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Michel Fryszman Joins BNPP AM as Head of Structured Finance

Michel Fryszman has been appointed as Head of Structured Finance within BNPP AM‘s Private Debt & Real Asset Group. He is based in Paris and reports to Laurent Gueunier, Head of Real Assets, SME Lending & Structured Finance.

He joined on 15 January and in this new role, he is responsible for the management of BNPP AM’s structured finance team, composed of five professionals. In a memo Funds Society had access to, Gueunier asked her team to “join me in welcoming Michel to BNPP AM and in wishing him the best of success in his new position”, and mentioned that “he will supervise the design and implementation of European private securitisation strategies and speciality finance assets including consumer loans, residential mortgage loans and trade finance”.

Fryszman’s professional experience spans mortgage finance, asset management and securitisation. He joined BNPP AM from AXA Investment Managers where he had worked since 2005, initially as an ABS portfolio manager, before becoming Head of ABS Investments in 2008 and Head of Mortgages & Specialty Finance in 2014. His previous roles include being a securitisation specialist at Groupe GTI and portfolio manager at Crédit Foncier. He has also acted as a securitisation consultant to the World Bank.

Why Should the Spanish Equity Stand Out in 2018?

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With the beginning of the year comes the process of scrutinising equities, one of the most common classes of assets. This scrutiny is a fundamental exercise for any analyst, manager, financial intermediary or investor. The analysis of the cycle, expected profits, dividend yields and the interpretation of multiples. In absolute and relative terms, these are some of the instruments we use to try to decipher the intrinsic value of a company or market.

So, while cautious of falling into what in 1991 was named “home bias” by French and Poterba (upon determining that share portfolios of American investors were comprised of 94% American companies despite the fact that the US represented just 48% of the global equities market at that time), if we analyse the Ibex for a moment, we can say that 2018 may be the year for looking out “from behind closed doors”.

The Ibex is beginning a new season after a relatively poor performance and in spite of market expectations, which paves the way for attractive valuations (12-month forward P/E relative to Eurostoxx 50 below 25 year average).
With ROEs on a par with European companies, the low yield on the Spanish market compared with the Eurostoxx does not respond to fundamentals. In other words, Spain offers the same level of ROE as the European market (approximately 8%) at a much lower price to book value.
The correlation between expected 12-month profits and the performance of the Ibex has been practically at an all-time low since the summer (when political uncertainty was more influential). This could cause an anticipated re-rating, which we may see with publication of business earnings in the fourth quarter.
Despite the good momentum of businesses and generalised deleveraging, profits per share on the Ibex remain below pre-crisis levels, which demonstrates the vast amount of ground still to be made up in terms of the valuations of Spanish companies.
The negative impact suffered by Spanish companies due to currency movements in 2017, which was an unquestionably strong year for the euro, is not expected to be repeated to such an extent in 2018.
Expected dividend yield for the current year is only exceeded by the FTSE100 (based on European indices, the S&P500 and the Nikkei225).

Although the negative impact of political uncertainty in the Spanish market was undeniable in 2017 and even though these concerns have not dissipated, the current scenario of recovery for the Spanish economy is obvious and it is gaining traction. This should act to soften the blow in the event of renewed mistrust that may manifest itself as falls in the market:

1) Growth prospects for the coming years are the highest in the Eurozone. Furthermore, growth is now healthier and more balanced, as the construction sector is losing weight and tilting the commercial scales towards tourism and an increasingly thriving domestic demand.

2) The competitiveness of the Spanish economy is demonstrated by the harmonised growth of net exports since 2010. This has been possible thanks to the containment of unit labour costs and the normalisation of availability and credit cost at similar rates to Germany and France (Fitch indicated in October that credit to businesses had stopped falling for the first time in six years).

3) The positive dynamic in employment creation, which still has a long way to go, demonstrates the still considerable potential for growth in internal demand.

4) Catalonia, which represents over 20% of Spanish GDP, drops 4 decimals per quarter since the political uncertainty began. This represents a reduction of the national GDP of 20% of this 1.6% in annual loss. In spite of this not insignificant figure, the negative impact of the tension seems to be under control nationally.

Alongside all of these factors, if we also consider the tailwind from greater confidence in the recovery of the Eurozone – which we are now seeing in yields on bonds and the euro, the macroeconomic policies underpinning growth that are still clearly in place and expansion in step with global economic principles (let’s not forget that 36% of Ibex revenue comes from emerging countries) – the domestic market is satisfying many of the requirements to perform adequately in 2018.

Column by Pilar Arroyo, a manager of funds and multi-asset SICAVs at Banco Alcalá, Crèdit Andorrà Financial Group Research.

Mark Mobius Announces Plans to Retire from Franklin Templeton Investments

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Franklin Templeton Investments announced that after more than 30 years with Franklin Templeton, Mark Mobius, Ph.D. has announced his plans to retire from the company on January 31, 2018.

“There is no single individual who is more synonymous with emerging markets investing than Mark Mobius. My colleagues and I are deeply grateful to have had the opportunity to work alongside a legend, and we thank Mark for his many years of dedicated service and tremendous contributions to the firm,” said Chairman and CEO Greg Johnson.

“Mark has been an investor through historically transformational times in emerging markets and later frontier markets. Over the last three decades, Mark has built a team of talented research analysts and portfolio managers around the world, and has generously shared his experiences with an audience that spans the globe. We wish him all the very best in his future endeavors, as we do not expect retirement will slow him down very much,” Johnson continued.

Mobius has spent more than 40 years working in emerging markets all over the world. He was hired by the late Sir John Templeton in 1987 to launch one of the first mutual funds dedicated to emerging markets.

Mobius oversaw Templeton’s emerging markets team from 1987 to 2016.

Mobius commented, “I feel very fortunate to have spent most of my career at Franklin Templeton Investments. I have had the great privilege of working with an emerging markets team that includes some of the most talented and passionate people in the business, a number of whom have been with me for decades. I leave with great confidence in the Templeton Emerging Markets team and leadership at Franklin Templeton.”

Over the past several years, Franklin Templeton has evolved its emerging markets equity investment team structure, and succession planning for Templeton Emerging Markets Group (TEMG) has been a key component in that process. In early 2016, Stephen Dover, CFA was named chief investment officer of TEMG. Mobius transitioned the day-to-day management of the group to Dover and day-to-day management of the funds to other senior members of TEMG.

As Mobius transitioned away from managing the team and management of the funds over the past couple of years, he has continued to share his insights and perspectives with the Templeton team and the market at large. Most recently, Mobius’ primary responsibility has been focused on serving as an external spokesperson for the group, sharing macro views on emerging markets.

“Mark was instrumental in building the very experienced bench of investment talent within our emerging markets team, and he is leaving the various emerging markets funds and strategies launched under his leadership in very capable hands,” said Dover. “We do not expect Mark’s retirement to cause any disruption to our clients, and Templeton Emerging Market Group’s time-tested philosophy and disciplined approach will remain the same.” Templeton Emerging Markets Group has approximately 50 experienced investment professionals in 20 offices and over US$28 billion in assets under management as of September 30, 2017

Campbell Fleming (Aberdeen Standard Investments): “The LatAm and US Offshore business is a strategic priority”

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Five months after the completion of the merger between Aberdeen Asset Management and Standard Life plc, an operation that has created a giant in the investment sector and which has probably been the largest in Europe in recent years, Aberdeen Standard Investments, with the help of Campbell Fleming, the firm’s Global Head of Distribution, and Menno de Vreeze, Head of Business Development of International Wealth Management, gathered about 70 industry professionals at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Miami to discuss investment opportunities in emerging markets.

The event was attended by Brett Diment, Head of Global Emerging Market Debt, and Nick Robison, Senior Investment Manager of Global Emerging Market Equities Investments. In addition, given investors’ growing interest in the renegotiations of the NAFTA agreement, Dr. Rogelio Ramírez De la O, President to Ecanal, and an expert on the subject, explained his vision.

Interview with Campbell Fleming

In an interview with Funds Society, Campbell Fleming, Global Head of Distribution, who has more than 20 years of experience in the LatAm market, shared the details of the merger and the management company’s new plans for the region.
With about 593 billion pounds, approximately 775 billion dollars in assets under management, the new firm is now the twenty-fifth largest asset management company worldwide, the first in the United Kingdom and the second in Europe. An operation that the market perceived as defensive, something with which Campbell Fleming agrees, as in an environment with an incessant consolidation in the industry, the two management companies thought it was a better strategy to become one of the biggest players in the market.

“With the merger, the firm has expanded all of its capabilities in the six main asset classes, including equities, fixed income, real estate, investment solutions, alternative assets, and private markets. In each of them we are acquiring a significant size. In the equity franchise we have reached 159 billion pounds, in fixed income we exceeded 160 billion, and in the investment solutions franchise close to 150. Prior to the merger, Aberdeen had always questioned whether it was too focused on the equity business. While Standard Life was more focused on the investment solutions business and absolute return strategies. There is a minimum overlap between the initial offers of each of the management companies, being a highly complementary offer when consolidated. In addition, only 4.5% of our worldwide clients overlap.Obviously, the opportunity is based on presenting Aberdeen products to Standard Life clients or Standard Life products to Aberdeen clients. A great opportunity for us, as we can now combine the capabilities of the two firms and become a solid global company,” says Campbell.

After the consolidation, the new firm has more than 1,000 investment professionals worldwide, investment managers in 24 different offices, offers client support in 50 locations and conducts business in 80 countries. A massive presence in order to be a management company that offers a complete service and more solutions and products to investment platforms.

“The new firm has been established very quickly, soon the sales teams and the client structure were formed, and gradually the announcements of who will lead the investment teams are being made.”
According to Campbell, the US business represents 11% of the assets under management, about 82 billion dollars and about 100 professionals dedicated to the distribution of funds.

“We manage around 100 billion dollars in the United States, and we will be able to develop more business in the country with greater authority than we have in the past. We are interested in the growth of US business, both on the domestic and international sides; with the combined resources of both firms we now have enough people to do business in the US more thoroughly than we have ever done before.The LatAm and US Offshore businesses in particular, are a strategic priority for us in the medium-long term. In the United States we have offices in Philadelphia, Boston, Stamford and New York and soon we will have someone permanently based in Miami for the US Offshore team. We manage over 4 billion in this business directly, with the help of Menno de Vreeze who is responsible for the US Offshore business and Linda Cartusciello, who is in charge of the institutional side of the business in Latin America. And, indirectly, we probably manage a larger amount via other booking centres. “

Under Menno’s leadership, the private banking business and the US Offshore distribution channels have grown very fast. “We are delighted to see growth in Latin America and how investors in the region are diversifying with investments abroad. We have received a great deal of interest from frontier-market debt funds or Indian fixed-income funds, as well as equity funds, which are of great interest to all those clients who wish to diversify.”

With the regulatory changes in transparency, business has decreased in Switzerland and elsewhere in terms of client identification and bank secrecy, increasing outflows, something that Campbell perceives as an opportunity for growth in the US offshore business.

Meanwhile, in Latin America they have increased their visits particurlarly to Uruguay and Santiago to channel more business development. They also have an office in Brazil, so they are covering practically the most important points in the region. “There is not a single model for the region. Some countries are more advanced institutionally, while others are beginning to build good wholesale and private banking relationships.”

With regards to the goals that have been set for the region, Campbell says that they want to double the assets in terms of their current market share. “At this moment, between the two firms we could reach that volume and we should get it. If we could globally double the assets within the next three to five years we would be looking very healthy.”

Lastly, in the Allfunds fund platform, Aberdeen Standard Investments has experienced continuous growth, managing close to 5 billion dollars from its relations with global banks and the business of institutions and consultants. “A lot of these assets are concentrated in Europe, particularly in Spain, but the platform is starting to build in Latin America and Asia,” concludes Campbell.

The event’s agenda

The event was attended by Brett Diment, Head of Global Emerging Market Debt, who described how the macroeconomic stability of emerging markets has improved significantly in terms of nominal gross domestic product growth, the deleveraging of the private sector, the recovery in the current account balance and the moderation of inflation. He also explained how the opportunities in traditional emerging debt are in Argentina, where economic recovery supports fiscal reform, in Brazil, where economic growth is about to return after a severe crisis, in India, where India’s Reserve Bank is expected to keep interest rates at lower levels, and in Russia, where disinflation paves the way for further cuts in rates. While in frontier markets, opportunities are centered in Egypt, where government reforms have significantly reduced the primary deficit, in Ghana, where interest rates have fallen due to lower inflation, in Sri Lanka, where the increase in tourism supports the commercial account, and in Ecuador, which offers attractive valuation levels compared to other competitors in emerging markets. However, according to Diment, the greatest investment opportunities come from the Asian giant: China is narrowing its research and development spending gap with respect to the most innovative economies, Japan, Germany, the United States, and the United Kingdom. China has changed its investment structure towards a more technologically intensive one, aggressively closing the IT investment gap it has with the United States. In addition, the local Chinese debt market, the third largest debt market worldwide, is open to international investors.

Next, Nick Robison, Senior Investment Manager of Global Emerging Market Equities, recommended some caution in the short term, although the asset class continues to offer attractive valuations and seems to be enjoying a recovery in economic terms and profits. The two main reasons for raising caution in this type of assets are the normalization process of the Fed’s policy and that of the rest of the central banks, which is expected to be gradual, but may still mean a risk for the region; and the fall of growth momentum in China.

Closing the presentations, Dr. Rogelio Ramírez De la O, President of Ecanal, explained the economic repercussions for Mexico of the renegotiation of the NAFTA treaty. After 24 years of the treaty, Mexico has not been able to develop a long-term development policy to achieve a significant advantage with the signing of the treaty. In these years, the wage spread between the US and Mexico has not diminished because Mexico has not managed to increase the domestic added value in its exports to the United States. While manufacturing exports have multiplied sevenfold in the period from 1993 to 2017, the value added in production has increased only 1.8 times, there being a disconnection between the NAFTA treaty and GDP growth.

Since the NAFTA treaty is a pillar of macroeconomic stability and an indirect guarantee for investment, it is very likely that Mexico will have to make substantial concessions to the demands of the United States, as Mexico has a greater dependence on the treaty and very little margin of leverage. If Mexico makes these concessions, the peso will most likely stabilize and continue to grow after the negotiations. The main obstacle is the pace of negotiations, since there are presidential elections in Mexico in July and elections in the US Congress in November 2018.

Charitable Giving to Maximize Your Tax Benefits

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According to Raymond James & Associates SVP Lisa Detanna, the process of estate planning when it involves a gifting strategy is to give what you want, to whom you want, when you want, and how you want and if possible save on taxes and expenses.

Financial planners and investment advisors help families develop an estate plan with the client’s trusted accountant and estate lawyer that utilizes current gifting laws to be efficient when passing assets to the next generation and the charities that the individual or families are dear to.

Generally, they start with a cash flow model and retirement plan whereby they determine if the client and their family have enough to live like their highest earning income years throughout retirement. Then, they run these future cash flow models out to age 110 with rich assumptions on the expense side of the ledger and conservative assumptions on the asset to err on the side of caution.

When there is a surplus, they work with a client and their families to identify if there are heirs that the family wishes to inherit the wealth at their passing and how much. It is not an “all or none” answer and is different for every person with no right or wrong answers. If there are not for profits or charities that are important to the client, they then look at developing a gifting strategy that fits into the client’s wishes and maximizes the tax efficient benefits under current gifting laws.

There are 3 options in estate tax: Avoid the tax: give assets away before death; Pay the tax: sell assets or transfer assets; and Insure the tax: use discounted dollars to pay the tax, preserve assets and estate.

Like the slogan “death and taxes are inevitable,” estate taxes are due in cash within nine months of death and they are progressive.

Currently, one can gift US$14,000 maximum per beneficiary per year (called annual gift) without filing a gift tax return or it eating into one’s lifetime gift credit or estate tax exemption at death. In addition, one can pay educational expenses or medical expenses if directly paid to the provider. This is the simplest way to make a gift and many charities will accept highly appreciated stocks, bonds or real estate which can be tax friendly to the grantor.

If one is fortunate enough to have over the exemption gifting amount, this is where the estate planning begins. One can gift to bonafide 501(c)(3) charities the overage of the exemption amounts and if they utilize some estate planning techniques they may be able to get some tax benefits on those gift that they can benefit from while they are still alive. Of course one can also gift with any level of wealth and these gifts can be tax efficient. Always consult your accountant, financial advisor and attorney prior to making the gift so there can be a discussion on how best to do it.

“Charitable giving is important within wealthy families as it instills the concept of giving back as assets are passed from one generation to the next and helps prepare heirs to be good stewards of wealth. Involving heirs early on to prepare them to be able to handle how to help others and utilize the wealth as well as finding purpose in life by helping others through philanthropic efforts is key for a family in creating a meaningful legacy. In fact, there are a wealth of gifting strategies and changes in tax laws or regulations may occur at any time. Be sure to discuss any tax or legal matters with the appropriate professional. ” Detanna concludes.

Rebecca Crockett Joins Legg Mason as International Sales Director for Americas International

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Rebecca Crockett joined Legg Mason Global Asset Management in December as the International Sales Director for the Americas International team. Rebecca’s core responsibility will be to cover the clients in the Northeast region and she will report directly to Lars Jensen in Miami.

Prior to joining Legg Mason, Rebecca worked with Morgan Stanley for twelve years. During her time with Morgan Stanley, Rebecca held multiple sales positions within the Wealth Management and Investment Management divisions. Her previous experience includes roles as a business analyst and equity research associate covering Latin American companies. Rebecca received a Bachelor in Science from the Wake Forest University with a dual major in Spanish and Business. She holds her Masters of International Business Studies from the University of South Carolina.

Why It’s Not Too Late To Embrace Risk

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We believe the synchronized global economic expansion has plenty of room to run in 2018 and beyond—more than many investors think. We like equities and see emerging markets (EM) at an earlier stage of expansion, boding well for EM assets.

The BlackRock Growth GPS (the green line in the chart below) shows that growth among G7 countries is cruising at above-trend rates. Yet consensus expectations have largely caught up with our GPS. That catch-up helped drive risk asset gains this year but now suggests less room for upside surprises to play such a role. Sustained growth amid low market volatility should underpin risk assets—especially if many investors, fearing a near-term downturn, start to embrace the upbeat outlook.

Enlarge

We believe the broad global expansion is not as long in the tooth as many assume. See our 2018 Global Investment Outlook for more. Emerging markets are at an earlier stage of expansion and reinforcing the growth backdrop, benefiting from better trade activity and firmer commodity prices. We expect the EM world to weather any mild slowdown in China. The U.S. may soon receive a decent dose of fiscal stimulus from tax cuts. European economies are posting solid growth but have plenty of lingering spare capacity that could take years longer to absorb. The Federal Reserve is normalizing policy at a gradual pace, while other major central banks are still nurturing recoveries with stimulus.

Our conviction on the expansion’s durability, coupled with still subdued inflation and low interest rates, argues in favor of risk assets. And yet 2017 will be a tough act to follow. We believe returns in many asset classes will be more muted, even as structurally lower interest rates mean equity multiples can stay higher than in the past. We believe equities offer greater upside than credit as the cycle matures. And we see more earnings upgrades next year, though a higher base of comparison will make it harder to top expectations.

We prefer equities outside the U.S., where fuller valuations are less of a drag. We are positive on EM equities due to increasing profitability and relatively attractive valuations. In developed markets, we like tech and financials—with the latter poised to benefit from U.S. deregulation. We also see this environment as positive for the momentum style factor, albeit with potential for sharp reversals. Bottom line: We see the economic expansion—and the outperformance of risk assets—having more room to run. Read more market insights in my Weekly Commentary.

Build on Insight, by BlackRock written by Richard Turnill

Investing involves risks, including possible loss of principal.
In Latin America and Iberia, for institutional investors and financial intermediaries only (not for public distribution). This material is for educational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice or an offer or solicitation to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any shares of any fund or security and it is your responsibility to inform yourself of, and to observe, all applicable laws and regulations of your relevant jurisdiction. If any funds are mentioned or inferred in this material, such funds have not been registered with the securities regulators of Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Portugal, Spain Uruguay or any other securities regulator in any Latin American or Iberian country and thus, may not be publicly offered in any such countries. The securities regulators of any country within Latin America or Iberia have not confirmed the accuracy of any information contained herein. No information discussed herein can be provided to the general public in Latin America or Iberia. The contents of this material are strictly confidential and must not be passed to any third party.
This material is not intended to be relied upon as a forecast, research or investment advice, and is not a recommendation, offer or solicitation to buy or sell any securities or to adopt any investment strategy. The opinions expressed are as of December 2017 and may change as subsequent conditions vary. The information and opinions contained in this post are derived from proprietary and nonproprietary sources deemed by BlackRock to be reliable, are not necessarily all-inclusive and are not guaranteed as to accuracy. As such, no warranty of accuracy or reliability is given and no responsibility arising in any other way for errors and omissions (including responsibility to any person by reason of negligence) is accepted by BlackRock, its officers, employees or agents. This post may contain “forward-looking” information that is not purely historical in nature. Such information may include, among other things, projections and forecasts. There is no guarantee that any forecasts made will come to pass. Reliance upon information in this post is at the sole discretion of the reader.
©2017 BlackRock, Inc. All rights reserved. BLACKROCK is a registered trademark of BlackRock, Inc., or its subsidiaries in the United States or elsewhere. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.
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Casellas, Bernal and Vilchis Join Vanguard Mexico

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Vanguard continues to grow in Mexico. The firm that last summer hired Juan Manuel Hernandez to lead its business in Mexico as the company expands its efforts to meet local investors’ needs for low-cost and broadly diversified investment products, has hired three new sales employees.

Denise Casellas joins as Sales Consultant, while Guillermo Vilchis and Pablo Bernal join as Sales Executives. Juan Manuel Hernandez told Funds Society: “I am delighted that Denise, Guillermo, and Pablo are joining Vanguard to bring the Vanguard way of investing to Mexican investors. Their deep knowledge and expertise will serve our clients well.”

Denise Casellas joins Vanguard most recently from SURA Asset Management where she spent the last year as a Product Specialist. Before SURA, she spent almost 4 years at Santander Asset Management and earlier in her career, she worked for UBS Wealth Management and Prudential Financial. Denise holds a BS in Finance from ITESM, has a Banking and Finance Diploma from IEB Spain and is a Certified Financial Advisor per the Mexican AMIB.

Guillermo Vilchis joins Vanguard most recently from Citigroup´s Mexico broker dealer, Citibanamex where he spent the last 4 years as an equity sales trader. Previously, he spent 7 years at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. Guillermo holds a BS in Industrial Engineering from Universidad Iberoamericana and an MBA from ITAM. He is also a certified Mexican stock exchange trader and holds FINRA Series 7 Certification.

Pablo Bernal joins Vanguard from Sherpa Capital, a boutique asset management firm specialized in Mexican equities where he spent the last 5 years as an Associate Portfolio Manager. Previously, Pablo worked at BlackRock´s iShares, the United Nations, and Deloitte. Pablo holds a BA in Public Accounting and Finance from ITAM and is a CFA Chart holder.

Vanguard, the world’s second-largest ETF provider, offers 65 US-domiciled ETFs in Mexico.

Beamonte Investments Committed 1 Billion Mexican Pesos to Axman Holdings

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Beamonte Investments, has committed 1 billion mexican pesos over the next two years to Axman Holdings, a diversified company focused on manufacturing investments in Canada and Mexico.

Axman Holdings is a new company looking to take advantage of the arbitrage of NAFTA with the current geo-political situation focusing on distressed manufacturing companies in Canada and Mexico. Axman will be headquartered in Mexico City with offices in Toronto, Ontario.

Eliminating the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which was crafted by former President Bill Clinton and enacted in 1994, was a frequent Trump campaign promise. The deal was intended to eliminate most trade tariffs between the three nations, increase investment, and tighten protection and enforcement of intellectual property. U.S. manufacturing exports to Canada and Mexico, the United States’ two largest export markets, increased 258 percent under the agreement.

“Building on Beamonte’s expertise in analyzing and managing performance risk, we believe Axman Holdings will offer many incumbents the ability to modernize their plant operations and equipment in order to become more institutional, efficient and Profitable,” said Luis Felipe Trevino, Senior Managing Director at Beamonte Investments and Chairman of the Board of Axman Holdings.

BlackRock Expands Asian Equity Range with High Conviction China Fund

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BlackRock has expanded its Asian equity fund range by launching the BlackRock Global Funds (BGF) China Flexible Equity Fund. The Fund is designed to enable a growing number of investors seeking to access opportunities in both onshore (A-shares) and offshore (H-shares, Red-chips, P-chips, American Depositary Receipts [ADRs], etc.) Chinese equity markets without having the need to allocate to two separate strategies.

Funds investing in China often focus solely on offshore equities, with onshore Chinese equities – namely China A-Shares – severely under-owned by global investors due to historic market restrictions on foreign investment.

The BGF China Flexible Equity Fund is managed under a flexible approach, and invests across A-Shares and Chinese offshore equities, market capitalisation, sectors and factors. It seeks to take advantage of the nuances in the Chinese equity markets, including valuation differences between markets, factors which work favourably in different market cycles, or sector specific opportunities. The Fund is a long-only, fundamentals-driven and concentrated portfolio, investing in between 20 and 50 companies from a universe of over 3,300 onshore and 1,000 offshore stocks.

The BGF China Flexible Equity Fund is managed by Helen Zhu, Head of Chinese Equities at BlackRock, and is supported by a team of 10 dedicated China-focused research analysts based in Hong Kong and Shanghai.

Zhu said: “Chinese equities have been demonstrating higher sector return dispersions, offering active stock pickers a rich investment universe. Dynamic, vibrant and now more accessible than ever before, we believe Chinese equities offer investors an attractive opportunity to invest in the transformation of this huge country. The Fund aims to blend the best opportunities, taking advantage of the nuances in the Chinese equity markets. Through flexible allocation, the Fund can invest across the full range of market capitalization and Chinese stocks listed globally, whether they are listed in mainland China, Hong Kong, the US or elsewhere.”

Michael Gruener, Head of EMEA Retail at BlackRock, added: “Backed by the world’s largest population, the second largest economy and an increasingly sustainable growth path, Chinese equity markets are a rich hunting ground for investors. Most funds investing in China still tend to focus solely on offshore equities, meaning investors are missing out on hundreds of potential investments. Through this fund, we are giving clients the opportunity to access both mainland and offshore Chinese equity markets with one flexible strategy.”