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First bought
June 2020.
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Switzerland, Intermediary
ChangeCompetitive advantage – impact
The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of unemployment insurance as a tool to manage the impact of economic volatility and mitigate the negative consequences of job loss for individuals and communities. Unédic provides detailed and transparent reporting, including breakdowns by gender, age, qualification and industry of former employment. We believe Unédic’s bonds support both our financial and impact goals. From an impact perspective, we see a close alignment with our ‘Education and Job Training’ theme given the agency’s social mission, which is to provide protection against the socio-economic uncertainties of the labour market and to assist qualifying individuals in finding or returning to work. From an investment standpoint, we favour the quality and liquidity of the bonds, reflecting the creditworthiness of the issuer and its guarantor. In addition, the bonds typically offer a yield premium over the French government bonds of the same maturity, furthering the positive investment case.
Key points
- Through its social bonds, Unédic allocated €27 billion to support the unemployed in 2020 and 2021.1
- Unédic supported 2.6 million recipients of unemployment insurance in 2022.3
- In April 2023, Unédic successfully issued a €1 billion social bond.4
CONSIDER THE RISKS
Investors should consider the risks that may impact their capital, before investing. The value of your investment may fluctuate from the time of the original investment. Please refer to the risks section enclosed. A decision to invest should take account of all the characteristics and objectives described in the prospectus and KIID/KID and/or offering documents. Please refer to the sustainability related disclosures for information on the commitments of the portfolio: https://www.wellington.com/en/legal/sfdr.
Sources: 1 Unédic – Allocation and Impact Reporting – Social Bonds 2021, February 2023. | 2 Unédic – Activity Report 2021. | 3 Indicateurs de suivi de l’Assurance chômage – les données ouvertes de l’Assurance chomage, Unédic, May 2023. | 4 Unédic issues its unique €1 billion Social Bond as part of its 2023 financing plan.
Risks
Below Investment Grade: Lower rated or unrated securities may have a significantly greater risk of default than investment grade securities, can be more volatile, less liquid, and involve higher transaction costs. | Capital: Investment markets are subject to economic, regulatory, market sentiment and political risks. All investors should consider the risks that may impact their capital, before investing. The value of your investment may become worth more or less than at the time of the original investment. The Fund may experience a high volatility from time to time. | Concentration: Concentration of investments within securities, sectors or industries, or geographical regions may impact performance. | Credit: The value of a bond may decline, or the issuer/guarantor may fail to meet payment obligations. Typically lower-rated bonds carry a greater degree of credit risk than higher-rated bonds. | Currency: The value of the Fund may be affected by changes in currency exchange rates. Unhedged currency risk may subject the Fund to significant volatility. | Emerging Markets: Emerging markets may be subject to custodial and political risks, and volatility. Investment in foreign currency entails exchange risks. | Hedging: Any hedging strategy using derivatives may not achieve a perfect hedge. | Interest Rates: The value of bonds tends to decline as interest rates rise. The change in value is greater for longer term than shorter term bonds. | Leverage: The use of leverage can provide more market exposure than the money paid or deposited when the transaction is entered into. Losses may therefore exceed the original amount invested. | Sustainability: An environmental, social or governance event or condition that, if it occurs, could cause an actual or potential material negative impact on the value of an investment.
Please refer to the fund prospectus and KIID/KID for a full list of risk factors and pre-investment disclosures.