wind as well as solar energy. Additionally, Aker Horizons acquired the hydropower consultancy firm Rainpower, while Aker Offshore Wind entered into a cooperation agreement with Statkraft. Most importantly, Aker Horizons, which main assets are Aker Carbon Capture, Mainstream, Aker Offshore Wind and REC Silicon, successfully raised NOK 4.15 bn in equity and NOK 1.5 bn in a convertible loan. Following the equity issue, Aker ASA will own 80% of Aker Horizons, which was listed on Euronext Growth on 1 February. Borregaard’s end user markets are developing well as price increases for various petrochemicals and dissolving wood pulp are expected to stimulate demand for the company’s wood-based chemicals. Yara and other fertilizer and ag-chem stocks generally witnessed a positive development in January as urea and fertilizer prices rocketed. Moreover, grain prices continued their ascent, supporting farm economics. The most negative contributors to fund performance last month were NRC, Schibsted, and Europris. NRC issued a profit warning for Q4 2020 and reduced the guiding for 2021, sending the share down 36% in the following day of trading.
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