Australia's leading information resource for the investment professional
 
   Home   |   Blue Book   |   Archives   |   Companies/Funds   |   Careers   |   Subscribe/Advertise   |   Super Review  
Search Site


Blue Book
Funds Management
Superannuation
Master Trusts
Financial Planning
Compliance and Consulting
Custodial Services
Research
Information Technology
Human Resources
Government and Industry
Media and Marketing
Exchanges

News

New Indian fund to list

John Wilkinson
 
A new Indian fund is being launched later this month as a listed investment company (LIC) on the ASX.

The Indian Equities Fund is in the process of being registered with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, said chief executive officer John Pereira.

Melbourne-based Olympus Funds Management will administer the fund in Australia, but major Indian financial services company Kotak Mahindra will handle the investment strategy.

“There are a lot of people who want exposure to Indian equities, both retail and institutional, but traditionally it has been very difficult to invest directly,” Pereira said.

“We decided to choose an (Indian) internal investment manager, which was Kotak, to overcome these difficulties.”

Pereira said when his company was looking at Indian managers they wanted somebody with international experience. Kotak worked in joint ventures with Goldman Sachs until 2006.

“We wanted a good track record of joint ventures and good investment performance,” he said.

The investment style of the fund will be conservative, with 80 per cent of the portfolio invested in blue chip stocks.

The remaining investment will be in mid-cap stocks to provide some growth for the fund.

“These mid-cap stocks will deliver good results, and many of them grow into large cap stocks,” he said.

Australian LICs have not been popular investment choices since many delivered mediocre returns a few years ago.

Pereira said he looked at two LICs listed on the New York Stock Exchange and looked at how they had achieved good investor returns.

“I looked at Blackstone and Morgan Stanley, and these LICs traded at a 99 per cent premium over a 10-year period,” he said.

“To make this fund attractive to investors, we will offer a stapled option with each share and offer a buy-back of shares if the fund falls 10 per cent below the benchmark.”

Pereira said these two features were a direct response to concerns financial planners had about the performance of the fund.

“We will also offer a dividend re-investment plan to encourage investors to stay in the fund long-term,” he said.





1 March 2007

print this article...


Related articles by company
• Sandhurst decision ends Fincorp orders
• ASIC deterrence becomes credible
• Sentry shortens SoA
• Adviser charged with market manipulation
• Unlisted investments face closer oversight
• ASIC breakthrough on Hong Kong regulation
More ...

Todays other News
• Aussie equities fundamentals still sound
• Blue Sky gives wing to Lenard’s
• Changing financial landscape
• Omega Global Investors appoints operations head
• Small fry using tax havens – ATO


Related articles by topic
• ING/ANZ bring new product to market
• Macquarie Prime targets direct retail traders
• Product News: May 3, 2007
• Securitor to provide Torque to business development
• Product News: April 26, 2007


Home |  Advertising |  Disclaimer |  Contact Us |  About Us |  Feedback |  Privacy Policy

Copyright © Reed Business Information. All material on this site is subject to copyright. All rights reserved. No part of this material may be reproduced, translated, transmitted, framed or stored in a retrieval system for public or private use without the written permission of the publisher.

eNewsletter

enter email to register
Resources
In-depth Reports
Industry Links
Diary
Product News
Add this site to My Favourites