Zenith grants recommended ratings to Bell AM



Global equities boutique manager, Bell Asset Management (BAM) has announced that its two funds, the Bell Global Emerging Companies Fund and Bell Global Equities Fund (Platform), have been awarded with ‘recommended’ ratings in inaugural reviews from Zenith.
Bell’s chief investment executive, Ned Bell, said that increasing concerns over global equity market volatility saw both retail and institutional investor interest in BAM’s active strategies, including the BAM Global Small and Mid-Cap (SMID) strategy.
“Passive investment strategies have served investors well over the last nine year but now, with volatility returning to the market, we are seeing to pivot to active investment,” he said.
The Bell Global Equities Platform fund has delivered a one-year net return of 14.18 per cent, outperforming its benchmark, the MSCI World ex Australia Index, as of 31 October, 2018.
The Bell Global Emerging companies Fund produced a return of 14.54 per cent and similarly outperformed its benchmark, the MSCI World SMID Cap Index, by 9.03 per cent in the same time frame, the firm said.
“In our view, Global SMID offers the best comparative upside and downside capture and provides a way for investors to diversity their mega and large cap exposure,” Bell said.
Recommended for you
At least two-thirds of ETF flows are understood to be driven by intermediaries, according to Global X, as net flows into Australian ETFs spike 97 per cent in the first half of 2025.
Inflows for the first half of 2025 for GQG Partners stand at US$8 billion, but the firm has flagged fund underperformance could be a headwind for future flows.
BlackRock has announced its plan to acquire real estate investment firm ElmTree Funds which will be integrated into its new private financing solutions business.
With share price growth of 45 per cent for FY25, Australian Ethical has shared why it believes the firm has done so well compared to its active peers.