InvestmentsMay 13 2015

Matthews Asia eyes onshore Asia ex-Japan fund

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Matthews Asia eyes onshore Asia ex-Japan fund

Boutique asset manager Matthews Asia has said it is considering launching a new Asia ex-Japan Dividend fund.

The asset manager already runs a $630.8m (£403m) Luxembourg-domiciled Asia Dividend fund and has now said it may consider launching an ex-Japan version.

The existing fund has been upping its exposure to Japan of late due in part to a shift in corporate sentiment which has seen a greater focus on dividends.

Neil Steedman, head of UK business development, said many UK-based investors choose to invest in Japan funds directly though and so the company was “considering launching a dividend ex-Japan product”.

He noted that investors could be concerned about “double exposure” to Japan, adding there was demand for an Asia ex-Japan fund.

The Asia Dividend fund has performed strongly since its launch. The sterling share class, which was launched at the end of February 2011, had returned 45.2 per cent from then till the end of March, while the benchmark, the MSCI AC Asia Pacific index had returned 28.5 per cent in sterling terms in the same period, according to data from FE Analytics.

With the recent launch of the Matthews Japan fund earlier this month, there are now 10 funds from Matthews Asia available to UK investors.