Published by Asia Asset Management – 29th Mar 2019
VanEck Vectors unveils MSCI World ex-Australia ETF
US-headquartered VanEck Vectors Investments Ltd’s Australian unit launched a new exchange-traded fund (ETF) on March 25.
The MSCI World Ex-Australia Exchange Traded Fund aims to give investors exposure to a diversified portfolio of quality international companies from developed markets,
excluding Australia, VanEck Australia Pty Ltd says in a statement issued at the launch.
These stocks, to be drawn from the MSCI World ex-Australia Index, will have high quality scores determined by MSCI based on three key variables: high return on equity, stable year-on-year earnings growth, and low financial leverage.
VanEck Vectors Investments, one of the world’s largest ETF issuers, managed US$47 billion of funds as at end-December 2018.
Malaysia’s Hong Leong Asset Management launches Asia Pacific Equity Fund
Malaysia’s Hong Leong Asset Management Bhd has unveiled its Hong Leong Asia Pacific Equity Fund.
The open-ended fund is for investors seeking capital appreciation over a medium to long-term investment horizon through diversified investments in the Asia Pacific ex-Japan region, the company says in a statement on March 26, when the fund was launched.
It will be actively managed by Sumitomo Mitsui Asset Management (Hong Kong) Ltd.
The minimum initial investment is 1,000 ringgit (US$245.24). The initial offer period is until April 14.
Hong Leong Asset Management had 17.71 billion ringgit of total assets under management as at February 28, 2019.
Bank of China’s HK unit launches first Greater Bay Area bond fund
The Hong Kong asset management unit of Bank of China has launched the first bond fund in the city focusing on debt issued in the Greater Bay Area, a region encompassing Hong Kong, Macau, and several cities in southern China.
The BOCHK All Weather Greater Bay Area Strategy Fund will primarily invest in bonds issued by governments, government agencies, banks and companies which are domiciled in the Greater Bay Area, BOCHK Asset Management, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Bank of China (Hong Kong), says in a statement on March 26.
The fund is denominated in RMB, Hong Kong dollar and Macau pataca, and is open for public subscription until April 8.
The Greater Bay Area project aims to develop Hong Kong, Macau, and nine cities in Guangdong province in southern China into a technology, business and finance hub by 2030.
The project kicked off in 2017 after the Chinese and Hong Kong governments unveiled the masterplan in 2016.
Bank of China (Hong Kong), which is wholly owned by Beijing-headquartered Bank of China, had around HK$2.7 trillion (US$346 billion) of total assets as of June 2018.
US-based Hoya Capital Real Estate launches housing sector ETF
Hoya Capital Real Estate LLC has launched a housing sector exchange-traded fund (ETF) in the US.
The Hoya Capital Housing Exchange Traded Fund, dubbed HOMZ, is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), and offers diversified exposure across the entire US housing sector, the US-based company says in a statement on March 20, when the fund was launched.
According to the company, the ETF tracks its Hoya Capital Housing 100 Index, a rules-based benchmark designed to track the 100 companies that collectively represent the performance of the US housing sector.
The sector includes home builders, home rental operators, home services and technology firms, and home improvement companies listed on the NYSE.
“The US housing market is one of the largest, and arguably the most important, asset class in the world,” Alex Pettee, president of Hoya Capital Real Estate, says in the statement. “The index is expected to track the companies with the potential to benefit from rising rents, appreciating home values, and a persistent housing shortage.”
India’s ICICI Prudential unveils consumer services fund
India’s ICICI Prudential Mutual Fund introduced its ICICI Prudential Bharat Consumption Fund this week.
The open-ended equity fund will invest in securities of companies in consumption and consumption-related activities, the firm says in a statement on March 26, when the fund was launched.
The minimum subscription to the fund, which closes on April 9, is 5,000 rupees (US$72.42).
India’s ICICI Prudential launches income fund
India’s ICICI Prudential Mutual Fund unveiled its ICICI Prudential Fixed Maturity Plan – Series 85 on March 28.
The closed-end scheme will invest in a portfolio of fixed income securities or debt instruments, the company says in a statement issued upon the launch.
The minimum subscription to the fund, which closes on April 3, is 5,000 rupees (US$72.24).
