Nicholas Hadow, the firm’s director of business development, said in the statement that the firm’s multi-asset products offer low volatility and avoid complex derivatives. The funds invest in areas such as catastrophe bonds, aircraft leasing and corporate loans, which are accessed via closed-end structures.
By launching the products, the firm intends to meet demand from investors looking for yield and new sources of return amid mixed signals over the effect of a potential roll-back of quantitative easing and rising interest rates, according to the statement.
The two funds were first launched in Europe in 2015.
Besides the multi-asset funds, the firm launched two bond funds and one equity fund.
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New Aberdeen funds in Singapore |
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Aberdeen Global – Australian Dollar Income Bond Fund |
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Aberdeen Global – Multi Asset Growth Fund |
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Aberdeen Global – Multi Asset Income Fund |
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Aberdeen Global – North American Smaller Companies Fund |
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Aberdeen Global – Select Emerging Markets Bond Fund |
Source: Aberdeen Asset Management
The manager of the two multi-asset funds is Mike Brooks, Aberdeen AM’s head of diversified multi-asset strategies, based in Edinburgh.
Irene Goh, who joined the firm in May last year as its Hong Kong-based head of multi-asset solutions for Asia, has been building local teams to manage regional assets, according to the statement.
“We think the market for multi-asset investments is still in its infancy despite billions having already been raised in the region,” Goh said in the statement. “Investors are keen to find more stable sources of return,” she added.
A majority of fund managers surveyed by Boston-based research firm Cerulli Associates indicated they would promote mixed asset funds in both Hong Kong and Singapore. So far this year, Asian currency bond funds and mixed-asset income funds have raised the most money in new fund launches in the region.
Aberdeen AM is promoting the new multi-asset funds in Singapore through a marketing campaign, including advertisements in MRT stations, according to the firm’s spokesperson.
The multi-asset funds, as well as the Australian bond fund, are currently available in Hong Kong, for sale to professional investors only, the spokesperson added.
The US small cap equity and emerging markets bond funds were launched for retail sale in Hong Kong in 2013 and 2001, respectively, according to the firm’s website.
