Aiming for capital growth, these funds invest predominantly in larger companies. Where funds in the Major Market range invest regionally, allocation of assets is mainly driven by the range and attractiveness of individual stocks in each country, although political, economic and currency factors will also be taken into account. The Fund does not invest in Japan but may invest in any other Asian and Pacific stockmarkets including the smaller regional markets. Market weightings tend to fluctuate around index weightings. The fund focuses primarily on medium to larger sized companies.
Emphasis is placed on companies with superior earnings growth.
The fund invests mainly in companies which are likely to benefit from social and economic trends. Research is undertaken to examine social attitudes, legislative actions, economic plans, product innovation, demographics and other factors to learn what underlying trends are shaping the market-place. Success is based on anticipating these trends before they become common market knowledge and investing in companies which benefit from them. Shares are chosen in companies which have lower market valuations than others in the same sector and which can demonstrate improving profits growth. The manager aims to minimise the volatility of the fund relative to the index.