Kuala Lumpur – Manulife Investment Management (M) Berhad announced today the launch of the Manulife Asia Pacific Opportunities Fund (the “Fund”) that aims to enable investors in Malaysia to reap the benefits of Asia’s long-term structural growth stories. The Fund currently invests mainly in equities of Asia Pacific-based companies, which includes Japan & Australia, that are leading players in their industries and key contributors to the four mega trends: technology, healthcare and medical, industrials and consumption via the Allianz Global Investors Fund – Allianz Oriental Income (the “Target Fund”).
The Fund will invest at least 95% of its net asset value into the Target Fund, a Morningstar 5-star rated fund[1] that is actively managed by Allianz Global Investors GmbH (AGI). The Target Fund aims to outperform the MSCI All Countries Asia Pacific Total Return (Net) over the long term, achieving on average a 10-15% per annum return[2]. Data from Bloomberg shows the Target Fund has consistently outperformed its benchmark since inception, with a cumulative return of 309%, while the MSCI All Countries Asia Pacific Total Return (Net) recorded a return of 158%[3].
Leveraging AGI’s research platforms, strong local presence and proximity to companies and markets around Asia, the Target Fund focuses on Asia Pacific companies that demonstrate potential upside on growth, quality, and valuation, and takes a benchmark unconstrained approach to flexibly allocate across countries and sectors. It can also potentially provide downside protection through investing in fixed income or cash during volatile market conditions.
Jason Chong, CEO, Manulife Investment Management (M) Berhad said: “Technology, healthcare and medical, industrials and consumption are the key themes that will be shaping our world, and we see the investment opportunities from this structural growth to be even more prevalent in Asia. For instance, Japan stands out in the technology and industrial sectors, given the country’s strong focus on semiconductor inspection system, manufacturer of automation systems and robots; while China and Australia lead other Asian countries in the healthcare sector given the development of their innovations around medical technology and pharmaceutical science. Each country in Asia stands out for its unique capabilities and geographical advantages, and hence it’s important to identify the right opportunities through thorough fundamental research risk analysis.”
Ng Chze How, Head of Retail Wealth Distribution, Manulife Investment Management (M) Berhad said: “As the global economy continues to recover and major indices around the world plateauing, we believe the broad Asian equity universe has vast potential for investors in Malaysia. However, it takes an experienced investment team to discover the most appropriate themes and ideas that can help investors capture growth opportunities whilst maintaining a diversified portfolio that can withstand the test of time. By focusing on reasonably valued companies with growth potential, particularly underfollowed small- and mid-cap stocks across Asia, we believe the Fund can provide the type of stable long term returns that investors in Malaysia seek.”
The Fund is suitable for investors who seek capital appreciation, have a medium to long-term investment horizon, and wish to seek investment exposure in the Asia Pacific region.
As of 31 August 2021, the top three markets the Target Fund invests in are Japan (24.7%), Taiwan (21.2%) and China (14%). Sector wise, the top three are IT (40.6%), Healthcare (14.9%) and Industrials (14.4 %)4.
Distribution of income by the Fund, if any, is incidental. The classes that are offered for subscription by the Fund are A (USD) Class, A (RM-Hedged) Class, A (AUD-Hedged) Class and A (SGD-Hedged) Class. The Fund is now available for subscription through HSBC Bank Malaysia Berhad.
For more information about the Manulife Asia Pacific Opportunities Fund, please visit manulifeinvestment.com.my.
