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Gam Funds Inc · N-CSR · For 12/31/04

Filed On 3/11/05 1:25pm ET   ·   SEC File 811-04062   ·   Accession Number 930413-5-1783

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 3/11/05  Gam Funds Inc                     N-CSR      12/31/04    4:226                                    930413

Certified Annual Shareholder Report of a Management Investment Company   ·   Form N-CSR
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N-CSR   ·   Certified Annual Shareholder Report of a Management Investment Company

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UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM N-CSR

CERTIFIED SHAREHOLDER REPORT OF REGISTERED MANAGEMENT
INVESTMENT COMPANIES

 

Investment Company Act file number
811-4062

 
GAM Funds, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in charter)
   
135 East 57th Street, New York, NY 10022

(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip code)  
 
The Corporation Trust Inc., 300 E. Lombard St., Baltimore, MD 21202

(Name and address of agent for service)
 
Registrant's telephone number, including area code: 212-407-4600

Date of fiscal year end: 12/31/2004

 
 
     
Date of reporting period: 12/31/2004

 
 
 
Form N-CSR is to be used by management investment companies to file reports with the Commission not later than 10 days after the transmission to stockholders of any report that is required to be transmitted to stockholders under Rule 30e-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (17 CFR 270.30e -1). The Commission may use the information provided on Form N-CSR in its regulatory, disclosure review, inspection, and policymaking roles.
 
A registrant is required to disclose the information specified by Form N-CSR, and the Commission will make this information public. A registrant is not required to respond to the collection of information contained in Form N-CSR unless the Form displays a currently valid Office of Management and Budget ("OMB") control number. Please direct comments concerning the accuracy of the information collection burden estimate and any suggestions for reducing the burden to Secretary, Securities and Exchange Commission, 450 Fifth Street, NW, Washington, DC 20549-0609. The OMB has reviewed this collection of information under the clearance requirements of 44 U.S.C. § 3507.

 


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ITEM 1. REPORT(S) TO STOCKHOLDERS.
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GAM Funds, Inc.


ANNUAL REPORT
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST DECEMBER, 2004

GAM INTERNATIONAL FUND

GAM PACIFIC BASIN FUND

GAM EUROPE FUND

GAM AMERICAN FOCUS FUND

GAMERICA CAPITAL FUND

GAM GABELLI LONG/SHORT FUND

 

  This report has been prepared for the information of shareholders of GAM Funds, Inc., and is not authorized for distribution to prospective investors unless preceded or accompanied by an effective prospectus that includes information regarding the Funds’ objectives, policies, management, records and other information.

 

GAM FUNDS, INC.

INVESTMENT ADVISERS:

GAM INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT LIMITED
GAM USA INC.
GAMCO INVESTORS, INC.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


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The GAM Group


The GAM group was founded in April 1983 by Gilbert de Botton. GAM’s corporate policy is to attempt to harness the top investment talent in the world, not only in-house but also outside the GAM organization, in order to provide above average, long-term growth. The GAM group currently has in excess of US$37 billion under management and employs a worldwide staff of over 700 people.

For US investors, GAM offers GAM Funds, Inc. (the “Company”) an open-end diversified management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. The Company consists of six open-end mutual funds – GAM International, GAM Pacific Basin, GAM Europe, GAM American Focus, GAMerica Capital and GAM Gabelli Long/Short Funds.

For additional information about the GAM Funds, please contact your financial consultant or call GAM at 1–800–426–4685 (toll-free).

CONTENTS     
     
GAM International    3 
     
GAM Pacific Basin    8 
     
GAM Europe    13 
     
GAM American Focus    18 
     
GAMerica Capital    23 
     
GAM Gabelli Long/Short    28 
     
Financial Statements    34 
     
Notes to Financial Statements    41 
     
Report of Independent Registered Public     
     Accounting Firm    61 
     
Additional Information    62 
     
Supplemental Proxy Information    63 
     
Directors’ Information    64 
     
Officers’ Information    65 

 


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GAM International Fund
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FUND MANAGEMENT

Picture -- c34874_ncsrx3x1   Sean Taylor is an Investment Director. He joined GAM in 2004 to manage global mandates. Prior to joining GAM, Mr Taylor was Head of Global Equity at SG Asset Management, where he was also Head of the Emerging Market Desk. Previously he was a fund manager at Capel-Cure Myers and before that he was at HSBC James Capel Investment Management. Until 1992 Mr Taylor served as an officer in the British Army having attended the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst. He has an MBA from Manchester Business School.  

The Fund’s investment objective is to seek long-term capital appreciation, generally through investment in equity securities issued by companies in countries other than the United States, including Canada, the United Kingdom, Continental Europe and the Pacific Basin. However, if the Fund determines that the long-term capital appreciation of debt securities may equal or exceed the return on equity securities, it may be substantially invested in debt securities of companies and governments, their agencies and instrumentalities. Any income realized by the Fund on its investments will be incidental to its goal of long-term capital appreciation.

Investments in securities of foreign issuers involve additional risks and expenses including currency rate fluctuations, political and economic instability, foreign taxes and different accounting and reporting standards.

REPORT TO SHAREHOLDERS (UNAUDITED)

THE FACTS – CLASS A SHARES

      GAM      
      International      
      Class A (after     Average  
    GAM   maximum   MSCI   1 Month  
  International   sales load of   EAFE   Deposit  
    Class A   5.50%)    Index   Rate  
               
31 December, 2004  US$ 19.59   US$ 20.73   1,515.48    









    %   %   %   %  










Quarter to December, 2004  15.53   9.17   15.36   0.50  









Jan – December, 2004  17.68   11.21   20.70   1.36  









AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS:         









5 years to December, 2004  (5.26 )  (6.32 )  (0.80 )  2.95  









10 years to December, 2004  4.82   4.23   5.94   4.26  









15 years to December, 2004  7.25   6.84   4.55   4.57  









Since inception    12.84   12.52   11.80   5.42  










Performance is calculated on a total return basis. Class A inception was on 2nd January, 1985, Class B on 26th May, 1998, and Class C on 19th May, 1998. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future performance. The investment return and principal value of an investment will fluctuate so that an investor’s shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost.


3

G A M    I N T E R N A T I O N A L  F U N D  /   F U N D  M A N A G E M E N T

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GAM International Fund


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NOTE: The graph compares the performance results of a hypothetical $10,000 investment in Class A and a comparable index. The performance of Class A is shown after adjustment to reflect the maximum sales load, which is waived for certain investors. The performance of the index does not reflect brokerage commissions and other expenses that would be incurred to acquire a comparable portfolio of securities. The performance tables and graphs do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the redemption of Fund shares.

 

 


Sources used are the net asset value of the Fund which is computed daily, The Financial Times and Morgan Stanley Capital International.

The MSCI Europe, Australasia and Far East Index is a market value weighted, unmanaged index of the weighted share prices of some 1,093 companies listed on the stock exchanges of Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. The combined market capitalization of these companies represents approximately 60% of the aggregate market value of the stock exchanges of the above 20 countries. The percentage change in the value of the index includes dividends reinvested.

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURN – CLASS A

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ANNUAL PERFORMANCE – CLASS A

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    GAM    
    International    
    Class A    
  GAM   (after maximum   MSCI  
  International   sales load   EAFE  
  Class A   of 5.50%)   Index  
Year  %   %   %  







 
2000  (22.74 )  (26.99 )  (13.96 ) 







 
2001  (24.53 )  (28.68 )  (21.21 ) 







 
2002  (15.35 )  (20.01 )  (15.66 ) 







 
2003  31.44   24.21   39.17  







 
2004  17.68   11.21   20.70  







 

4

G A M    I N T E R N A T I O N A L  F U N D  /   R E P O R T   T O   S H A R E H O L D E R S

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THE FACTS – CLASS B SHARES

      GAM      
      International     Average 
    GAM   Class B   MSCI   1 Month 
  International   (with deferred   EAFE   Deposit 
    Class B   sales charge)   Index   Rate 
             
31 December, 2004  US$ 19.42     1,515.48    








    %   %   %   % 









Quarter to December, 2004  15.34   10.34   15.36   0.50 








Jan – December, 2004  16.94   11.94   20.70   1.36 








AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS:         








3 years to December, 2004  8.61   7.76   12.31   1.41 








5 years to December, 2004  (5.90 )  (6.21 )  (0.80 )  2.95 








Since inception*    (4.98 )  (4.98 )  3.38   3.54 










THE FACTS – CLASS C SHARES

      GAM      
      International     Average 
    GAM   Class C   MSCI   1 Month 
  International   (with deferred   EAFE   Deposit 
    Class C   sales charge)   Index   Rate 
             
31 December, 2004  US$ 19.62     1,515.48    








    %   %   %   % 









Quarter to December, 2004  15.63   14.63   15.36   0.50 








Jan – December, 2004  17.08   16.08   20.70   1.36 








AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS:         








3 years to December, 2004  8.59   8.59   12.31   1.41 








5 years to December, 2004  (5.92 )  (5.92 )  (0.80 )  2.95 








Since inception*    (4.65 )  (4.65 )  3.76   3.54 









* Inception was on 26th May, 1998 for Class B shares and 19th May, 1998 for Class C shares. 

EXPENSE DISCLOSURE

HYPOTHETICAL $1,000 INVESTMENT

As a shareholder of the Fund, you can incur two types of costs: (1) transaction costs, including sales charges on purchase payments; and (2) ongoing costs, including management fees and other fund expenses. This disclosure is intended to help you understand your ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in the Fund and to compare these costs with the ongoing costs of investing in other mutual funds. The disclosure is based on an investment of $1,000 invested at the beginning of the period and held for the entire period from 1st July, 2004 to 31st December, 2004.

The first line in the table below provides information about actual account values and actual expenses. You may use the information in this line, together with the amount you invested, to estimate the expenses that you paid over a period.

The second line in the table below provides information about hypothetical account values and hypothetical expenses based on the Fund’s actual expense ratio and an assumed rate of return of 5% per year before expenses, which is not the Fund’s actual return. The hypothetical account values and expenses may not be used to estimate the actual ending account balance or expenses you paid for the period. You may use this information to compare the ongoing costs of investing in the Fund and other funds by comparing this 5% hypothetical example with the 5% hypothetical examples of other funds in this report or elsewhere. Please note that the expenses shown in the table are meant to highlight your ongoing costs only and do not reflect any transactional costs, such as sales charges. If these transactional costs were included, your costs would have been higher.

     
Beginning 
Ending  Expenses Paid 
     
Account Value 
Account Value  During Period* 
     
1st July, 2004 
31st Dec, 2004  7/1/04-12/31/04 








Class A 
  Actual 
$1,000.00 
 
$1,160.70 
 
$11.62 






    Hypothetical 
 
 
    (Annualized 5% 
 
 
    return before expenses) 
1,000.00 
 
1,014.38 
 
10.84 








Class B 
  Actual 
$1,000.00 
 
$1,156.80 
 
$15.29 






  Hypothetical 
 
 
  (Annualized 5% 
 
 
  return before expenses) 
1,000.00 
 
1,010.96 
 
14.25 








Class C 
  Actual 
$1,000.00 
 
$1,159.10 
 
$14.82 






    Hypothetical 
 
 
    (Annualized 5% 
 
 
    return before expenses) 
1,000.00 
 
1,011.41 
 
13.80 









*      Expenses are equal to the Fund’s annualized expense ratio of 2.14%, 2.82% and 2.73% for Class A, Class B and Class C, respectively, multiplied by the average account value over the period, multiplied by 184 divided by 366 (to reflect the one-half year period).
 

THE COMMENT

The Fund’s Class A NAV had a strong year returning 17.68% in USD. The Fund was helped by strong international markets with the MSCI EAFE price index returning 17.59% and the MSCI EAFE total return index returning 20.70% .

During this period most asset classes globally produced positive returns as the Federal reserve held Fed funds at a low nominal and negative real level. In currency terms the US dollar was weak against most other currencies. International stocks outperformed their US counterparts, mainly due to currency. On a regional basis, Europe was the outperformer after a strong 4th quarter rally, helped by a strong Euro, brought the return for the year above 20%.The Pacific region also produced nearly 20% returns with Australia and Hong Kong and Singapore the outperformers and Japan the laggard. The Emerging Markets also had a strong year.

In terms of attribution the Fund was in line with the price index, but lagged the total return index. The equity proportion of the Fund outperformed but performance was detracted from the small cash holding, necessary for liquidity, and fees. According to Morningstar the Fund’s performance during the period was above the average International fund. By June the changes of the new manager had been implemented. The most significant change was to reduce the number of holdings to around 90. In the sixth month period to Dec 04 the Fund’s Class A NAV produced a return of 16.07% versus the MSCI EAFE price index of 14.12% and total return index of 15.10% . The equity portion of the Fund, excluding cash asset allocation, produced a flat contribution whereas stock selection contributed positively. In asset allocation Emerging Markets contributed positively, whereas underweights in Europe and Australia detracted from performance. Stock selection in both Europe and the Pacific were positive contributors. In particular stock selection was strong in Italy, Japan, Singapore and the United Kingdom.

Over the year the best contributors to performance on a stock level were Promina in Australia, AU Optronics Corp in Taiwan, Hyflux in Singapore, Hong Kong Land in Hong Kong, and Aiful in Japan. The main detractors of performance were Jafco, Ricoh and Sanyo in Japan, Rio Tinto in Australia, and Infineon in Germany.

The outlook for 2005 is less clear as the potential for US rates rises increases. On the one hand global growth looks to be robust, even if it is slowing from 2004. On the other hand valuations of international stocks are still relatively attractive.

 

5

G A M    I N T E R N A T I O N A L  F U N D  /   R E P O R T   T O   S H A R E H O L D E R S

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GAM International Fund

 


STATEMENT OF INVESTMENTS AS AT 31ST DECEMBER, 2004

      MARKET 
      VALUE 
HOLDINGS    DESCRIPTION  US$ 




EQUITIES – 98.1%   
    AUSTRALIA – 1.9%   
188,500    AWB  669,587 
420,000    Promina Group  1,770,628 

      2,440,215 

    BELGIUM – 1.0%   
38,200    AGFA Gevaert  1,290,810 

      1,290,810 

    DENMARK – 0.4%   
*30,000    Genmab  545,961 

      545,961 

    FINLAND – 0.7%   
59,370    Nokia Oyj  933,959 

      933,959 

    FRANCE – 8.2%   
18,277    BNP Paribas  1,318,823 
34,100    Bouygues  1,569,596 
39,137    Sanofi–Aventis  3,115,440 
*13,250    Societe des Autoroutes Paris-Rhin-Rhone  797,337 
16,018    Total S.A.  3,484,807 

      10,286,003 

    GERMANY – 7.9%   
21,400    BASF  1,535,480 
41,718    Bayerische Motoren Werke  1,875,064 
60,000    Deutsche Post  1,372,753 
*70,000    Infineon Technologies  756,233 
30,200    RWE  1,664,010 
32,300    Siemens  2,727,736 

      9,931,276 

    HONG KONG – 6.1%   
914,000    Anhui Conch Cement  993,638 
2,884,000    Denway Motors  1,029,636 
70,800    Hang Seng Bank  983,745 
243,000    Henderson Land Development  1,266,154 
633,000    Hong Kong Land Holdings  1,677,450 
81,000    Sun Hung Kai Properties  810,234 
85,000    Swire Pacific A  710,817 
1,280,000    Yantai North Andre Juice  167,971 

      7,639,645 

    ITALY – 1.0%   
230,000    Unicredito Italiano  1,317,112 

      1,317,112 

    JAPAN – 23.3%   
35,700    Canon  1,922,121 
36,100    Daito Trust Construction  1,711,683 
19,100    Fanuc  1,245,935 
14,200    FAST RETAILING  1,078,376 
237,000    Mitsubishi Corporation  3,055,087 
230,000    Mitsubishi Estate  2,687,178 
149,000    Mitsui & Company  1,333,181 
34,900    Murata Manufacturing  1,947,006 
92,000    Nomura Holdings  1,338,214 
620,000    Resona Holdings  1,255,574 
80,000    RICOH  1,539,870 
12,800    Rohm  1,321,001 
31,600    Shin-Etsu Chemical  1,292,182 
38,300    Sony  1,476,662 
233,000    Sumitomo Corporation  2,005,374 
183    Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group  1,327,378 
11,000    Toei Animation  460,520 
60,000    Toppan Printing  664,200 
*282    UFJ  1,705,014 

      29,366,556 

    KOREA, REPUBLIC OF – 3.6%   
*122,600    Daewoo Heavy Industry & Machinery  947,450 
21,040    Hyundai Motor  1,128,014 
6,700    Samsung Electronics GDS (1/2 Voting)  1,467,300 
45,400    Webzen  1,019,658 

      4,562,422 

    NETHERLANDS – 5.4%   
31,961    Fortis Group  881,386 
102,278    Royal Dutch Petroleum  5,863,949 

      6,745,335 

    NORWAY – 1.1%   
40,400    Orkla  1,322,955 

      1,322,955 

    POLAND – 1.2%   
*162,000    Powszechna Kasa Oszczednosci  1,501,200 

      1,501,200 

    RUSSIAN FEDERATION – 1.1%   
*11,136    Lukoil Oil Sponsored ADR  1,358,904 

      1,358,904 

    SINGAPORE – 3.7%   
88,000    DBS Group  867,925 
842,000    Hyflux  1,531,941 
865,000    Singapore Exchange  948,511 
318,750    Singapore Press Holdings  898,217 
*550,000    Suntec REIT  373,989 

      4,620,583 

    SPAIN – 2.3%   
84,400    Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria  1,491,102 
73,879    Telefonica  1,386,241 

      2,877,343 

    SWITZERLAND – 2.5%   
4,800    Nestle (Registered)  1,251,479 
18,600    Novartis (Registered)  934,034 
8,500    Roche Holding Genussscheine  975,111 

      3,160,624 

    TAIWAN – 1.9%   
881,922    Taishin Financial Holdings  826,715 
570,433    Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing  906,161 
76,000    Taiwan Semiconductor   
       Manufacturing (ADR)  645,240 

      2,378,116 

    THAILAND – 1.8%   
3,529,000    Land & House  1,026,453 
*944,100    Siam Commercial Bank  1,178,606 

      2,205,059 


 

6

G A M    I N T E R N A T I O N A L  F U N D  /   S T A T E M E N T   O F   I N V E S T M E N T S

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      MARKET 
      VALUE 
HOLDINGS    DESCRIPTION  US$ 




 
    UNITED KINGDOM – 20.3%   
59,418    Antofagasta  1,276,235 
118,136    Aviva  1,421,506 
168,600    BHP Billiton  1,972,196 
309,750    BP  3,014,962 
708,700    BT Group  2,756,546 
94,617    Gallaher Group  1,434,918 
182,200    HSBC Holdings  3,068,627 
295,000    Lloyds TSB Group  2,673,560 
155,279    National Grid Transco  1,475,711 
1,678,090    Royal & Sun Alliance Insurance  2,491,861 
174,272    Scottish Power  1,346,508 
130,000    Shire Pharmaceuticals Group  1,362,503 
460,000    Vodafone Group  1,244,953 

      25,540,086 

    UNITED STATES – 2.7%   
56,100    Banco Latinoamericano de Exportaciones  1,118,634 
9,400    Mobile Telesystems ADR  1,301,994 
26,600    State Bank of India Reg S  970,900 

      3,391,528 

Total Equities (Cost $102,706,654)  123,415,692 

 
 
TIME DEPOSITS – 1.4%   
    UNITED KINGDOM – 1.4%   
1,744,797    Bank of America (London)   
       1.60%, 2005-01-03  1,744,797 

Total Time Deposits (Cost $1,744,797)  1,744,797 

Total Investments (Cost $104,451,451) – 99.5%  125,160,489 
Other Assets Less Liabilities – 0.5%  637,542 

Total Net Assets – 100.0%  125,798,031 


* Non-income producing security.
Glossary:
ADR – American Depositary Receipt
REIT – Real Estate Investment Trust
See notes to financial statements.

 

GEOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS AS AT
31ST DECEMBER, 2004 (UNAUDITED)
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INVESTMENT ANALYSIS AS AT
31ST DECEMBER, 2004 (UNAUDITED)
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7

G A M    I N T E R N A T I O N A L  F U N D  /   S T A T E M E N T   O F   I N V E S T M E N T S

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GAM Pacific Basin Fund

 


FUND MANAGEMENT

Picture -- c34874_ncsrx8x1 Lesley Kaye is the Investment Director responsible for GAM's Japan funds and co-manager of GAM's Pacific funds with Michael Lai. She joined GAM in May 2001, prior to which she was a Japanese equity broker for 13 years at ING Barings (formerly Baring Securities). Ms Kaye started her career with Nikko Securities and also spent two years on the Japan desk of Hoare Govett. She holds a BA in Languages from Bristol University. Ms Kaye is based in London.

 

Picture -- c34874_ncsrx8x2 Michael Lai is the Investment Director responsible for GAM's Asian funds and co-manager of GAM's Pacific funds with Lesley Kaye. Before joining GAM in 1998, he was Senior Vice President at Trust Company of the West (Asia) responsible for Asian portfolios. Prior to this, he was an investment manager at BZW Investment Management (HK). Mr Lai holds an MSc in Econometrics from the London School of Economics and is a CFA charterholder. He is based in Hong Kong.

The Fund’s investment objective is to seek long-term capital appreciation, generally through investment in equity securities issued by companies with principal offices in the Pacific Basin, including Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Korea, Taiwan, India, Australia and New Zealand. However, if the Fund determines that the long-term capital appreciation of debt securities may equal or exceed the return on equity securities, it may be invested substantially in debt securities of Pacific Basin companies and their governments, their agencies and instrumentalities. Any income realized by the Fund on its investments will be incidental to its goal of long-term capital appreciation.

Investments in securities of foreign issuers involve additional risks and expenses including currency rate fluctuations, political and economic instability, foreign taxes and different accounting and reporting standards.

REPORT TO SHAREHOLDERS (UNAUDITED)

THE FACTS – CLASS A SHARES

      GAM      
      Pacific Basin      
      Class A (after     Average 
    GAM   maximum   MSCI   1 Month 
  Pacific Basin   sales load   Pacific   Deposit 
    Class A   of 5.50%)    Index   Rate 
               
31 December, 2004  US$ 10.79   US$ 11.42   1,935.13    








    %   %   %   % 









Quarter to December, 2004  12.61   6.42   14.03   0.50 








Jan – December, 2004  21.09   14.43   19.30   1.36 








AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS:         








5 years to December, 2004  (2.09 )  (3.19 )  (3.45 )  2.95 








10 years to December, 2004  0.97   0.40   (0.42 )  4.26 








15 years to December, 2004  4.42   4.03   (0.82 )  4.57 








Since inception    5.98   5.64   0.56   5.14 










Performance is calculated on a total return basis. Class A inception was on 6th May, 1987, Class B on 26th May, 1998, and Class C on 1st June, 1998. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future performance. The investment return and principal value of an investment will fluctuate so that an investor’s shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost.

 

8

G A M    P A C I F I C   B A S I N   F U N D  /   F U N D   M A N A G E M E N T

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Picture -- c34874_ncsrx1x1

 


Picture -- c34874_ncsrx9x1

NOTE: The graph compares the performance results of a hypothetical $10,000 investment in Class A and a comparable index. The performance of Class A is shown after adjustment to reflect the maximum sales load, which is waived for certain investors. The performance of the index does not reflect brokerage commissions and other expenses that would be incurred to acquire a comparable portfolio of securities. The performance tables and graphs do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the redemption of Fund shares.

 

 

 


Sources used are the net asset value of the Fund which is computed daily, The Financial Times and Morgan Stanley Capital International.

The MSCI Pacific Index is an arithmetical average weighted by market value of the performance of some 410 securities listed on the stock exchanges of Australia, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Singapore/Malaysia and Japan. The combined market capitalization of these companies represents approximately 60% of the aggregate market value of the stock exchanges of the above 5 countries. The percentage change in the value of the index includes dividends reinvested.

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURN – CLASS A

Picture -- c34874_ncsrx9x2

ANNUAL PERFORMANCE – CLASS A

Picture -- c34874_ncsrx9x3
    GAM    
    Pacific Basin    
    Class A    
  GAM   (after maximum   MSCI  
  Pacific Basin   sales load   Pacific  
  Class A   of 5.50%)   Index  
Year  %   %   %  







 
2000  (23.21 )  (27.44 )  (25.64 ) 







 
2001  (17.45 )  (21.99 )  (25.22 ) 







 
2002  (12.41 )  (17.22 )  (9.01 ) 







 
2003  33.83   26.47   38.98  







 
2004  21.09   14.43   19.30  








 

9

G A M    P A C I F I C   B A S I N   F U N D  /   R E P O R T   T O   S H A R E H O L D E R S

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GAM Pacific Basin Fund

 


THE FACTS – CLASS B SHARES

      GAM      
      Pacific Basin     Average 
    GAM   Class B   MSCI   1 Month 
  Pacific Basin   (with deferred   Pacific   Deposit 
    Class B   sales charge)   Index   Rate 
             
31 December, 2004  US$ 10.97     1,935.13    








    %   %   %   % 









Quarter to December, 2004  12.30   7.30   14.03   0.50 








Jan – December, 2004  19.85   14.85   19.30   1.36 








AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS:         








3 years to December, 2004  10.86   10.04   14.69   1.41 








5 years to December, 2004  (3.22 )  (3.56 )  (3.45 )  2.95 








Since inception*    5.46   5.46   5.35   3.54 










THE FACTS – CLASS C SHARES

    GAM      
    Pacific Basin     Average 
  GAM   Class C   MSCI   1 Month 
Pacific Basin   (with deferred   Pacific   Deposit 
  Class C   sales charge)   Index   Rate 
             
31 December, 2004  US$ 8.98     1,935.13    








  %   %   %   % 








Quarter to December, 2004  12.53   11.53   14.03   0.50 








Jan – December, 2004  20.04   19.04   19.30   1.36 








AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS:        







3 years to December, 2004  9.32   9.32   14.69   1.41 








5 years to December, 2004  (4.54 )  (4.54 )  (3.45 )  2.95 








Since inception*  3.36   3.36   6.21   3.53 








* Inception was on 26th May, 1998 for Class B shares and 1st June, 1998 for Class C shares. 

EXPENSE DISCLOSURE

HYPOTHETICAL $1,000 INVESTMENT

As a shareholder of the Fund, you can incur two types of costs: (1) transaction costs, including sales charges on purchase payments; and (2) ongoing costs, including management fees and other fund expenses. This disclosure is intended to help you understand your ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in the Fund and to compare these costs with the ongoing costs of investing in other mutual funds. The disclosure is based on an investment of $1,000 invested at the beginning of the period and held for the entire period from 1st July, 2004 to 31st December, 2004. The first line in the table below provides information about actual account values and actual expenses. You may use the information in this line, together with the amount you invested, to estimate the expenses that you paid over a period.

The second line in the table below provides information about hypothetical account values and hypothetical expenses based on the Fund’s actual expense ratio and an assumed rate of return of 5% per year before expenses, which is not the Fund’s actual return. The hypothetical account values and expenses may not be used to estimate the actual ending account balance or expenses you paid for the period. You may use this information to compare the ongoing costs of investing in the Fund and other funds by comparing this 5% hypothetical example with the 5% hypothetical examples of other funds in this report or elsewhere.

Please note that the expenses shown in the table are meant to highlight your ongoing costs only and do not reflect any transactional costs, such as sales charges. If these transactional costs were included, your costs would have been higher.

      Beginning 
Ending 
Expenses Paid 
      Account Value 
Account Value 
During Period* 
      1st July 2004 
31st Dec 2004  
7/1/04-12/31/04 






Class A 
  Actual 
$1,000.00 
 
$1,162.00 
 
$13.64 






    Hypothetical 
 
 
    (Annualized 5% 
 
 
    return before expenses) 
1,000.00 
 
1,012.52 
 
12.70 








Class B 
  Actual 
$1,000.00 
 
$1,155.90 
 
$18.48 






    Hypothetical 
 
 
    (Annualized 5% 
 
 
    return before expenses) 
1,000.00 
 
1,007.99 
 
17.21 








Class C 
  Actual 
$1,000.00 
 
$1,157.20 
 
$16.92 






    Hypothetical 
 
 
    (Annualized 5% 
 
 
    return before expenses) 
1,000.00 
 
1,009.45 
 
15.76 









*      Expenses are equal to the Fund’s annualized expense ratio of 2.51%, 3.41% and 3.12% for Class A, Class B and Class C, respectively, multiplied by the average account value over the period, multiplied by 184 divided by 366 (to reflect the one-half year period).
 

THE COMMENT

The stock markets of the Pacific region posted a return of 19.30% (as measured by the MSCI Pacific index in USD) for the twelve months ended 31st December, 2004.

Japan, which is the largest component of the benchmark at 73.70%, achieved a return of 15.95% for the year, as measured by the MSCI Japan index in US dollar terms. The Fund has continued to underweight Japan throughout the year and its allocation was 49.10% at year-end. There were good performances from the consumer finance and general financial area and in particular, stocks such as Aiful, Credit Saison, JAFCO and Orix. The Japanese market was weaker towards the end of the year, as a result of a continuation of poor economic data releases compounded by the worst typhoon season on record in October followed by the worst earthquake since Kobe in November. However, we are happy with the view that this is a mid-cycle lull. Japan’s cycle is no longer dysfunctional. Domestic sectors were the best performers due to the weakness in the dollar, which at one point caused the yen to spike to 102. In spite of this, corporate earnings were exceptionally good and, for the first time in over 20 years, the market is underpinned by cheap valuations. We used the weakness to add to existing holdings.

Of the other regional markets, Australia was the top performer, up 31.95% for the year, as measured by the MSCI Australia index in US dollar term. The portfolio’s weighting to that market was 11.50% at year-end which is underweight that of the MSCI Pacific index. We continue to hold long-term positions in stocks such as AWB (Australia Wheat Board) and St George Bank and added BHP Billiton later in the year. BHP and Rio Tinto, another of the Fund’s holdings, are benefiting greatly from rising commodity prices.

Hong Kong and Singapore also performed well, with the Hang Seng Index in US dollar terms up 16.80% and the Straits Times Index in US dollar terms up 21.82% . Property is a key theme for the Fund’s Hong Kong exposure. We believe improved consumer confidence and a weaker US dollar may serve to inflate Hong Kong dollar asset prices because of Hong Kong’s currency peg to the US dollar. Recent transactions in the property market suggest that high prices are sustainable, which augurs well for the economy as a whole.

The Fund’s holdings in Singapore are dominated by property, energy and quasi-monopoly-type companies and there are signs that loan growth and the economy in general are improving.

In China, although the economy appears to be in a reasonable shape and consumption may continue to grow, any slowdown in growth may impact cyclical companies. We have focused on stock-specific situations, which have been mostly consumer staples and services companies. We are also continuing to focus on energy via companies in China such as CNOOC, the state-owned oil company.

 

10

G A M    P A C I F I C   B A S I N   F U N D  /   R E P O R T   T O   S H A R E H O L D E R S

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STATEMENT OF INVESTMENTS AS AT 31ST DECEMBER, 2004

      MARKET 
      VALUE 
HOLDINGS    DESCRIPTION  US$ 




EQUITIES – 90.7%   
    AUSTRALIA – 11.5%   
169,754    AWB  602,998 
22,000    BHP Billiton  263,471 
22,740    National Australia Bank  511,645 
159,872    Promina Group  673,985 
21,935    Rio Tinto  669,916 
14,000    St. George Bank  275,977 

      2,997,992 

    CHINA – 4.7%   
1,376,000    China Petroleum & Chemical  562,066 
1,209,500    CNOOC  649,662 

      1,211,728 

    HONG KONG – 15.7%   
48,000    Cheung Kong Holdings  480,139 
31,200    Hang Seng Bank  433,514 
239,321    Hong Kong & China Gas  495,715 
248,000    Hong Kong Land Holdings  657,200 
34,185    HSBC Holdings  584,942 
197,970    Kerry Properties  422,798 
51,000    Sun Hung Kai Properties  510,148 
60,000    Swire Pacific A  501,753 

      4,086,209 

    JAPAN – 49.1%   
4,450    Aiful  488,283 
24,000    Asahi Glass  264,044 
10,500    Canon  565,330 
10,900    Daito Trust Construction  516,824 
7,000    Fanuc  456,625 
6,700    Fuji Photo Film  243,968 
27,300    Hitachi Construction Machinery  374,508 
4,700    Honda Motor  242,985 
8,900    Ito-Yokado  372,602 
5,800    JAFCO  393,029 
89,900    Mitsubishi Corporation  1,158,871 
54,000    Mitsubishi Estate  630,903 
64    Mitsubishi Tokyo Financial Group  648,038 
45,000    Mitsui Trust Holdings  448,642 
56    Mizuho Financial Group  281,336 
56    Nippon Telegraph and Telephone  250,803 
213    NTT DoCoMo  391,948 
4,200    ORIX  569,214 
35,000    RICOH  673,693 
70,000    Sekisui Chemical  510,466 
74,000    Shinsei Bank  502,892 
89,000    Sumitomo Corporation  766,001 
71    Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group  514,994 
9,000    Takeda Pharmaceutical  452,147 
49,000    TonenGeneral Sekiyu KK  445,108 
15,100    Toyota Motor  613,056 

      12,776,310 

    SINGAPORE – 9.7%   
252,000    Capitaland  328,816 
31,351    DBS Group  309,208 
74,500    Jardine Strategic Holdings  610,900 
48,000    Keppel  252,879 
372,000    Singapore Exchange  407,915 
86,000    Singapore Press Holdings  242,343 
43,825    United Overseas Bank  370,488 

      2,522,549 

Total Equities (Cost $19,834,764)  23,594,788 

 
MUTUAL FUND – 1.0%   
    TAIWAN – 1.0%   
19,000    Taiwan Fund  251,750 

Total Mutual Fund (Cost $400,701)  251,750 

 
TIME DEPOSITS – 2.3%   
    NASSAU – 2.3%   
604,151    Wells Fargo   
       1.60%, 2005-01-03  604,151 

Total Time Deposits (Cost $604,151)  604,151 

Total Investments (Cost $20,839,616) – 94.0%  24,450,689 
Other Assets Less Liabilities – 6.0%  1,563,363 

Total Net Assets – 100.0%  26,014,052 

 
See notes to financial statements.   

 

11

G A M    P A C I F I C   B A S I N   F U N D  /   S T A T E M E N T   O F   I N V E S T M E N T S

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GAM Pacific Basin Fund

 


GEOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS AS AT
31ST DECEMBER, 2004 (UNAUDITED)
Picture -- c34874_ncsrx12x1
INVESTMENT ANALYSIS AS AT
31ST DECEMBER, 2004 (UNAUDITED)
Picture -- c34874_ncsrx12x2

 

12

G A M    P A C I F I C   B A S I N   F U N D  /   S T A T E M E N T   O F   I N V E S T M E N T S

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GAM Europe Fund
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FUND MANAGEMENT

Picture -- c34874_ncsrx13x1 John Bennett is the Investment Director responsible for Europe-an markets. Mr Bennett heads a team of four European equity specialists, running long only and long/short strategies. Prior to joining GAM in 1993, he was a Senior Fund Manager at Ivory & Sime responsible for Continental European equity portfolios. He qualified in 1986 as a Member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers in Scotland.

The Fund’s investment objective is to seek long-term capital appreciation, generally through investment in equity securities issued by companies in Europe. However, if the Fund determines that the long-term capital appreciation of debt securities may equal or exceed the return on equity securities, it may be substantially invested in debt securities of companies and governments, their agencies and instrumentalities. Any income realized by the Fund on its investments will be incidental to its goal of long-term capital appreciation.

Investments in securities of foreign issuers involve additional risks and expenses including currency rate fluctuations, political and economic instability, foreign taxes and different accounting and reporting standards.

REPORT TO SHAREHOLDERS (UNAUDITED)

THE FACTS – CLASS A SHARES

      GAM      
      Europe      
      Class A (after     Average 
    GAM  maximum   MSCI  1 Month 
    Europe  sales load   Europe  Deposit 
    Class A  of 5.50%)    Index  Rate 
           
31 December, 2004  US$ 13.03  US$ 13.79   1,377.95   






    %  %   %  % 







Quarter to December, 2004  15.72  9.35   15.95  0.50 






Jan – December, 2004  22.71  15.96   21.39  1.36 






AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS:         






5 years to December, 2004  2.32  1.17   0.42  2.95 






10 years to December, 2004  10.05  9.43   10.93  4.26 






Since inception    6.17  5.77   9.60  4.57 








Performance is calculated on a total return basis. Class A inception was on 1st January, 1990, Class B on 26th May, 1998 and Class C on 20th May, 1998. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future performance. The investment return and principal value of an investment will fluctuate so that an investor’s shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost.

 

13

G A M    E U R O P E   F U N D  /   F U N D   M A N A G E M E N T

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GAM Europe Fund

 


Picture -- c34874_ncsrx14x1

NOTE: The graph compares the performance results of a hypothetical $10,000 investment in Class A and a comparable index. The performance of Class A is shown after adjustment to reflect the maximum sales load, which is waived for certain investors. The performance of the index does not reflect brokerage commissions and other expenses that would be incurred to acquire a comparable portfolio of securities. The performance tables and graphs do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the redemption of Fund shares.

 

 

 


Sources used are the net asset value of the Fund which is computed daily, The Financial Times and Morgan Stanley Capital International.

The MSCI Europe Index is a market value weighted, unmanaged index of the weighted share prices of companies listed on the stock exchanges of Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. The combined market capitalization of these companies represents approximately 60% of the aggregate market value of the stock exchanges of the above 15 countries. The percentage change in the value of the index includes dividends reinvested.

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURN – CLASS A

Picture -- c34874_ncsrx14x2

ANNUAL PERFORMANCE – CLASS A

Picture -- c34874_ncsrx14x3

    GAM    
    Europe    
    Class A (after    
  GAM   maximum   MSCI  
  Europe   sales load   Europe  
  Class A   of 5.50 %)  Index  
Year  %   %   %  







 
2000  4.61   (1.14 )  (8.14 ) 







 
2001  (21.29 )  (25.62 )  (19.64 ) 







 
2002  (15.36 )  (20.02 )  (18.09 ) 







 
2003  31.11   23.90   39.14  







 
2004  22.71   15.96   21.39  








 

14

G A M    E U R O P E   F U N D  /   R E P O R T   T O   S H A R E H O L D E R S

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THE FACTS – CLASS B SHARES

      GAM     
      Europe    Average 
    GAM  Class B  MSCI  1 Month 
    Europe  (with deferred  Europe  Deposit 
    Class B  sales charge)  Index  Rate 
         
31 December, 2004  US$ 12.42    1,377.95   





    %  %  %  % 






Quarter to December, 2004  15.53  10.53  15.95  0.50 





Jan – December, 2004  21.76  16.76  21.39  1.36 





AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS:         





3 years to December, 2004  9.73  8.89  11.43  1.41 





5 years to December, 2004  1.36  0.99  0.42  2.95 





Since inception*    1.52  1.52  2.66  3.54 







THE FACTS – CLASS C SHARES

      GAM Europe     Average 
    GAM   Class C   MSCI  1 Month 
    Europe   (with deferred   Europe  Deposit 
    Class C   sales charge)   Index  Rate 
           
31 December, 2004  US$ 10.98     1,377.95   







    %   %   %  % 








Quarter to December, 2004  14.61   13.61   15.95  0.50 







Jan – December, 2004  17.81   16.81   21.39  1.36 







AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS:         







3 years to December, 2004  6.85   6.85   11.43  1.41 







5 years to December, 2004  (0.56 )  (0.56 )  0.42  2.95 







Since inception*    (0.04 )  (0.04 )  2.96  3.54 








* Inception was on 26th May, 1998 for Class B shares and 20th May, 1998 for Class C shares. 

EXPENSE DISCLOSURE

HYPOTHETICAL $1,000 INVESTMENT

As a shareholder of the Fund, you can incur two types of costs: (1) transaction costs, including sales charges on purchase payments; and (2) ongoing costs, including management fees and other fund expenses. This disclosure is intended to help you understand your ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in the Fund and to compare these costs with the ongoing costs of investing in other mutual funds. The disclosure is based on an investment of $1,000 invested at the beginning of the period and held for the entire period from 1st July, 2004 to 31st December, 2004.

The first line in the table below provides information about actual account values and actual expenses. You may use the information in this line, together with the amount you invested, to estimate the expenses that you paid over a period.

The second line in the table below provides information about hypothetical account values and hypothetical expenses based on the Fund’s actual expense ratio and an assumed rate of return of 5% per year before expenses, which is not the Fund’s actual return. The hypothetical account values and expenses may not be used to estimate the actual ending account balance or expenses you paid for the period. You may use this information to compare the ongoing costs of investing in the Fund and other funds by comparing this 5% hypothetical example with the 5% hypothetical examples of other funds in this report or elsewhere.

Please note that the expenses shown in the table are meant to highlight your ongoing costs only and do not reflect any transactional costs, such as sales charges. If these transactional costs were included, your costs would have been higher.

      Beginning  Ending  Expenses Paid 
      Account Value  Account Value  During Period* 
      1st July 2004  31st Dec 2004  7/1/04-12/31/04 








Class A 
  Actual 
$1,000.00 
$1,185.80 
$13.96 






    Hypothetical 
    (Annualized 5% 
    return before expenses) 
1,000.00 
1,012.37 
12.85 








Class B 
  Actual 
$1,000.00 
1,181.70 
$17.60 






    Hypothetical 
    (Annualized 5% 
    return before expenses) 
1,000.00 
1,009.00 
16.21 








Class C 
  Actual 
$1,000.00 
$1,159.50 
$34.80 






    Hypothetical 
    (Annualized 5% 
    return before expenses) 
1,000.00 
992.91 
32.11 









*      Expenses are equal to the Fund’s annualized expense ratio of 2.54%, 3.21% and 6.41% for Class A, Class B and Class C, respectively, multiplied by the average account value over the period, multiplied by 184 divided by 366 (to reflect the one-half year period).
 

THE COMMENT

The Fund’s Class A NAV rose by 22.71% during the year ended 31st December, 2004. This compares with a rise of 21.39% for the benchmark MSCI Europe index.

The Fund’s main sector overweight was in the oil industry. This was driven by our belief that Europe’s oil majors that represented good value at a time of supportive supply/demand conditions. The decision, together with strong performance by stocks such as Imerys and Vinci, contributed to the Fund’s outperformance.

Measured by indices, European equities spent a large part of the year doing very little, before sparking to life in the final 3-4 months. This latter move has been ascribed to factors such as a clear result in the US election as well as a respite from rising oil prices. Perhaps less widely discussed is the effect of liquidity, which seems to us to remain highly supportive.

While such macro influences inevitably hog the headlines in the money management business, providing as they do the quick route to the easy soundbite, Europe is undergoing changes which arguably have greater long-term meaning for the equity investor. The nettle of corporate restructuring is being grasped ever more firmly, often by the least likely converts. In this context, the Fund increased its weighting in Germany during the year as we identified a growing number of recovery candidates. In the financial sector, holdings such as Allianz, Commerzbank and Hypovereinsbank encapsulate this view. The Fund ended the year with 20% of its assets in German equities. We are encouraged to see a growing appetite for German assets among non-German investors, notably in the private equity world. This stands in stark contrast to the apathy of domestic investors, who have perhaps not come to terms with the bursting of the equity bubble in 2000.

At the sector level, our overweight position on oil was joined by the telecoms and insurance sectors, where we now employ substantial overweights. The telecoms sector—in which Telecom Italia Mobile performed well—is favoured for its cash flow and valuation while, in insurance, we perceive good value as well as an improving supply/demand situation. Oil, telecoms and insurance together comprise some 50% of the Fund’s assets.

 

15

G A M    E U R O P E   F U N D  /   R E P O R T   T O   S H A R E H O L D E R S

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GAM Europe Fund

 


STATEMENT OF INVESTMENTS AS AT 31ST DECEMBER, 2004

      MARKET 
      VALUE 
HOLDINGS    DESCRIPTION  US$ 




EQUITIES – 99.4%   
    BELGIUM – 2.9%   
14,475    AGFA Gevaert  489,123 
*4,430    Belgacom  190,715 
500    Fortis Group  13,775 
3,970    UCB  201,010 
1,240    Umicore  116,251 
*1,780    Umicore-Strip VVPR  241 

      1,011,115 

    DENMARK – 1.2%   
7,545    Den Danske Bank  230,336 
4,000    TDC A/S  168,702 

      399,038 

    FRANCE – 14.9%   
10,165    Bouygues  467,887 
*5,780    Cap Gemini  184,356 
*2,815    Compagnie Generale de Geophysique  193,406 
8,580    Credit Agricole  257,866 
11,600    France Telecom  382,551 
23,765    Havas  135,127 
5,790    Lagardere Groupe  416,224 
*15,070    PagesJaunes  364,172 
*26,300    SES Global (FDR)  341,807 
*6,000    Societe des Autoroutes Paris-Rhin-Rhone  361,058 
12,620    Suez  335,207 
5,125    Total S.A.  1,114,973 
10,535    Veolia Environnement  379,805 
*5,815    Vivendi Universal  184,921 

      5,119,360 

    GERMANY – 19.0%   
4,150    Allianz (Registered)  548,343 
7,035    Bayer  237,528 
*22,000    Bayerische Hypo-Vereinsbank  497,386 
5,655    Bayerische Motoren Werke  254,171 
4,265    Bilfinger Berger  174,662 
*32,900    Commerzbank  675,227 
5,745    Deutsche Bank  508,032 
11,800    Deutsche Post  269,975 
*8,015    Deutsche Postbank  352,648 
*17,065    Deutsche Telekom (Registered)  384,658 
4,130    E.ON  374,945 
*2,580    Freenet  66,189 
5,850    Fresenius  545,115 
9,180    Hochtief  298,145 
2,755    Metro  151,016 
5,840    MobilCom  132,033 
1,180    Muenchener Rueckversicherung   
       (Registered)  144,492 
3,620    Schering  269,591 
2,920    Siemens  246,594 
*12,150    Software (Registered)  391,478 

      6,522,228 

    ITALY – 9.2%   
4,280    Assicurazioni Generali  144,683 
17,800    Enel  174,226 
35,920    ENI  895,737 
21,000    RAS  473,072 
32,000    Snam Rete Gas  185,416 
164,580    Telecom Italia RNC  532,512 
87,630    TIM  652,484 
20,600    Unicredito Italiano  117,967 

      3,176,097 

    NETHERLANDS – 15.6%   
4,255    Akzo Nobel  180,762 
12,500    Fortis Group  344,711 
*78,025    Getronics  177,459 
6,570    IHC Caland  415,727 
9,840    ING Groep  296,534 
13,300    Koninklijke Wessanen  170,152 
47,200    KPN  446,657 
6,195    Philips  163,626 
39,315    Royal Dutch Petroleum  2,254,064 
14,550    Telegraaf Holdings  359,485 
2,870    Unilever  191,667 
5,500    Van Lanschot  358,892 

      5,359,736 

    NORWAY – 1.8%   
2,270    Norsk Hydro  178,178 
27,480    Statoil  429,587 

      607,765 

    SPAIN – 2.6%   
10,370    Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria  183,208 
10,500    Repsol YPF  272,358 
22,800    Telefonica  427,812 

      883,378 

    SWEDEN – 1.8%   
72,300    Skandia Forsakrings  358,957 
20,635    Skanska AB  246,838 

      605,795 

    SWITZERLAND – 6.3%   
7,590    Clariant  122,060 
4,194    Credit Suisse Group (Registered)  175,692 
*840    Leica Geosystems (Registered)  257,657 
905    Nestle (Registered)  235,956 
6,920    Novartis (Registered)  347,501 
3,035    Roche Holding Genussscheine  348,172 
*1,150    Swiss Life Holding  166,798 
4,880    Swiss Reinsurance (Registered)  346,845 
*1,020    Zurich Financial Services  169,486 

      2,170,167 

    UNITED KINGDOM – 24.1%   
44,100    Aviva  530,646 
18,640    BG Group  126,432 
16,015    BHP Billiton  187,335 
120,800    BP  1,175,811 
344,800    BT Group  1,341,128 
39,300    Compass Group  185,428 
23,500    Daily Mail & General Trust A  334,102 
176,000    Friends Provident  519,326 
11,190    Gallaher Group  169,702 
30,430    GlaxoSmithKline  712,492 
*13,400    IP2IPO Group  167,787 
250,000    Legal & General  526,914 
18,970    Lloyds TSB Group  171,924 
41,700    National Grid Transco  396,300 
51,150    Prudential  443,967 
117,000    Royal & Sun Alliance Insurance  173,738 
51,120    Somerfield  154,024 
37,000    Tate & Lyle  335,151 
236,000    Vodafone Group  638,715 

      8,290,922 

Total Equities (Cost $27,529,310)  34,145,601 


 

16

G A M    E U R O P E   F U N D  /  S T A T E M E N T   O F   I N V E S T M E N T S

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Picture -- c34874_ncsrx1x1

 


 

      MARKET  
      VALUE  
HOLDINGS 
 
DESCRIPTION 
US$  





PREFERRED SHARES – 0.8%   
    GERMANY – 0.8%   
450   
Porsche Pfd 
286,024  


Total Preferred Shares (Cost $278,963)  286,024  


Total Investments (Cost $27,808,273) – 100.2%  34,431,625  
Liabilities in Excess of Other Assets – (0.2%)  (67,011 ) 


Total Net Assets – 100.0%  34,364,614  


 
* Non-income producing security.   
See notes to financial statements.   

 

GEOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS AS AT
31ST DECEMBER, 2004 (UNAUDITED)
Picture -- c34874_ncsrx17x1
INVESTMENT ANALYSIS AS AT
31ST DECEMBER, 2004 (UNAUDITED)
Picture -- c34874_ncsrx17x2

 

17

G A M    E U R O P E   F U N D  /  S T A T E M E N T   O F   I N V E S T M E N T S

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GAM American Focus Fund

 


FUND MANAGEMENT

Picture -- c34874_ncsrx18x1 James Abate, an Investment Director based in New York, runs equity funds concentrated on the large-capitalisation segment of the US market. Prior to joining GAM, Mr Abate served as Managing Director and Portfolio Manager with responsibility for Credit Suisse Asset Management's US Select Equity portfolios and global sector funds. He holds a BS in Accounting from Fairleigh Dickinson University, an MBA in finance from St. John's University and is a Certified Public Accountant and Chartered Financial Analyst. Mr Abate is the co-author of the book Focus on Value as well as a contributing author to several other financial texts and is a member of the Editorial Board of The Journal of Portfolio Management.

The Fund’s investment objective is to seek long-term capital appreciation, generally through investment in equity securities of selected large and mid-capitalization North American companies. However, if the Fund determines that the long-term capital appreciation of debt securities may equal or exceed the return on equity securities, it may be substantially invested in debt securities of companies and governments, their agencies and instrumentalities. Any income realized by the Fund on its investments will be incidental to its goal of long-term capital appreciation.

REPORT TO SHAREHOLDERS (UNAUDITED)

THE FACTS – CLASS A SHARES

      GAM      
      American Focus      
      Class A (after     Average 
    GAM   maximum   S&P   1 Month 
  American Focus   sales load   Comp   Deposit 
    Class A   of 5.50%)   Index   Rate 
               
31 December, 2004  US$ 14.65   US$ 15.50   1,211.92    








    %   %   %   % 









Quarter to December, 2004  7.09   1.20   9.22   0.50 








Jan – December, 2004  1.48   (4.10 )  10.90   1.36 








AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS:         








5 years to December, 2004  (1.87 )  (2.97 )  (2.31 )  2.95 








10 years to December, 2004  10.47   9.85   12.06   4.26 








Since inception    9.18   8.77   10.93   4.57 










Performance is calculated on a total return basis. Class A inception was on 1st January, 1990, Class B on 26th May, 1998 and Class C on 7th July, 1998. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future performance. The investment return and principal value of an investment will fluctuate so that an investor’s shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost.

 

18

G A M    A M E R I C A N   F O C U S   F U N D  /   F U N D   M A N A G E M E N T

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Picture -- c34874_ncsrx19x1

NOTE: The graph compares the performance results of a hypothetical $10,000 investment in Class A and a comparable index. The performance of Class A is shown after adjustment to reflect the maximum sales load, which is waived for certain investors. The performance of the index does not reflect brokerage commissions and other expenses that would be incurred to acquire a comparable portfolio of securities. The performance tables and graphs do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the redemption of Fund shares.

 

 

 

 


Sources used are the net asset value of the Fund which is computed daily, The Financial Times and Datastream.

The Standard and Poor’s Composite Index is an unmanaged weighted index of the stock performance of 500 industrial, transportation, utility and financial companies. The percentage change in the value of the index includes dividends reinvested.

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURN – CLASS A

Picture -- c34874_ncsrx19x2

ANNUAL PERFORMANCE – CLASS A

Picture -- c34874_ncsrx19x3
    GAM    
    American Focus    
    Class A (after   Standard  
  GAM   maximum   & Poor’s  
  American Focus   sales load   Composite  
  Class A   of 5.50%)   Index  
Year  %   %   %  







 
2000  (1.46 )  (6.88 )  (9.10 ) 







 
2001  (5.94 )  (11.11 )  (11.89 ) 







 
2002  (22.10 )  (26.38 )  (22.12 ) 







 
2003  24.19   17.36   28.64  







 
2004  1.48   (4.10 )  10.90  








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G A M    A M E R I C A N   F O C U S  F U N D  /   R E P O R T   T O   S H A R E H O L D E R S

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GAM American Focus Fund

 


THE FACTS – CLASS B SHARES

      GAM      
      American Focus     Average 
    GAM   Class B   S&P   1 Month 
  American Focus   (with deferred   Comp   Deposit 
    Class B   sales charge)   Index   Rate 
             
31 December, 2004  US$ 14.00     1,211.92    








    %   %   %   % 









Quarter to December, 2004  6.79   1.79   9.22   0.50 








Jan – December, 2004  0.72   (4.28 )  10.90   1.36 








AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS:         








3 years to December, 2004  (1.50 )  (2.50 )  3.57   1.41 








5 years to December, 2004  (2.72 )  (3.06 )  (2.31 )  2.95 








Since inception*    0.45   0.45   3.07   3.54 









THE FACTS – CLASS C SHARES

      GAM      
      American Focus     Average 
    GAM   Class C   S&P   1 Month 
  American Focus   (with deferred   Comp   Deposit 
    Class C   sales charge)   Index   Rate 
             
31 December, 2004  US$ 13.47     1,211.92    








    %   %   %   % 









Quarter to December, 2004  5.98   4.98   9.22   0.50 








Jan – December, 2004  (0.59 )  (1.58 )  10.90   1.36 








AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS:         








3 years to December, 2004  (2.06 )  (2.06 )  3.57   1.41 








5 years to December, 2004  (3.12 )  (3.12 )  (2.31 )  2.95 








Since inception*    (1.14 )  (1.14 )  2.25   3.50 









* Inception was on 26th May, 1998 for Class B shares and 7th July, 1998 for Class C shares. 

EXPENSE DISCLOSURE

HYPOTHETICAL $1,000 INVESTMENT

As a shareholder of the Fund, you can incur two types of costs: (1) transaction costs, including sales charges on purchase payments; and (2) ongoing costs, including management fees and other fund expenses. This disclosure is intended to help you understand your ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in the Fund and to compare these costs with the ongoing costs of investing in other mutual funds. The disclosure is based on an investment of $1,000 invested at the beginning of the period and held for the entire period from 1st July, 2004 to 31st December, 2004.

The first line in the table below provides information about actual account values and actual expenses. You may use the information in this line, together with the amount you invested, to estimate the expenses that you paid over a period.

The second line in the table below provides information about hypothetical account values and hypothetical expenses based on the Fund’s actual expense ratio and an assumed rate of return of 5% per year before expenses, which is not the Fund’s actual return. The hypothetical account values and expenses may not be used to estimate the actual ending account balance or expenses you paid for the period. You may use this information to compare the ongoing costs of investing in the Fund and other funds by comparing this 5% hypothetical example with the 5% hypothetical examples of other funds in this report or elsewhere.

Please note that the expenses shown in the table are meant to highlight your ongoing costs only and do not reflect any transactional costs, such as sales charges. If these transactional costs were included, your costs would have been higher.

      Beginning  Ending  Expenses Paid 
      Account Value  Account Value  During Period* 
      1st July 2004 
31st Dec 2004
7/1/04-12/31/04 






Class A 
  Actual 
$1,000.00 
$985.40 
$8.88 






    Hypothetical 
    (Annualized 5% 
    return before expenses) 
1,000.00 
1,016.19 
9.02 








Class B 
  Actual 
$1,000.00 
$981.10 
$12.55 






    Hypothetical 
    (Annualized 5% 
    return before expenses) 
1,000.00 
1,012.47 
12.75 








Class C 
  Actual 
$1,000.00 
$971.20 
$17.89 






    Hypothetical 
    (Annualized 5% 
    return before expenses) 
1,000.00 
1,006.99 
18.21 









*      Expenses are equal to the Fund’s annualized expense ratio of 1.78%, 2.52% and 3.61% for Class A, Class B and Class C, respectively, multiplied by the average account value over the period, multiplied by 184 divided by 366 (to reflect the one-half year period).
 

THE COMMENT

The year 2004 witnessed continued strength in the US stock market and tangible assets, in general. In terms of market-based indicators, physical commodities and commodity-related equities reached multi-year highs during the year as the dollar fell sharply and reflationary stimulus continued in the US. Given the continued reflation, there was a strong investor preference for companies with a high concentration in physical assets. Consistent with this backdrop, the top performing S&P sectors were energy, utilities, telecommunications and industrials. Meanwhile, stable growth stocks such as consumer staples and health care as well as technology that historically have high intangible or excess return generating assets and that demonstrated real growth – units as opposed to nominal or price-driven growth – under performed the S&P 500 Composite Index.

The Fund under performed the S&P 500 Composite Index for the year mainly due to our bias away from the better performing sectors and over-weightings in health care and information technology stocks. Despite the sector impact, stocks that positively contributed to performance included telecommunications company Sprint PCS Corp., biotechnology company Biogen Idec and defense contractor Raytheon Corp. The largest detractors from relative performance included pharmaceutical companies Merck and Pfizer as safety issues arose concerning COX-2 drugs, as well as consumer staple company Coca-Cola.

Despite the rise in areas of the stock market that have benefited from reflation due to continued stimulus, we believe there is overwhelming evidence of increasing inflation pressures that should result in the Federal Reserve continuing its tightening cycle for longer than the market currently anticipates. Clearly, holding a higher real interest rate view since mid-year and positioning the Fund away from stocks within industries that benefit from the existing macro backdrop hurt performance. Further supporting our bias from a bottoms-up perspective, we see risks from emerging poor capital discipline in many of these reflation driven sectors, driven by belief by many of the companies in the persistence of peak returns on capital for longer than seems to be justified according to historical evidence. Rather than shift our portfolio to reflect the sectoral momentum in the market at this point, we remain steadfast in our strategy of protecting the portfolio against the risks associated with an expected change in Federal Reserve actions based upon the current market-based evidence of inflation including a falling dollar and low real interest rates. Despite our concerns, we continue to see opportunities from a stock picking standpoint and remain cautiously bullish on equities in general. Attributes in stocks that we find opportunistic from both a fundamental and valuation perspective are market share leadership, size, dividend yield and historically less sensitivity to interest rate changes. We are finding good companies with very attractive valuations in the health care, staples and technology sectors.

20

G A M    A M E R I C A N   F O C U S  F U N D  /   R E P O R T   T O   S H A R E H O L D E R S

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STATEMENT OF INVESTMENTS AS AT 31ST DECEMBER, 2004

      MARKET   
      VALUE   
HOLDINGS    DESCRIPTION  US$   





EQUITIES – 98.8%     
    CAPITAL GOODS – 4.3%     
13,000    Northrop Grumman  706,680   
17,600    Raytheon  683,408   
9,300    United Technologies  961,155   

 
      2,351,243   

 
    COMMERICIAL SERVICES &     
     SUPPLIES – 1.1%     
15,400    Deluxe  574,882   

 
      574,882   

 
    CONSUMER DURABLES &     
     APPAREL – 1.6%     
27,800    Tiffany & Company  888,766   

 
      888,766   

 
   
DIVERSIFIED FINANCIALS – 4.0%
   
23,800    Citigroup  1,146,684   
20,900    State Street  1,026,608   

 
      2,173,292   

 
    ENERGY – 5.4%     
11,000    BP ADR  642,400   
*26,900    Oil Service Holders Trust  2,288,383   

 
      2,930,783   

 
   
FOOD & STAPLES RETAILING – 2.1%
   
29,200    Sysco  1,114,564   

 
      1,114,564   

 
    FOOD, BEVERAGE & TOBACCO – 15.2%     
18,700    Altria Group  1,142,570   
21,000    Anheuser-Busch Companies  1,065,330   
17,600    Campbell Soup  526,064   
55,800    Coca-Cola  2,322,954   
18,600    General Mills  924,606   
24,500    PepsiCo  1,278,900   
14,800    Wm Wrigley Jr.  1,024,012   

 
      8,284,436   

 
    HEALTH CARE EQUIPMENT &     
     SERVICES – 1.9%     
20,700    Medtronic  1,028,169   

 
      1,028,169   

 
    HOTELS, RESTAURANTS &     
     LEISURE – 1.3%     
22,800    McDonald’s  730,968   

 
      730,968   

 
    HOUSEHOLD & PERSONAL     
     PRODUCTS – 2.5%     
26,600    Colgate-Palmolive  1,360,856   

 
      1,360,856   

 
    INSURANCE – 3.3%     
12,300    American International Group  807,741   
30,100    Marsh & McLennan  990,290   

 
      1,798,031   

 
    MATERIALS – 5.5%     
22,300    Du Pont de Nemours  1,093,815   
30,200    MeadWestvaco  1,023,478   
12,700    Weyerhaeuser  853,694   

 
      2,970,987   

 
    MEDIA – 7.6%   
40,900    Clear Channel Communications  1,369,741  
24,200    Dow Jones & Company  1,042,052  
18,000    Tribune  758,520  
26,900    Viacom B  978,891  

 
      4,149,204  

 
    PHARMACEUTICALS &   
     BIOTECHNOLOGY – 16.1%   
48,900    Bristol-Myers Squibb  1,252,818  
19,000    Eli Lilly  1,078,250  
25,900    Johnson & Johnson  1,642,578  
*1    Medco Health Solutions  42  
44,000    Merck  1,414,160  
85,000    Pfizer  2,285,650  
25,800    Wyeth  1,098,822  

 
      8,772,320  

 
    RETAILING – 3.1%   
31,600    Wal-Mart Stores  1,669,112  

 
      1,669,112  

 
    SEMICONDUCTORS &   
     SEMICONDUCTOR   
     EQUIPMENT – 12.9%   
*63,100    Applied Materials  1,079,010  
67,700    Intel  1,583,503  
*12,600    KLA-Tencor  586,908  
23,900    Linear Technology  926,364  
*115,300    Micron Technology  1,423,955  
*29,000    Novellus Systems  808,810  
*36,000    Teradyne  614,520  

 
      7,023,070  

 
    SOFTWARE & SERVICES – 2.3%   
*274,900    i2 Technologies  189,681  
39,600    Microsoft  1,057,716  

 
      1,247,397  

 
    TECHNOLOGY HARDWARE &   
     EQUIPMENT – 3.8%   
*56,200    Cisco Systems  1,084,660  
*67,800    EMC  1,008,186  

 
      2,092,846  

 
    TELECOMMUNICATION   
     SERVICES – 4.8%   
*45,300    AT&T Comcast  1,507,584  
*86,200    RF Micro Devices  589,608  
13,200    Verizon Communications  534,732  

 
      2,631,924  

 
Total Equities (Cost $52,302,255)  53,792,850  

 
 
TIME DEPOSITS – 3.5%   
    GRAND CAYMAN – 3.5%   
1,872,388    HSBC Bank   
       1.60%, 2005-01-03  1,872,388  

 
Total Time Deposits (Cost $1,872,388)  1,872,388  

 
Total Investments (Cost $54,174,643) – 102.3%  55,665,238  
Liabilities in Excess of Other Assets – (2.3%)  (1,229,464 ) 

 
Total Net Assets – 100.0%  54,435,774  

 

* Non-income producing security.
Glossary:
ADR – American Depositary Receipt
See notes to financial statements.

21

G A M    A M E R I C A N   F O C U S  F U N D  /   S T A T E M E N T   O F   I N V E S T M E N T S

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GAM American Focus Fund

 


GEOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS AS AT
31ST DECEMBER, 2004 (UNAUDITED)
Picture -- c34874_ncsrx22x1
INVESTMENT ANALYSIS AS AT
31ST DECEMBER, 2004 (UNAUDITED)
Picture -- c34874_ncsrx22x2
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G A M    A M E R I C A N   F O C U S  F U N D  /   S T A T E M E N T   O F   I N V E S T M E N T S

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GAMerica Capital Fund
Picture -- c34874_ncsrx1x1

 


FUND MANAGEMENT

Picture -- c34874_ncsrx23x1 Gordon Grender is an Investment Adviser to certain GAM US equity funds. He has been associated with GAM since 1983 and is a Director of GAM International Management Limited. Mr Grender has been actively involved in fund management in North American stock markets since 1974. Between 1964 and 1990, he was also associated with London stockbrokers, Kitcat & Aitken. He is based in London.


The Fund’s investment objective is to seek long-term capital appreciation, generally through investment in equity securities issued by companies in the United States. However, if the Fund determines that the long-term capital appreciation of debt securities may equal or exceed the return on equity securities, it may be substantially invested in debt securities of companies and governments, their agencies and instrumentalities. Any income realized by the Fund on its investments will be incidental to its goal of long-term capital appreciation.

REPORT TO SHAREHOLDERS (UNAUDITED)

THE FACTS – CLASS A SHARES

      GAMerica      
      Capital      
      Class A (after     Average 
    GAMerica  maximum   S&P   1 Month 
    Capital  sales load   Comp   Deposit 
    Class A  of 5.50%)   Index   Rate 
             
31 December, 2004  US$ 23.75  US$ 25.13   1,211.92    







    %  %   %   % 








Quarter to December, 2004  12.47  6.29   9.22   0.50 







Jan – December, 2004  0.10  (5.41 )  10.90   1.36 







AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS:       






3 years to December, 2004  3.58  1.65   3.57   1.41 







5 years to December, 2004  2.93  1.77   (2.31 )  2.95 







Since inception    12.84  12.18   10.86   4.19 









Performance is calculated on a total return basis. Class A inception was on 12th May, 1995, Class B and Class C on 26th May, 1998. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future performance. The investment return and principal value of an investment will fluctuate so that an investor’s shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost.

23

G A M E R I C A   C A P I T A L   F U N D  /   F U N D   M A N A G E M E N T

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GAMerica Capital Fund

 


Picture -- c34874_ncsrx24x1

NOTE: The graph compares the performance results of a hypothetical $10,000 investment in Class A and a comparable index. The performance of Class A is shown after adjustment to reflect the maximum sales load, which is waived for certain investors. The performance of the index does not reflect brokerage commissions and other expenses that would be incurred to acquire a comparable portfolio of securities. The performance tables and graphs do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the redemption of Fund shares.

 

 

 

 


Sources used are the net asset value of the Fund which is computed daily, The Financial Times and Datastream.

The Standard and Poor’s Composite Index is an unmanaged weighted index of the stock performance of 500 industrial, transportation, utility and financial companies. The percentage change in the value of the index includes dividends reinvested.

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURN – CLASS A

Picture -- c34874_ncsrx24x2

ANNUAL PERFORMANCE – CLASS A

Picture -- c34874_ncsrx24x3
    GAMerica    
    Capital    
    Class A (after   Standard  
  GAMerica   maximum   & Poor’s  
  Capital   sales load   Composite  
  Class A   of 5.50%)   Index  
Year  %   %   %  







2000  6.54   0.68   (9.10 ) 







 
2001  (2.42 )  (7.79 )  (11.89 ) 







 
2002  (18.64 )  (23.12 )  (22.12 ) 







 
2003  36.47   28.96   28.64  







 
2004  0.10   (5.41 )  10.90  








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G A M E R I C A   C A P I T A L  F U N D  /   R E P O R T   T O   S H A R E H O L D E R S

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THE FACTS – CLASS B SHARES

      GAMerica      
      Capital     Average 
    GAMerica   Class B (with   S&P   1 Month 
    Capital   deferred   Comp   Deposit 
    Class B   sales charge)   Index   Rate 
             
31 December, 2004  US$ 23.04     1,211.92    








    %   %   %   % 









Quarter to December, 2004  12.31   7.31   9.22   0.50 








Jan – December, 2004  (0.57 )  (5.41 )  10.90   1.36 








AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS:        







3 years to December, 2004  2.87   1.91   3.57   1.41 








5 years to December, 2004  2.24   1.87   (2.31 )  2.95 








Since inception*    6.33   6.33   3.07   3.54 










THE FACTS – CLASS C SHARES

      GAMerica      
      Capital     Average 
    GAMerica   Class C   S&P   1 Month 
    Capital   (with deferred   Comp   Deposit 
    Class C   sales charge)   Index   Rate 
             
31 December, 2004  US$ 22.84     1,211.92    








    %   %   %   % 









Quarter to December, 2004  12.26   11.26   9.22   0.50 








Jan – December, 2004  (0.66 )  (1.63 )  10.90   1.36 








AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS:        







3 years to December, 2004  2.83   2.83   3.57   1.41 








5 years to December, 2004  2.18   2.18   (2.31 )  2.95 








Since inception*    6.20   6.20   3.07   3.54 










* Inception was on 26th May, 1998 for Class B and Class C shares.

EXPENSE DISCLOSURE

HYPOTHETICAL $1,000 INVESTMENT

As a shareholder of the Fund, you can incur two types of costs: (1) transaction costs, including sales charges on purchase payments; and (2) ongoing costs, including management fees and other fund expenses. This disclosure is intended to help you understand your ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in the Fund and to compare these costs with the ongoing costs of investing in other mutual funds. The disclosure is based on an investment of $1,000 invested at the beginning of the period and held for the entire period from 1st July, 2004 to 31st December, 2004.

The first line in the table below provides information about actual account values and actual expenses. You may use the information in this line, together with the amount you invested, to estimate the expenses that you paid over a period.

The second line in the table below provides information about hypothetical account values and hypothetical expenses based on the Fund’s actual expense ratio and an assumed rate of return of 5% per year before expenses, which is not the Fund’s actual return. The hypothetical account values and expenses may not be used to estimate the actual ending account balance or expenses you paid for the period. You may use this information to compare the ongoing costs of investing in the Fund and other funds by comparing this 5% hypothetical example with the 5% hypothetical examples of other funds in this report or elsewhere.

Please note that the expenses shown in the table are meant to highlight your ongoing costs only and do not reflect any transactional costs, such as sales charges. If these transactional costs were included, your costs would have been higher.

    Beginning  Ending  Expenses Paid 
    Account Value  Account Value  During Period* 
    1st July 2004  31st Dec 2004  7/1/04-12/31/04 









Class A 
  Actual   
$1,000.00 
$1,036.80 
$9.42 







  Hypothetical 
  (Annualized 5% 
  return before expenses) 
1,000.00 
1,015.89 
9.32 









Class B 
  Actual   
$1,000.00 
$1,033.40 
$12.93 







  Hypothetical 
  (Annualized 5% 
  return before expenses) 
1,000.00 
1,012.42 
12.80 









Class C 
  Actual   
$1,000.00 
$1,032.70 
$13.39 







  Hypothetical 
  (Annualized 5% 
  return before expenses) 
1,000.00 
1,011.97 
13.25 










*      Expenses are equal to the Fund’s annualized expense ratio of 1.84%, 2.53% and 2.62% for Class A, Class B and Class C, respectively, multiplied by the average account value over the period, multiplied by 184 divided by 366 (to reflect the one-half year period).
 

THE COMMENT

US stock markets continued to improve in 2004 albeit at a much slower pace than in 2003. Measured by the S&P Composite Index, the Dow Jones Industrial and the NASDAQ indices, the market increased by 10.9%, 5.3% and 8.6% .

The Fund’s Class A NAV performance was very disappointing achieving a return of only 0.1% in the year ending 31st December, 2004 and underperforming its benchmark index, the S&P Composite Index by almost 11%.

Some of the best performing stocks last year were some of the worst performing this year, Neopharm, Freds and Dollar General. Retailers serving the poorest consumers were more affected by higher gasoline prices than we expected whilst Neopharm effectively lost an arbitration action against Pfizer which they were very confident of winning. The stock fell from over $20 to under $4, but following a management change recovered to $12.50 by the year end.

The drug stocks in general were particularly weak during the year and the Fund suffered from its relatively large exposure to the sector through its holdings of Merck and Pfizer.

While these substantial losses were offset to some extent by the very good performance of the energy stocks and other individual holdings, including Abraxas Petroleum and Burlington Resources, this was not enough to counteract the losses.

It is disappointing to have to report such unsatisfactory performance after the Fund had outperformed its benchmark every year since 1997, but for the 4th quarter of 2004 the Fund outperformed its benchmark by 3.25% ..

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GAMerica Capital Fund

 


STATEMENT OF INVESTMENTS AS AT 31ST DECEMBER, 2004

      MARKET   
      VALUE   
HOLDINGS    DESCRIPTION  US$   





EQUITIES – 98.4%     
    AUTOMOBILES &     
     COMPONENTS – 5.2%     
148,800    Keystone Automotive Industries  3,459,600   
5,312    LKQ  106,612   

 
      3,566,212   

 
    CAPITAL GOODS – 8.9%     
*40,000    Gerber Scientific  304,400   
*374,060    Power-One  3,336,615   
*26,400    Titan  427,680   
*40,000    Trex  2,097,600   

 
      6,166,295   

 
    CONSUMER DURABLES &     
     APPAREL – 1.6%     
*288,560    Foamex International  1,084,985   

 
      1,084,985   

 
   
DIVERSIFIED FINANCIALS – 4.7%
   
32,000    Bear Stearns Companies  3,273,920   

 
      3,273,920   

 
    ENERGY – 6.9%     
*600,000    Abraxas Petroleum  1,392,000   
77,000    Burlington Resources  3,349,500   

 
      4,741,500   

 
    FOOD, BEVERAGE &     
     TOBACCO – 4.1%     
105,000    Delta & Pine Land  2,864,400   

 
      2,864,400   

 
    HEALTH CARE EQUIPMENT &     
     SERVICES – 1.7%     
7,208    Alcon  580,965   
*797,759    Inflazyme Pharmaceuticals  145,891   
*7,800    Sierra Health Services  429,858   

 
      1,156,714   

 
    INSURANCE – 20.6%     
35,898    American International Group  2,357,422   
44,000    Chubb  3,383,600   
41,500    Infinity Property & Casualty  1,460,800   
122,500    Scottish Re Group  3,172,750   
50,000    XL Capital A  3,882,500   

 
      14,257,072   

 
    MEDIA – 0.1%     
*40,000    Edgar Online  61,600   

 
      61,600   

 
    PHARMACEUTICALS &     
     BIOTECHNOLOGY – 11.5%     
68,000    Merck  2,185,520   
*267,825    Neopharm  3,350,491   
46,200    Pfizer  1,242,318   
27,200    Wyeth  1,158,448   

 
      7,936,777   

 
    REAL ESTATE – 4.3%     
*43,000    Education Management  1,419,430   
57,000    Maguire Properties  1,565,220   

 
      2,984,650   

 
    RETAILING – 22.4%   
36,000    Best Buy  2,139,120  
*107,632    Conn’s  1,810,370  
123,000    Dollar General  2,554,710  
200,077    Fred’s A  3,481,340  
185,000    United Auto Group  5,474,150  

 
      15,459,690  

 
    SEMICONDUCTORS &   
     SEMICONDUCTOR EQUIPMENT – 0.8%   
*20,000    Advanced Power Technology  154,800  
*25,000    AMIS Holdings  413,000  

 
      567,800  

 
    SOFTWARE & SERVICES – 1.7%   
*50,000    Retalix  1,093,000  
*100,000    Serviceware Technologies  58,000  

 
      1,151,000  

 
    TELECOMMUNICATION   
     SERVICES – 0.0%   
*†#408    Globalstar Base Creditor  2,959  
*†#396    Globalstar Series A  2,095  
*†#49    Globalstar Total Release  355  
*†#87,000    Worldcom  870  
*†#3,480    Worldcom – MCI Group  35  

 
      6,314  

 
    TRANSPORTATION – 2.4%   
*100,000    USA Truck  1,700,000  

 
      1,700,000  

 
    UTILITIES – 1.5%   
62,537    Williams Companies  1,018,728  

 
      1,018,728  

 
Total Equities (Cost $51,896,029)  67,997,657  

 
 
TIME DEPOSITS – 1.9%   
    NASSAU – 1.9%   
1,270,916    Citibank (Nassau)   
       1.60%, 2005-01-03  1,270,916  

 
Total Time Deposits (Cost $1,270,916)  1,270,916  

 
Total Investments (Cost $53,166,945) – 100.3%  69,268,573  
Liabilities in Excess of Other Assets – (0.3%)  (174,660 ) 

 
Total Net Assets – 100.0%  69,093,913  

 

*    Non-income producing security. 
    Illiquid security. 
#    Fair valued security. 
 
See notes to financial statements. 

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G A M E R I C A   C A P I T A L  F U N D  /   S T A T E M E N T   O F   I N V E S T M E N T S

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GEOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS AS AT
31ST DECEMBER, 2004 (UNAUDITED)
Picture -- c34874_ncsrx27x1
INVESTMENT ANALYSIS AS AT
31ST DECEMBER, 2004 (UNAUDITED)
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G A M E R I C A   C A P I T A L  F U N D  /   S T A T E M E N T   O F   I N V E S T M E N T S

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GAM Gabelli Long/Short Fund

 


FUND MANAGEMENT

Picture -- c34874_ncsrx28x1 Mario J. Gabelli, CFA, is Chairman of Gabelli Asset Management, Inc., a mutual fund investment adviser and holding company for Gabelli Asset Management Company (GAMCO Investors, Inc.), a money management subsidiary; Gabelli Funds, LLC, a mutual fund investment advisor; Gabelli Fixed Income, LLC; and Gabelli & Company, Inc., a broker/dealer, investment research subsidiary. Mr Gabelli began his career in 1967 as an analyst with the investment banking firm of Loeb, Rhoades & Co. before joining research firm William D Witter in 1975. In 1977, he formed Gabelli & Company, Inc. Mr Gabelli is a member of the New York Society of Security Analysts, a graduate of Fordham University and received an MBA from Columbia University Graduate School of Business. He holds an Honorary Doctorate Degree from Roger Williams University.

 

The Fund’s investment objective is to seek long-term capital appreciation, generally through investment in equity securities of selected large, mid, and small-capitalization North American companies. Under normal conditions, the Fund will have both long and short positions in equity securities, primarily common stocks. However, if the Fund determines that the long-term capital appreciation of debt securities may equal or exceed the return on equity securities, it may be substantially invested in debt securities of companies and governments, their agencies and instrumentalities. Any income realized by the Fund on its investments will be incidental to its goal of long-term capital appreciation.

REPORT TO SHAREHOLDERS (UNAUDITED)

THE FACTS – CLASS A SHARES

    GAM      
    Gabelli      
    Long/Short      
  GAM   Class A (after     Average 
  Gabelli   maximum   S&P   1 Month 
  Long/Short   sales load   Comp   Deposit 
  Class A   of 5.50%)   Index   Rate 
               
31 December, 2004  US$ 9.12   US$ 9.65   1,211.92    








  %   %   %   % 








Quarter to December, 2004  10.41   4.34   9.22   0.50 








Jan – December, 2004  10.28   4.21   10.90   1.36 








AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS:        







2 years to December 2004  11.54   8.43   19.44 `  1.26 








Since inception  (3.49 )  (5.58 )  6.98   1.35 

Performance is calculated on a total return basis. Class A, B and C inception was on 29th May, 2002. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future performance. The investment return and principal value of an investment will fluctuate so that an investor’s shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost.

28

G A M    G A B E L L I   L O N G / S H O R T   F U N D  /   F U N D   M A N A G E M E N T

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NOTE: The graph compares the performance results of a hypothetical $10,000 investment in Class A and a comparable index. The performance of Class A is shown after adjustment to reflect the maximum sales load, which is waived for certain investors. The performance of the index does not reflect brokerage commissions and other expenses that would be incurred to acquire a comparable portfolio of securities. The performance tables and graphs do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the redemption of Fund shares.

 

 

 


Sources used are the net asset value of the Fund which is computed daily, The Financial Times and Datastream.

The Standard and Poor’s Composite Index is an unmanaged weighted index of the stock performance of 500 industrial, transportation, utility and financial companies. The percentage change in the value of the index includes dividends reinvested.

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURN – CLASS A

Picture -- c34874_ncsrx29x2

ANNUAL PERFORMANCE – CLASS A

Picture -- c34874_ncsrx29x3
    GAM Gabelli    
    Long/Short    
    Class A    
    (after   Standard & 
  GAM Gabelli  maximum   Poor’s 
  Long/Short  sales load   Composite 
  Class A  of 5.50%)   Index 
Year  %  %   % 





2003  12.82  6.62   28.64 





2004  10.28  4.21   10.90 






29

G A M    G A B E L L I   L O N G / S H O R T  F U N D  /   R E P O R T   T O   S H A R E H O L D E R S

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GAM Gabelli Long/Short Fund

 


THE FACTS – CLASS B SHARES

    GAM      
    Gabelli      
  GAM   Long/Short     Average 
  Gabelli   Class B (with   S&P  1 Month 
  Long/Short   deferred   Comp  Deposit 
  Class B   sales charge)   Index  Rate 
           
31 December, 2004  US$ 9.05     1,211.92   







  %   %   %  % 







Quarter to December, 2004  10.10   5.10   9.22  0.50 







Jan – December, 2004  9.56   4.56   10.90  1.36 







AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS:        






2 years to December, 2004  11.19   9.38   19.44  1.26 







Since inception*  (3.78 )  (4.91 )  6.98  1.35 








THE FACTS – CLASS C SHARES

    GAM      
    Gabelli      
  GAM   Long/Short     Average 
  Gabelli   Class C   S&P  1 Month 
  Long/Short   (with deferred   Comp  Deposit 
  Class C   sales charge)   Index  Rate 
           
31 December, 2004  US$ 9.04     1,211.92   







  %   %   %  % 







Quarter to December, 2004  10.11   9.11   9.22  0.50 







Jan – December, 2004  9.58   8.58   10.90  1.36 







AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS:        






2 years to December, 2004  11.21   11.21   19.44  1.26 







Since inception*  (3.82 )  (3.82 )  6.98  1.35 








EXPENSE DISCLOSURE

HYPOTHETICAL $1,000 INVESTMENT

As a shareholder of the Fund, you can incur two types of costs: (1) transaction costs, including sales charges on purchase payments; and (2) ongoing costs, including management fees and other fund expenses. This disclosure is intended to help you understand your ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in the Fund and to compare these costs with the ongoing costs of investing in other mutual funds. The disclosure is based on an investment of $1,000 invested at the beginning of the period and held for the entire period from 1st July, 2004 to 31st December, 2004.

The first line in the table below provides information about actual account values and actual expenses. You may use the information in this line, together with the amount you invested, to estimate the expenses that you paid over a period.

The second line in the table below provides information about hypothetical account values and hypothetical expenses based on the Fund’s actual expense ratio and an assumed rate of return of 5% per year before expenses, which is not the Fund’s actual return. The hypothetical account values and expenses may not be used to estimate the actual ending account balance or expenses you paid for the period. You may use this information to compare the ongoing costs of investing in the Fund and other funds by comparing this 5% hypothetical example with the 5% hypothetical examples of other