Gold Guardian Capital logo side menu

Guardian Strategic Income Fund

Series

GCG 102
GCG 602
NAV: 05/25/2023
CAD $6.82
DAILY
-0.18%

Overview

The primary objectives of the Fund are to generate capital gains, preserve capital and make monthly distributions by investing primarily in securities that can benefit from changes to interest rates and credit spreads. The Fund aims to maintain low volatility and low correlation with traditional equity and fixed income markets. The Fund uses leverage through the use of cash borrowings, short sales and derivatives. The aggregate amount of cash borrowing and the market value of the securities sold short will not exceed 50% of the Fund's net asset value, and the aggregate amount of cash borrowing, the market value of the securities sold short and the notional amount of derivatives used for non-hedging purposes will not exceed 300% of the Fund's net asset value.

Fund Resources

Fund Facts & Regulatory Documents
Asset Class: Alternative
Total Fund AUM: CAD $132,342,099.24
Management Fee: 1.85%
MER *: 2.23%
Risk Rating: Low to Medium
Inception Date: 05/31/2013
Distribution Frequency: Monthly

Portfolio Managers

Derrick Knie, CFA, M.Fin
Portfolio Manager, Fixed Income Investments - Guardian Capital LP
Aubrey Basdeo, MBA
Head of Canadian Fixed Income - Guardian Capital LP

Learn more about this fund

Highlights

KEY REASONS TO INVEST

The Fund will seek to achieve its investment objectives by primarily investing in or selling short securities of issuers located primarily within North America. The strategy of the Fund will be driven by ongoing credit research and macro-economic analysis performed by the Manager. Fund composition will vary depending on market conditions and various phases of the economic and credit cycle. The portfolio selection process begins by constructing a 'top-down' based macroeconomic analysis considering economic, credit cycle, market, and sector conditions. Overall valuations, fundamentals and technicals assist in forming the framework. We then determine a portfolio risk-based allocation, factoring in credit quality, liquidity, yield, and capital appreciation potential. Our process then moves to a 'bottom-up' bond selection exercise, following a rigorous fundamental quantitative and qualitative individual security, company and scenario assessment and analysis. Investment selection focuses on a relative value approach, low turnover, higher quality and diversification.

Calendar Year Performance
YTD 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013
3.33-5.266.290.793.403.58-2.3118.86-2.086.438.18

Performance during the Fund’s first year is from its Inception Date to Dec 31 of that same calendar year.

Annual Compound Performance
1M3M6MYTD1Y3Y5Y10YS.I
1.001.214.563.331.614.592.05-3.96

S.I. (Since Inception) is the performance since Inception Date.
Information as of 04/30/2023

Growth of $10,000


Information as of 04/30/2023

Growth of $10,000

+ Click here for footnotes and fund disclosure
* MER as of December 31, 2022

Market outlook and portfolio positioning (as at May 24, 2022)
Although still early in their official hiking campaigns, bond markets have already priced in several interest rate hikes, thanks, in part, to clear signalling by central banks. Financial conditions have tightened dramatically this year, and with government bond yields approaching previous (2018) highs, interest rates beyond the short term (one to two years to maturity) may see a period of stability in the near term. Inflation remains a problem, however, and while it is likely to remain elevated for some time, a slowing economy and gradual relief across supply chains should allow headline numbers to moderate in the months ahead.

Credit spreads have reacted to the slower economy and higher rate environment by widening, in some cases dramatically. These and other headwinds will likely keep volatility in risk assets higher than in recent history.

Given the recent sell-off in bonds, GSIF’s unusually high allocation to cash served as an effective buffer as bond yields moved higher and risk assets re-priced lower. Credit spreads, particularly in shorter maturities, are beginning to look attractive again as default rates remain very low and economic growth, while slowing, remains positive. On the back of recent spread-widening, we deployed cash into shorter-dated bonds across both the High Yield and Investment Grade space at significantly higher yields than were available just a few months ago and, in most cases, at steep discounts from face value. We tactically manage the duration component in the fund; however, we have removed short interest rate bets for now, and have added some duration to the portfolio temporarily. Upward pressure on rates could resume if inflationary pressures do not moderate near term. If such an instance occurs, we will re-evaluate our duration positioning. On the currency front, we continue to hedge most of the portfolio’s non-Canadian dollar assets against a more robust CAD as strong commodity prices and an aggressive policy from the Bank of Canada should be supportive of the currency.

This commentary is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute investment, financial, legal, accounting or tax advice or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security or be considered an offer or solicitation to deal in any product or security mentioned herein. The opinions expressed are as of the published date and are subject to change without notice. Assumptions, opinions and estimates are provided for illustrative purposes only and are subject to significant limitations. Reliance upon this information is at the sole discretion of the reader. This commentary includes information concerning financial markets that was developed at a particular point in time. This information is subject to change at any time, without notice, and without update. This commentary may also include forward-looking statements concerning anticipated results, circumstances, and expectations regarding future events. Forward-looking statements require assumptions to be made and are, therefore, subject to inherent risks and uncertainties. There is significant risk that predictions and other forward-looking statements will not prove to be accurate. Certain information contained in this document has been obtained from external sources, which we believe to be reliable, however, we cannot guarantee its accuracy.

Disclaimer:
The performance documented above is for Series A and F Units of the Guardian Strategic Income Fund (“Fund”). The Fund was not a reporting issuer prior to December 13, 2019. Guardian Capital LP, the manager of the Fund has obtained exempted relief on behalf of the Fund to permit the disclosure of performance data for Series A units, relating to the period prior to December 13, 2019. The expenses of the Fund would have been higher during such period had the Fund been subject to the additional regulatory requirements applicable to a reporting issuer. The Inception Date is the start date of investment performance and may not coincide with the date the fund or series was first offered for sale under a prospectus or its legal date of creation. The Risk Classification of a fund has been determined in accordance with a standardized risk classification methodology in National Instrument 81-102, that is based on the fund’s historical volatility as measured by the 10-year standard deviation of the fund’s returns. Where a fund has offered securities to the public for less than 10 years, the standardized methodology requires that the standard deviation of a reference mutual fund or index that reasonably approximates the fund’s standard deviation be used to determine the fund’s risk rating. Please note that historical performance may not be indicative of future returns and a fund’s historical volatility may not be indicative of future volatility. The indicated rates of return in the charts above are used only to illustrate the effects of the compound growth rate and are not intended to reflect the future value of the fund or returns on investment in the fund The Growth of $10,000 chart shows the final value of a hypothetical $10,000 investment in securities of this series of the fund as at the end of the investment period indicated and is not intended to reflect future values or returns on investment in such securities. For major events that may affect the performance of a fund in the last 10 years, including, where applicable, its participation in an amalgamation or merger with another fund or a change in its investment objectives or portfolio advisor, please refer to the "History of the Fund" section in the fund's most recently-filed Annual Information Form. The performance of a fund may have been different had events such as these not taken place. The information contained on this fund page is designed to provide you with general information related to the mutual fund and is not intended to be comprehensive investment advice applicable to the circumstances of the individual. We strongly recommend you to consult with a financial advisor prior to making any investment decisions.  

Portfolio

Top Holdings

As of 04/30/2023
Ranks Holdings % Asset Mix
1UNITED STATES TREASURY NOTE/BOND - WHEN ISSUED (US11.54
2CANADIAN TREASURY BILL3.13
3ENBRIDGE INC. (USD)3.05
4TORONTO-DOMINION BANK (THE)3.02
5ROGERS COMMUNICATIONS INC.2.92
6RITHM CAPITAL CORP2.59
7VESTA ENERGY CORP. 10% DUE OCTOBER 15 20252.40
8CCP BALANCE MS2.14
9ONEMAIN FINANCE CORPORATION (USD)1.76
10SOURCE ENERGY SERVICES CANADA LP / SOURCE ENERGY S1.72
Geographic Breakdown
As of 04/30/2023
Asset Mix
As of 04/30/2023
ESG

Morningstar® Sustainability Rating™

Average
Relative to Category:
Alternative Miscellaneous
# of Funds in Category:
439

As of 2023-03-31

  • global_guardian.png
  • global_guardian.png
  • global_guardian.png
  • global_guardian.png
  • global_guardian.png

Source: Morningstar® Essentials™ - Sustainability Rating and Sustainability Score of 23.11 out of 439 Alternative Miscellaneous funds. Based on 72.59% of AUM. Data is based on long positions only.

Responsible investing for a sustainable world

Guardian Capital LP is a signatory of the United Nations-supported Principles for Responsible Investment (UN PRI) and as such we are obligated to incorporate ESG issues into our investment analysis and decision-making processes. The UN PRI does not prescribe the exclusion of any particular type of company or industry; rather it requires that we are informed on the ESG issues, and that we are comfortable with the activities and practices of the companies that we invest in.

Click here to learn more

Pri Badge IFRS Logo

Sustainability Score as of 2020-07-31. Sustainability Rating as of 2020-06-30. Sustainalytics provides company-level analysis used in the calculation of Morningstar’s Sustainability Score. Sustainability Mandate information is derived from the fund prospectus.

Morningstar® Portfolio Sustainability Score™

This score between 0-100, measures the degree to which the underlying portfolio of companies are exposed to material ESG factors that can negatively impact economic value. A lower score represents a lower degree of sustainability risk.

Fund Category Average
Portfolio Sustainability Score™ 23.11 25.49

Source: Morningstar® Essentials™ - Portfolio ESG Pillar Score as of 2023-03-31.


Source: Morningstar® Essentials™ - Portfolio Carbon Risk Score and Fossil Fuel Involvement as of 2023-03-31.


Source: Morningstar® Essentials™ - Portfolio Distribution of Carbon Risk as of 2023-03-31.


*Please note that a Fund will not be assigned a fund-level ESG rating or ranking by Morningstar if it is new or does not have a sufficient enough portion of its assets under management qualified for rating according to Morningstar's Sustainability Rating for Fund Methodology.

To review the historical 12 month history of the Fund’s ratings, rankings and scores based on the Morningstar Sustainability Rating for Funds Methodology, please click here.

The Fund’s Morningstar ratings and rankings evaluate the ESG aspects of the Fund’s portfolio holdings and do not evaluate the efficacy of the Fund’s ESG investment strategies and are not indicative of how well ESG considerations are integrated by the Fund. The full rating methodology employed by Morningstar can be found on their website or by clicking on the following link: https://www.morningstar.com/content/dam/marketing/shared/research/methodology/744156_Morningstar_Sustainability_Rating_for_Funds_Methodology.pdf..

A copy of the Morningstar Sustainability Rating for Fund Methodology document may be obtained, free of charge, by contacting us at 1 (866) 383-6546 or insights@guardiancapital.com Other providers may also prepare ESG ratings and rankings of mutual funds and ETFs based on their own methodologies, which may differ from the methodology employed by Morningstar.

Responsible investing is an approach to investing that incorporates ESG considerations into investment decisions. This approach may incorporate considerations beyond traditional financial information into the investment selection process, which could result in investment performance deviating from other products with comparable objectives or from broad market benchmarks. Please review the Fund’s prospectus for details on how the Fund’s investment strategy incorporates responsible investing considerations and the associated risks, and consult your financial professional prior to investing.
Guardian’s Sustainable Funds have ESG-related investment objectives, while other Guardian Mutual Funds and ETFs do not have ESG-related investment objectives. All Guardian Funds integrate ESG considerations into the investment analysis of all holdings within their respective portfolio. A Fund’s ESG characteristics and performance may change from time to time. Please review the Fund’s prospectus for details on how the Fund’s investment strategy incorporates responsible investing considerations and the associated risks, and consult your financial professional prior to investing.

The Fund’s Morningstar Sustainability ratings, rankings and scores evaluate the ESG aspects of the Fund’s portfolio holdings and do not evaluate the efficacy of the Fund’s ESG investment strategies and are not indicative of how well ESG considerations are integrated by the Fund. Please note that a Fund will not be assigned a fund-level ESG rating or ranking by Morningstar if it is new or does not have a sufficient enough portion of its holdings qualified for rating according to Morningstar's Sustainability Rating for Fund Methodology. The full rating methodology employed by Morningstar can be found on their website or by clicking on the following link: Morningstar Sustainability Rating for Fund Methodology . A copy of the Morningstar Sustainability Rating for Fund Methodology document may be obtained, free of charge, by contacting us at 1 (866) 383-6546 or insights@guardiancapital.com Other providers may also prepare ESG ratings and rankings of mutual funds and ETFs based on their own methodologies, which may differ from the methodology employed by Morningstar.

Please read the prospectus before investing. Important information about each Guardian Capital mutual fund and exchange traded fund (“ETF”) is contained in its respective prospectus. Commissions, trailing commissions, management fees and expenses all may be associated with investments in mutual funds and ETFs. You will usually pay brokerage fees to your dealer if you purchase or sell units of an ETF on the Toronto Stock Exchange ("TSX"). If the units are purchased or sold on the TSX, investors may pay more than the current net asset value when buying units of the ETF and may receive less than the current net asset value when selling them. Except as noted otherwise, the indicated rates of return are the historical annual compounded total returns including changes in unit value and reinvestment of all distributions and do not take into account sales, redemptions, distribution or optional charges or income taxes payable by any security holder that would have reduced returns. Performance is calculated net of fees. Mutual funds and ETFs are not guaranteed, their values change frequently and past performance may not be repeated.

Guardian Capital LP is the Manager of the Guardian Capital mutual funds and ETFs, and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Guardian Capital Group Limited, a publicly traded firm, the shares of which are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange.

Definitions:

Sustainability Rating is a ranking of a fund’s ESG risks relative to that fund’s Morningstar Category peers, and is updated monthly. It provides a measure of how well the issuing companies of the securities within a fund’s portfolio are managing their financially material ESG risks. The Morningstar Sustainability Rating is depicted by globe icons where 5 globes equals High ranking (lower ESG risk) and 1 globe equals Low ranking (higher ESG risk) compared to category peers, based off each respective funds’ Morningstar® Portfolio Sustainability Score™.

Sustainability Score assesses the degree to which the underlying companies in a fund’s portfolio are exposed to ESG factors that can negatively impact the portfolio’s value, and is updated monthly. The Portfolio Sustainability Score ranges between 0 to 100, with a higher score indicating that a fund has, on average, more of its assets invested in companies with high ESG Risk. Lower score means lower ESG risk.

Sustainability Pillar Scores are calculated as an asset-weighted average of the Environmental, Social and Governance Risk cluster scores of a fund's portfolio holdings and represent the components of a fund's ESG risk profile, and is updated monthly. These ESG Pillar Scores help investors understand the contribution of each to a fund’s overall ESG risk, as it breaks out the Sustainability Score into separate Environmental, Social, and Governance pillars.

Low Carbon Designation™ is intended to allow investors to easily identify low-carbon funds across the global universe, and is calculated quarterly. The designation is an indicator that the companies held in a fund’s portfolio are in general alignment with the transition to a low-carbon economy, and have low carbon risk scores and low levels of fossil fuel exposure.

Portfolio Carbon Risk Score is used to evaluate carbon risk at the portfolio level. It is an asset-weighted score based on Sustainalytics’ carbon-risk rating of the companies held in the fund’s portfolio, calculated quarterly, based on the most recent 12-month trailing average. It measures the risk that companies in a fund’s portfolio face from the transition to a low-carbon economy. A company’s ability to reduce emissions and mitigate carbon risk using various management strategies is deducted from their overall carbon risk exposure score. A lower score means lower carbon risk. The Carbon Risk score is ranked from 0 (Low) to 50+ (Severe).

Portfolio Fossil Fuel Involvement is designed to highlight the percentage to which a fund’s portfolio is exposed to this most significant carbon risk, calculated quarterly, based on the most recent 12-month trailing average. Companies with fossil-fuel exposure are defined as those with involvement in thermal coal extraction, thermal coal power generation and oil & gas production, power generation, &/or products and services. The Fossil Fuel Involvement is shown as a percentage out of 100%.

Fund’s Distribution of Carbon Risk shows the percent of the fund’s portfolio holdings with negligible, low, medium, high, or severe Carbon Risk Ratings, as calculated by Sustainalytics, calculated quarterly, based on the most recent 12-month trailing average.

Morningstar ratings are portfolio-based, not performance-based. They do not reflect a fund’s performance on either an absolute or risk-adjusted basis, nor are they a qualitative Morningstar evaluation of a fund’s merits and should not be the sole basis for an investment decision.

+ Click here for footnotes and fund disclosure
Morningstar Disclaimers and description of Methodology:
  1. The Morningstar® Sustainability Rating™ is intended to measure how well the issuing companies of the securities within a fund’s portfolio are managing their environmental, social, and governance (“ESG”) risks and opportunities relative to the fund’s Morningstar category peers, and is updated monthly. The Morningstar Sustainability Rating is depicted by globe icons where 5 globes equals High ranking (lowest ESG Risk) and 1 globe equals Low ranking (highest ESG Risk) compared to category peers, based off each fund’s Morningstar® Portfolio Sustainability Score™. A Sustainability Rating is assigned to any fund that i) has a Portfolio Sustainability Score™, which requires that at least 67% of the fund's underlying assets are Qualified Holdings eligible to be rated and ii) is within a Morningstar Category with at least 10 scored funds; therefore, the rating is not limited to funds with explicit sustainable or responsible investment mandates. Cash, short term corporate investments, and derivatives are excluded from Qualified Holdings calculations.
  2. The Morningstar® Portfolio Sustainability Score™ measures the degree to which a fund’s underlying portfolio of companies are exposed to material ESG factors that can negatively impact economic value. The Portfolio Sustainability Score ranges between 0 to 100, with a higher score indicating that a fund has, on average, more of its assets invested in companies with high ESG Risk Rating. A fund with a lower score indicates lower ESG risk. To receive a Morningstar® Portfolio Sustainability Score™, at least 67% of a fund's underlying securities must have an ESG Risk Rating, which then applies an asset-weighted average of all covered securities. Sustainalytics provides company-level analysis for the ESG Risk Rating used in the calculation of Morningstar’s Historical Sustainability Score.
  3. Morningstar® Sustainability Pillar Scores™ The Sustainability Pillar Scores are based on Sustainalytics’ company-level ESG Risk Ratings, which have been disaggregated into pillar scores—(E) environmental, (S) social, (G) governance and Unallocated ESG. The sum of the E, S, G and Unallocated ESG risk scores equal the total Portfolio Sustainability Score for a fund, which ranges between 0 to 100. A higher score indicating that a fund has, on average, more of its assets invested in companies with high ESG Risk Rating. A fund with a lower score indicates lower ESG risk. Sustainalytics company-level ESG Risk Ratings are based on a two-dimensional materiality framework that measures a company’s exposure to industry-specific material ESG risks and how well a company is managing those ESG Risks. This distinct approach combines the concepts of management and exposure to arrive at an absolute assessment of ESG risk.
  4. The Morningstar® Low Carbon Designation™ is intended to allow investors to easily identify low-carbon funds across the global universe. The designation is an indicator that the companies held in a portfolio are in general alignment with the transition to a low-carbon economy, and the degree to which a portfolio is exposed to thermal coal extraction and power generation, as well as oil and gas production, power generation, and products & services. The designation is given to portfolios that have low carbon-risk scores and low levels of exposure to fossil fuels. To determine carbon-risk scores and fossil fuel involvement, Morningstar uses Sustainalytics’ company-level data. Funds receive the Low Carbon designation based on the most recent quarterly calculations of their 12- month trailing average Morningstar Portfolio Carbon Risk Scores and Morningstar Portfolio Fossil Fuel Involvement.
  5. The Morningstar® Portfolio Carbon Risk Score™ is the asset-weighted, company-level, carbon-risk rating of the companies in a fund’s portfolio. A fund with a lower Carbon Risk Score is positioned to fare better in the transition to a low-carbon economy than is a fund with a higher Carbon Risk Score. To receive a Morningstar Portfolio Carbon Risk Score, at least 67% of a fund’s portfolio assets must have a carbon-risk rating from Sustainalytics, which measures the risk that companies face from the transition to a low-carbon economy. A company’s ability to reduce emissions and mitigate carbon risk using various management strategies is deducted from their overall carbon risk score. The Carbon Risk score is ranked from 0 (Low) to 50+ (Severe). The percentage of assets covered is rescaled to 100% before calculating the score. Morningstar Portfolio Carbon Risk Scores are based on the most recent quarterly calculations of their 12- month trailing average.
  6. The Morningstar® Portfolio Fossil Fuel Involvement™ is designed to highlight the percentage to which a fund’s portfolio is exposed to this most significant carbon risk. Morningstar Portfolio Fossil Fuel Involvement is the portfolio's percentage exposure to fossil fuels, averaged over the trailing 12 months. Companies with fossil-fuel involvement are defined as those deriving at least 5% of their revenue from the following activities: thermal coal extraction, thermal coal power generation, oil and gas production, and oil and gas power generation. Companies deriving at least 50% of their revenue from oil and gas products & services are also included. The Fossil Fuel Involvement is shown as a percentage out of 100%.
  7. The Fund’s Distribution of Carbon Risk shows the percent of the fund’s calculated AUM with negligible, low, medium, high, or severe Carbon Risk Ratings. At least 67% of portfolio assets must have a Carbon Risk Rating from Sustainalytics for a portfolio score to be calculated.


© 2022 Morningstar®. All Rights Reserved.

The information contained herein: (1) is proprietary to Morningstar and/or its content providers; (2) may not be copied or distributed; and (3) is not warranted to be accurate, complete or timely. Neither Morningstar nor its content providers are responsible for any damages or losses arising from any use of this information. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

Please refer to http://corporate1.morningstar.com/SustainableInvesting/ for more detailed information about the various Morningstar Sustainability Ratings and their calculation.

Sustainalytics is an ESG and corporate governance research, ratings, and analysis company affiliated with Morningstar, Inc.
Distributions
Distributions
SI $1.844999
 2023$0.17
Apr-28$.042500
Mar-31$.042500
Feb-28$.042500
Jan-31$.042500
 2022$0.479999
Dec-30$.040000
Nov-30$.040000
Oct-31$.040000
Sep-30$.039999
Aug-31$.040000
Jul-29$.040000
Jun-30$.040000
May-31$.040000
Apr-30$.040000
Mar-31$.040000
Feb-28$.040000
Jan-31$.040000
 2021$0.48
Dec-31$.040000
Nov-30$.040000
Oct-29$.040000
Sep-30$.040000
Aug-31$.040000
Jul-30$.040000
Jun-30$.040000
May-31$.040000
Apr-30$.040000
Mar-31$.040000
Feb-26$.040000
Jan-29$.040000
 2020$0.66
Dec-31$.055000
Nov-30$.055000
Oct-30$.055000
Sep-30$.055000
Aug-31$.055000
Jul-31$.055000
Jun-30$.055000
May-29$.055000
Apr-30$.055000
Mar-31$.055000
Feb-28$.055000
Jan-31$.055000
 2019$0.055
Dec-31$.055000

For press releases on distributions please click here.

Disclaimer: This distribution data is for informational purposes only and should not be construed to be tax advice. Your own tax advisor must be consulted for advice. Distributions are paid in Canadian dollars unless otherwise stated. Each ETF makes distributions in accordance with the distribution policy stated in its Prospectus. Each of the ETFs has the ability to make distributions as returns of capital. The payment of distributions should not be confused with an ETF's performance, rate of return or yield. If distributions paid by the ETF are greater than the performance of the ETF, distributions paid may include a return of capital and an investor's original investment will decrease. A return of capital is not taxable to the investor, but will generally reduce the adjusted cost base of the securities held for tax purposes. If the adjusted cost base falls below zero, investors will realize capital gains equal to the amount below zero. Future distribution dates may be amended at any time. Reinvested distributions are not paid in cash but instead remain invested in the ETF. To recognize that reinvested distributions have been allocated to investors for tax purposes the amounts of these distributions should be added to the adjusted cost base of the units held. The characterization of distributions for tax purposes (such as dividends/other income/capital gains etc.) will not be known for certain until after the ETF's tax year end. Therefore investors will be informed of the tax characterization after year-end and not with each distribution. For tax purposes these amounts will be reported annually on official tax statements.

Get started with us today

Speak to your financial advisor or our team about guarding your prosperity journey today.
Connect With Us

By continuing to browse this site you give consent for cookies to be used. To find out more or to set your own preferences please read our cookie policy