Mark Hillman's The Hillman Advantage Equity Fund gained 17% for the 12 months ended 06/30. This is his commentary for the second quarter. "Corporate profits remain near all-time highs, corporate balance sheets continue to show healthy liquidity, and interest rates, while higher than in quarters past, are still low compared to long-run norms. In light of these facts, we believe equity markets are well positioned for continued strength..."
Equity markets turned in a strong quarter with the S&P500, a widely followed market proxy, returning 6.27% for the quarter. As mentioned in previous letters, we believe that equity markets have strong fundamentals but investment obstacles are growing in intensity. Corporate profits remain near all-time highs, corporate balance sheets continue to show healthy liquidity, and interest rates, while higher than in quarters past, are still low compared to long-run norms. In light of these facts, we believe equity markets are well positioned for continued strength. However, the investment climate is still concerned with the heavy use of debt instruments, the housing sector’s continued decline, the growing budget deficit, weak gross domestic product (GDP) data, elevated energy prices, and a less competitive U.S. dollar.
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