GS Emerging Markets Eq I Acc USD |
by Andrew Daniels
Goldman Sachs Emerging Markets Equity has capable leadership, but concerns with the broader team and the investment approach hold it back. This strategy’s management duo is solid. New York-based Basak Yavuz joined as a comanager in February 2015, while Singapore-based Hiren Dasani came aboard in May 2017. Both managers have solid credentials, boasting 20-plus years of experience and rising through the ranks at Goldman Sachs Asset Management before assuming their current duties, which also include comanaging emerging-markets ex China and environmental, social, and governance emerging-markets mandates. But curbing enthusiasm is the ongoing personnel churn within the 24-member supporting team. After a relatively stable 2022, the broader team had four departures in 2023, most notably head of Greater China Shao Ping Guan, who left for a competitor. While the firm has backfilled most departures with experienced personnel, the team is slightly smaller than it was a few years ago, and questions remain about the strength of the investment culture. The process is also less distinct than it once was. The team continues to seek 100-150 fundamentally sound businesses trading at discounts to their intrinsic values, but it has mostly abandoned its small/mid-cap emphasis (relative to the MSCI Emerging Markets Index) that had once been a key driver of returns. Unfortunately, that came as assets piled into the strategy: As assets approached its initial capacity estimate of USD 10 billion in 2020, the team doubled capacity to at least USD 20 billion. The portfolio continues to own some lesser-known names, although active share declined to 69% from 80% between December 2016 and December 2023 (which is now lower than most diversified emerging-markets Morningstar Category peers). Performance has also taken a turn for the worse. In the trailing three years through January 2024, the US vehicle’s institutional shares lost 12.2% annualized, significantly lagging the core index’s 7.5% loss and 91% of its peers. Returns were slightly better than the 12.9% loss for the MSCI Emerging Markets Growth Index, another relevant benchmark given its growth tilt. While the strategy still boasts a compelling long-term record, concerns remain over the team’s ability to replicate historical success with a relatively large asset base going forward. |
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