The William Blair Emerging Markets Leaders Fund (the Fund) has been rated by investment services research house, Lonsec.
In its Fund Review, Lonsec said the Fund’s strengths include, “the Manager’s history of managing emerging markets portfolios”, “a quality portfolio management team, motivated analyst research pool, disciplined stable investment process” and the Manager’s “track record of maintaining a conservative approach to capacity management”.
William Blair Head of Australian and New Zealand Institutional Distribution, Alex Francois said the rating reinforces the benefits of William Blair’s highly active, unconstrained quality growth approach to portfolio management of emerging markets equities.
“We value the ratings process undertaken by Lonsec and believe the Fund will add significant value within a diversified portfolio,” he said. “We believe emerging markets continue to be an area that in the medium to long term will feature in most people’s investment horizon and the Fund offers Australian investors access to those attractive developing markets that continue to benefit from exposure to global themes, like favourable demographic growth.”
Lonsec described William Blair as “a fundamental, active investment firm applying an investment philosophy that seeks to invest in quality growth companies” and added that, “this focus typically results in the Fund exhibiting heightened growth style characteristic relative to the benchmark”. Lonsec also noted that “the fund is a ‘long’ only emerging markets/regional equities product and, as such, will generally sit within the growth component of a balanced portfolio”.
Lonsec believes the Fund suitable for high-risk profile investors with a 5+ year investment time horizon.
Mr Francois said, “We believe that Lonsec’s analysis of the Fund provides industry professionals with the information required to make an informed decision on the inclusion of the William Blair Emerging Markets Leaders Fund to enhance a diversified equity portfolio.”
Source: William Blair
