Nine out of the top 10 most viewed products in the region are equity funds, seven of which invest in global markets, according to data collected by Evestment, which include views from consulting firms, corporate and public pensions, family offices and sovereign wealth funds.
Aberdeen Standard Investments’ Asian Fixed Income Fund — the only fixed income fund on the list — was the most viewed product during the first half in the region. The ASI product was not on Evestment’s most viewed list for the full year 2018.
Top 10 most viewed products in Asia (ex-Japan) (1H 2019)
| Most Viewed Product’s Firm Name | Most Viewed Product |
| Aberdeen Standard Investments | Asian Fixed Income |
| Aberdeen Standard Investments | Emerging Markets Equity |
| Longview Partners (Guernsey) Limited | Longview Partners – Equity Total Return (Unhedged) |
| GQG Partners LLC | GQG Global Equity |
| Jupiter Fund Management Plc | Global Equity Value (Ben Whitmore/Dermot Murphy) |
| Veritas Asset Management LLP | Veritas Global Focus Fund |
| GQG Partners LLC | GQG International Equity |
| Dodge & Cox | Dodge & Cox Global Equity |
| Ardevora Asset Management | Ardevora Global Long-only Equity |
| AQR Capital Management LLC | Emerging Markets Equity |
Source: Evestment
The results are surprising, as a majority of investors in the region, such as Hong Kong and Taiwan, have preferred fixed income products over equity and mixed-asset funds.
Peter Laurelli, global head of research at Evestment, noted that viewership is not necessarily an indication of positive or negative asset flows.
“It is simply an indication of interest towards products and interest can represent many functions. The users on Evestment’s platform may already be invested in the products being viewed and may be doing peer comparisons or quarterly due diligence,” he said.
Separately, the firm also provided a list of the most viewed firms for the first half of 2019. ASI, Blackrock and Schroders were the top three most viewed asset managers among Asia (ex-Japan) investors.
Most viewed firms in Asia (ex-Japan) (1H 2019)
| Firm Name | Firm’s Most Viewed Product |
| Aberdeen Standard Investments | Asian Fixed Income |
| BlackRock | Dynamic Diversified Growth |
| Schroder Investment Management Limited | QEP Global Core |
| Wellington Management Company LLP | China Opportunities |
| AQR Capital Management LLC | Emerging Markets Equity |
| Dimensional Fund Advisors LP | All Country ex US All Cap Value Strategy |
| JP Morgan Investment Management Inc. | JPM GEM Diversified |
| Goldman Sachs Asset Management | International Equity Insights with Country Tilts |
| State Street Global Advisors | Global Valuation Tilted |
| Morgan Stanley Investment Management | Advantage |
Source: Evestment
ASI’s Asian fixed income product versus its sector in Singapore
