Martin Currie launches Asia Pacific real income fund

Martin Currie has launched a unique Asia Pacific Real Income Strategy fund, which gives investors exposure to real assets, with better returns and lower volatility than the broader equity market.

The fund manager said real assets were tangible building blocks of the economy that most of us used every day and were growing in demand amid low economic growth, high debt levels and low interest rates.

The Asia Pacific Real Income Strategy fund would be available to investors from 28 June 2016, through Legg Mason's Dublin domiciled ICVC fund platform (Legg Mason Martin Currie Asia Pacific Ex-Japan Real Income Fund) or via a segregated mandate.

The manager, an investment affiliate of Legg Mason global asset management, said the Asian fund would build on the success and heritage of the Australian-based investment team, as a listed real asset specialist.

Their highly rated Martin Currie Australian Real Income Strategy fund offered 34 per cent less volatility than the broader market, and outperformed the index with an eight per cent dividend return (compared to five per cent).

Asia Pacific ex-Japan was one of the fastest growing regions in the world, which had an expanding population with increasing incomes. That was leading to higher levels of consumption, increased urbanisation and increased real asset demand, according to Martin Currie.

The firm's Asia Pacific real income portfolio manager, Andrew Chambers, said: "[They invested in assets growing off] the key drivers of real asset returns, namely urban population growth, price growth and asset expansion".