Investor Insights

July is a natural time for us to review the financial year just past – both in terms of The Montgomery Fund as well as the investment journey of the broader market. The 2021 financial year was unprecedented in many ways, not just because the last 12 months has seemed more like an extension of the initial COVID-19 fallout of the June 2020 quarter, but also because of the volatility witnessed in the broader market given the rapid pace of developments in a suddenly “less predictable” world.

If you are a longer-term shareholder of Avita Medical (ASX:AVH), it is likely you would have experienced a rather disappointing journey over the past 12 months. COVID-19 and lockdowns in the US have stymied the RECELL roll-out just as it was gaining steam, as well as preventing recruitment for its various label extension plays in vitiligo, paediatric scalds and wound care.

IPOs can give you wonderful returns if you get them right, but burn your money if you don’t. And that’s clearly shown in the trajectories of the companies that have listed since the COVID-induced market lows in March 2020. Because, while there were some big winners – like Cettire (ASX:CTT), Aussie Broadband (ASX:ABB) and Universal Stores (ASX:UNI), there were also some clear losers.