Investors must look deeper for best ideas in Asian: Fidelity

Investors must look beyond the obvious infrastructure and agriculture plays to find the best ideas in Asia, according to the manager of Fidelity International’s recently launched £6.2m Asian Aggressive fund.

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The high-octane fund went live on 18 February and is managed by veteran manager David Urquhart.

He pointed to predictions that emerging market infrastructure spending would more than double in the next 10 years and reach around £1.75bn - the majority of which would be in Asia.

As a result, the manager said various different sectors could benefit, not just infrastructure companies themselves.

"The chain starts with mining – coal, iron ore and other materials," Uquhart explained. "Shipping and logistics companies are then required to transport the materials. Banks are called on to fund construction projects and the firms that do the construction work need equipment."

He also said agriculture meant more than just food.

"Seed, fertilisers, pesticides and equipment are all required by farmers. They also need land, logistics companies to transport their produce to food and beverage companies, and then on to supermarkets."

Asia currently consumes almost two-thirds of the world’s soya beans and one-third of the world’s milk and meat, and their consumption is growing rapidly, he added.

The Hong Kong-based manager has focused on Asia for 25 years, and run single-country funds investing in Australia, Korea and Singapore. He has also managed region-wide institutional mandates for Fidelity.

However, since launch to 27 June, the fund has fallen by 9.17 per cent, underperfoming the IMA Asian Pacific Ex Japan sector, which fell by 8.99 per cent. It is ranked 45th out of 79 funds in the peer group, according to Morningstar.

For more information, see next week's Investment Adviser.



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