HEAD-TO-HEAD: Barings versus Fidelity

123456

Manager review

The Barings fund is led by Lim Soo Hai, who has been managing the product since inception in 2008, according to Ng. Lim is also the firm’s head of Asia ex-China equities and co-manager of other Asia ex-Japan products and mandates, including the Barings Asia Growth Fund, the Eastern fund, the Korea Trust and the Australia fund.

In June last year, Lim received added support from Calista Lee and HyungJin Lee, who became co-managers.

The managers are supported by a sizable group of analysts covering Asia-Pacific, Ng said, but he was not able to provide exact numbers.

Ng does not have concerns about the Barings team, given the experience of the fund manager and the ample support he receives.

Turning to the Fidelity fund, Ng said that the product is managed by Madeleine Kuang, who took over the fund’s management in June 2018 from Gillian Kwek.

Ng noted that this is Kuang’s first stint as a fund manager.

When she took over in 2018, she also became manager of other Asean-focused products, such as the Indonesia Fund, the Malaysia Fund, the Singapore fund and the Thailand fund. She has around 17 years of investment experience and joined Fidelity 2010 as an analyst.

Kuang is supported by a team of 45 Asia-Pacific ex-Japan analysts, six of whom are dedicated to the Asean region, according to Ng.

Although Kuang has only a one-year track record in managing funds, Ng believes she should do well given that the Asean fund outperformed its benchmark year-to-date. The firm also considered her a “star analyst”.

“She is a very determined in her investment thesis and in general, outperforming the Asean index is actually difficult,” he said.

123456