Fifteen of the top 20 most viewed funds in 2017 on Evestment Advantage, the firm’s mutual fund research platform, are focused on global equities. The remaining are also equity funds focused on Australia, Japan and emerging markets. One multi-asset fund made it on the list.
Top reviewed products by institutional investors and consultants in Asia-Pacific
| Rank | Product Name | Primary Universe | Asset Class |
| 1 | Veritas Asset Management LLP: Veritas Global Focus Fund | Global large cap core equity | Equity |
| 2 | MFS Investment Management: MFS Global Equity | Global all cap core equity | Equity |
| 3 | Baillie Gifford & Co: Long Term Global Growth | Global all cap growth equity | Equity |
| 4 | Artisan Partners Limited Partnership: Artisan Global Value | Global all cap value equity | Equity |
| 5 | GQG Partners LLC: GQG Global Equity | Global all cap growth equity | Equity |
| 6 | Pzena Investment Management, LLC: Pzena Global Focused Value | Global large cap value equity | Equity |
| 7 | Walter Scott & Partners Limited: Global Strategy | Global all cap growth equity | Equity |
| 8 | Sands Capital Management, LLC: Global Growth | Global large cap growth equity | Equity |
| 9 | Black Creek Investment Management Inc.: Black Creek Global Equity | Global all cap core equity | Equity |
| 10 | Allan Gray Australia Pty Limited: Allan Gray Australia Equity Fund | Australian equity shares – long only | Equity |
| 11 | Causeway Capital Management LLC: Causeway Global Value Equity | Global all cap value equity | Equity |
| 12 | Sustainable Growth Advisers, LP: Flagship Global Growth Equity | Global large cap growth equity | Equity |
| 13 | Marathon Asset Management LLP: Japan Equity | Japan all cap core equity | Equity |
| 14 | Morgan Stanley Investment Management: Global Franchise | Global large cap core equity | Equity |
| 15 | Orbis Investments: Orbis Global Equity | Global all cap core equity | Equity |
| 16 | American Century Investments: Global Growth (MSCI World) | Global large cap growth equity | Equity |
| 17 | Sanders Capital, LLC: Global Value | Global large cap value equity | Equity |
| 18 | Stewart Investors: Stewart Investors Global Emerging Markets Leaders Strategy | Global emerging markets large cap core equity | Equity |
| 19 | Fulcrum Asset Management: Fulcrum Diversified Absolute Return Strategy (DAR) | Diversified growth funds | Balanced/Multi-Asset |
| 20 | Lindsell Train Ltd: Japanese Equity | Japan all cap value equity | Equity |
Source: Evestment Note: The top reviewed products list is based on the total number of consultant and institutional investor reviews of products on the platform. Institutional investors include academic institutions, corporate pensions, endowment funds, family offices, foundations, hedge fund of funds, insurance firms, public pension schemes, sovereign wealth funds and superannuation funds. For these lists, the firm excludes the reviews made by asset managers, hedge funds, investment banks, private banks, venture capital firms and other client types.
On reason why global equity funds gained a lot of viewership last year is they are catching up in terms of performance or in some cases outperforming against US and European equity funds, according to Hans Jiang, head of Asia-Pacific at Evestment.
Global equity funds also offer broader diversification than single country or region equities, supporting the view that investors are concerned about volatility and looking for ways to mitigate expected downside.
“Institutional investors are increasingly looking to diversify their current equity portfolios away from US and European equities to balance their portfolios and manage risk,” Jiang said.
In addition, increasing interest rates, which do not bode well for US treasuries or government fixed income investments, are having an impact on what investors in Asia are screening, he said.
In terms of screening, returns frequently are not the first thing investors and consultants look for, according to Jiang.
“Returns play a role in the final decision, but frequently investors and consultants will be screening asset managers based on a variety of criteria in addition to returns, such as managers located in specific cities or regions, with certain AUM thresholds or other characteristics as they seek to learn more about asset managers in Asia or around the world.”
Jiang also noted that reviews are simply indicative of consultant and institutional investor interest in products, which by itself does not mean the sentiment is positive or negative toward these products.
