Income Funds are perceived as defensive; investors believe this means compromising on potential upside. Income funds in fact are not a compromise and can outperform pure growth funds. The key to this is to understand the management style.
First State and Aberdeen have dominated the Asian and Emerging Market Retail Investment Market. The managers are now looking to limit new money coming into their funds as they have grown in assets to a level that limits investment options.
We have identified a number of talented fund managers who we can turn to as replacements. One of the funds is run by Liontrust. The Asian Strategy is new to Liontrust (launched 2012) but the team have a track record stretching back to 1993.
The managers adopt a multi-cap strategy, although currently they favour small and mid-cap companies. The focus is on the ability for companies to grow and deliver a sustainable dividend. Since launch it has significantly out-performed its benchmark.