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  • Centre American Select Equity Fund

    Large Capitalization Stock Focused Concentrated Portfolio

    Focus on Risk Adjusted Returns Actively Managed to Seek Long Term Alpha

  • Investment Objective: The Fund seeks to generate long-term capital growth Investment Strategy Highlights: Invests in a diversified portfolio of large capitalization American blue chip

    equity securities High conviction investment ideas What we believe are best 45 to 75 stocks of

    American companies concentrated in the top 20 names Bottom up fundamental stock selection process driven by Economic Value

    Added (EVA) investment philosophy Focus on delivering risk adjusted returns and positive upside vs. downside

    market capture ratio over long-term Stock selection is combined with quantitative portfolio construction and risk

    management for optimal stock position sizing within sector/industry emphasis and risk parameters The Fund may employ hedges and other capital protective strategies when

    deemed tactically appropriate a risk managed growth fund

    Fund Profile: Summary

    2

  • Fund Profile: Characteristics

    Source: Morningstar as of 30-Jun-2015

    Market Cap Definitions

    Giant > $40 billion

    Large $8 billion - $40 billion

    Mid $1 billion - $8 billion

    Small $500 million - $1 billion

    Micro < $500 million

    Source: Centre Asset Management, LLC. As of 30-Jun-2015 3

    Style: US Large Cap Valuation Sensitive Growth Sector Allocation

    Subject to change

  • Fund Profile: Fund Manager

    James A. Abate, MBA, CPA, CFA, is the Managing Director and Chief Investment Officer of Centre Asset Management and is responsible for the firms American Select Equity and Real Return strategies. Prior to founding Centre, Mr. Abate was US Investment Director for GAM. Previously, Mr. Abate served as Managing Director and Fund Manager at Credit Suisse Asset Management responsible for the US Select Equity strategy and the firms global sector funds. Previously, he was a Manager in Price Waterhouse's Valuation/Corporate Finance Group and served as a commissioned officer in the US Army. Mr. Abate is a contributing author to several John Wiley published books: Applied Equity Valuation, Focus on Value, Short Selling, and The Theory and Practice of Investment Management; as well as published research papers in institutional investor journals, some of which were adopted by the CFA Institute candidate study programs.

    4

  • Investment Process: EVA-driven Stock Selection

    Excess Returns Relative to Capital Growth Rate ("Economically" Profitable Reinvestment)

    Exc

    ess R

    etur

    n on

    Inve

    sted

    Cap

    ital (

    Ope

    ratin

    g R

    etur

    n Le

    ss R

    equi

    red

    Ret

    urn)

    -35%

    -

    30%

    -

    25%

    -20%

    -

    15%

    -

    10%

    -

    5%

    0%

    5

    %

    1

    0%

    15

    %

    20

    %

    25

    %

    30%

    3

    5%

    QUADRANT I (- +) QUADRANT II (+ +) "Dead Money" "Stable or High Growth"

    AVOID POTENTIAL BUY

    Underinvestment highlights few opportunities for creating shareholder wealth or short-termism by management at the expense of long-term

    investment for growth

    Shareholder wealth is maximized by internal growth and related, strategic acquisitions

    Gilead Colgate Intl Flavors CR Bard Chipotle Apple Starbucks Google

    QUADRANT IV(- -) QUADRANT III (+ -) "Wise Contraction or Cyclical Restructuring" "Empire Building"

    POTENTIAL BUY AVOID

    Stock repurchases, dividends, debt pay-down and other measures of wise contraction (asset sales & restructuring) create shareholder wealth

    Inefficient growth and wealth destruction - excessive capital spending at cycle peak, empire building M&A transactions - non-

    related, non-strategic or overpriced acquisitions

    ADM Lowes Kimberly Clark Texas Instruments Target Vulcan Materials

    -35% -30% -25% -20% -15% -10% -5% 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35%

    Invested Capital Growth Rate

    5

  • Investment Process: Portfolio Strategy & Management

    How does our Quadrant emphasis pragmatically change under different environments and is this cycle a normal one?

    ENVIRONMENT STAGES

    Economic Stage Slowdown Recession Early Recovery Full recovery

    Consumer Expectations Falling Reviving Rising Declining

    Industrial Production Falling Bottoming Out Rising Flat

    Interest Rates Peaking Falling Bottoming Out Rising

    Yield Curve Flat/Inverted Normal Normal (Steep) Flattening Out

    TOP RIGHT (++) ~70% ~60% ~40% ~80%

    BOTTOM LEFT (--) ~30% ~40% ~60% ~20%

    Portfolio Concentration of Blue-Chip, Quality Stocks (Quadrant II, ++) with Increasing Allocation to Cyclical Restructuring Stock (Quadrants IV, --)

    Portfolio Barbelled Between Blue-Chip, Quality Stocks (Quadrant II, ++) and Highest (>50%) Allocation to Cyclical Restructuring Stocks (Quadrant IV, --)

    Portfolio Concentration of Blue-Chip, Quality Stocks (Quadrant II, ++) with Decreasing Allocation to Cyclical Restructuring Stock (Quadrants IV, --)

    Source: Centre Asset Management, LLC. The diagram above is a generalization of the investment process. Actual portfolio composition might be different 6

  • 7

    Sources of Stock Market Total Returns

    Dividend Yield Earnings Growth

    Sales Growth Efficiency

    Profit Margin

    Asset Turnover

    Re-Rating (Change in

    P/E Multiple)

    Interest Rates/ Inflation

    Risk Appetite (Equity Risk

    Premium)

    Net Share Repurchases

    Key Observations on Pricing of Risk & Future Growth Despite the recent correction, we struggle to see what driver will move market indexes

    as a whole higher from here

  • 8

    Prepare for the Unexpected in Stock Markets: The Herd is conditioned and operating using deductive reasoning and statistics (not inductive common sense) based on recent history that may prove at least partially WRONG; were in uncharted territory. The *Herds Premises and (what we believe are faulty) Conclusions 1. Stock markets have, on average, gone up another 33% when prior rate hike cycle have

    started so the Federal Reserve hiking rates is a good signal for future stock returns 2. The economy and profits cycle are accelerating and finally ready to reach escape

    velocity in the second half of 2015 3. A recession has never happened when the yield curve was positive like it is now 4. If the Federal Reserve raises short-term interest rates, investors may want to buy

    Financials as they could benefit as they have in the past 5. Stock prices are inexpensive given the S&P 500s P/E ratio is below the long-term 25

    year average 6. The current technology & social media revolution could lead to advances in

    productivity and efficiency advances for companies as well as real wage gains for employees

    7. Strong housing data is a leading indicator of consumer optimism and future spending 8. Stock buybacks should support further EPS gains and equity prices

    *Herd: Behavior that ensues when a critical mass of investors mimics the behavior of other investors becausewell, just because. Herds can chase prices up (think dot-com stocks in the 1990s) as well as down (think 2008-09). Source: Wall Street Journal

  • 9

    Date of 1st hike in target Federal Funds rate

    S&P 500 Index advance from 1st rate hike

    # of Months to market top

    # of Months to economic peak (ISM Index)

    Sign of economic contraction (ISM Index

  • Source: Centre Asset Management, LLC & Intrinsic Research as of 1 September 2015

    10

    The Economic & Profits Cycle is Decelerating, not Accelerating ISM Index and S&P 500 Cash Flow Operating Margins

    [Shaded Areas Highlight Recessions]

  • 11

    Japan has seen Numerous Recessions Although its Yield Curve has not Inverted since 1991 prelude for the U.S.

    During times of suppressed low short term interest rates, the historical predictive power of the yield curve seems to fall apart for developed economies

    [Shaded Areas Highlight Recessions in Japan]

    *JGB stands for Japanese government bond

  • 12

    Financials Now Seem Less Sensitive to the Yield Curve After Repeal of Glass-Steagall, Net Interest Margins are Less Dependent on Spread

    Between Long and Short Term Interest Rates; Rate Risk Replaced by Credit Risk [Shaded Areas Highlight Recessions]

    Source: Centre Asset Management, LLC & Intrinsic Research as of 1 September 2015

  • 13

    P/Es for the S&P 500 Index Give a False Sense of Value Valuation Multiples Based on Sales, not Earnings, Rival the Peak in early 2000 and are

    Consistent with Warning-Flashing Normalized P/E Indicators [Shaded Areas Highlight Recessions]

    Source: Centre Asset Management, LLC & Intrinsic Research as of 1 September 2015

  • 14

    Elevated Valuation Multiples Are Vulnerable to De-Rate Lower Drop in Operating Margins, Deceleration in Sales Growth, and Reduced Share

    Repurchases Potentially Indicate Earnings (E) and Valuations at Risk [Shaded Areas Highlight Recessio