This strategy remains the strongest offering in its ASEAN equity asset class, thanks to its stable and expert management team, deep analytical resources, and well-structured investment approach. We retain its People and Process ratings at High. Morningstar has enhanced the way we assess alpha opportunity for funds, which is a key component in our Morningstar Medalist Rating calculation. More of this strategy's Medalist Ratings than usual may therefore change with this update even in the absence of changes to pillar ratings or fund costs.
Lead manager Pauline Ng has proved herself to be a highly skilled ASEAN investor since starting her investment career in 2001 and taking over management of this strategy in 2009. She has assumed additional responsibilities as a comanager of J.P. Morgan Emerging Markets Social Advancement since 2023 and J.P. Morgan Asia Growth and Income since 2024. However, we continue to feel the additional workload is manageable, given the former’s narrow investable universe and the advisory nature of her role for the latter. We remain confident in her ability to effectively manage this portfolio and her team of four country specialists, three of whom are comanagers here: Desmond Loh, Stacey Neo, and Chang Qi Ong. This ASEAN team has consistently exhibited strong teamwork and a synergistic working dynamic at our review discussions. They operate within a spiderweb structure under Ng's leadership, promoting cross-coverage of the investment universe and reducing key-person risk.
The investment process is well-codified and has demonstrated clear success through multiple market cycles. Building on the emerging markets and Asia-Pacific team's strategic classification framework, prospective holdings are further categorized based on their target holding period by the ASEAN country specialists. The team’s intimate familiarity with local markets facilitates the capturing of investment opportunities down the market-cap spectrum, providing an edge. The portfolio's active share remains one of the lowest in its Morningstar Category, reflecting the team's risk awareness amidst challenging macroeconomic headwinds in the region. We continue to monitor this closely, though the managers have continued to add value in recent years. The Hong Kong unit trust's oldest (acc) - USD share class posted an annualized return of 4.19% over the past five years ended February 2025, outpacing the category benchmark, Morningstar ASEAN Target Market Exposure Index, by 58 basis points and besting over two-thirds of category peers. The strategy has also delivered benchmark- and peer-topping performance for investors over Ng’s tenure.
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