Fund, market and investment news & commentary
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The Neptune India Fund offers exposure to one of the world's most rapidly expanding economies. India will experience significant development in coming years, with continuing economic restructuring and investment growth. A young population coupled with the speed of economic development will support increasing levels of consumption. There will also be ongoing infrastructure development and rising investment from overseas. The Fund will invest in industry sectors with greatest exposure to such growth trends.
The Fund will allow investors to diversify their portfolio into emerging markets by investing in Indian companies with strong growth prospects. The fund manager identifies companies which he believes have strong growth prospects and, as a high conviction investor, is happy to build up large positions and run with them for a long time. In our view, the Fund may be considered suitable for investors who are seeking a specialist fund to add to an existing portfolio of core holdings.
As a rapidly developing economic powerhouse, with high economic growth and a universe of over 7,000 quoted companies from which the fund manager can choose, India offers great long-term investment potential.
The Fund aims to achieve a total return by investing principally in a range of fixed and variable rate income securities. The fund will normally include both investment grade and sub-investment grade securities.
The fund invests in such assets as investment trusts of hedge funds, onshore absolute return vehicles (themselves with different levels of volatility), offshore absolute return funds with distributor status, funds of life policies and other assets with absolute return or diversifying characteristics.
With China in the spotlight in 2008, take a look at Gartmore's China Opportunities Fund.
Download Selftrade's guide to collective investing - 'Funds: A Guide to the what, why and how'
All Scottish Widows funds are priced at 8am every day (before our dealing time) so the effective price for deals placed will be the price stated for the day after.
Join Jupiter on an Indian adventure
As a rapidly developing economic powerhouse, with high economic growth and a universe of over 7,000 quoted companies from which the fund manager can choose, India offers great long-term investment potential.
The Jupiter India Fund aims to achieve long-term capital growth primarily through investment in companies which operate or reside in India.
There will be a 50p fixed price offer period, which runs until 3 March 2008.
To mark the launch of their India Fund, Jupiter offers you the chance to win a holiday for two to India.
New Fund Available from the 4th March.
As uncertainty surrounding the global economic outlook continues, we feel it is important to keep investors up to speed with the Chinese market. The commentary below reflects the thoughts and views of Charlie Awdry, manager of the Gartmore China Opportunities Fund.
Food prices spur on inflation
One of the most significant internal challenges is inflation, evident in basic commodities and in asset markets. Food prices accelerated in 2007, part of a global phenomenon, but also reflecting some exceptional domestic factors. The rising cost of food is an area of political sensitivity for the government, which prompted it to introduce some, hopefully short term, price controls in the latter months of 2007. Even so, consumer prices increased to 8.7% in February 2008, mainly fuelled by higher food costs.
Domestic earnings growth remains strong
Premier Wen Jiabao has pledged to take 'forceful' measures to combat rising prices in China at the same time that concerns are rising about the slow-down of the global economy. Western nations are dealing with the after-effects of US credit problems, which has implications for China's export market. It is one factor that contributed to the International Monetary Fund's forecast of 10% growth for 2008, down from 11.4% in 2007. Domestic earnings growth, which is the key focus of the Gartmore China Opportunities Fund, remains strong, not withstanding the tighter monetary policy announced in December 2007.
Investment opportunities
While the perception of risk is heightened in the near-term, medium and longer term trends suggest that China still offers a variety of investment opportunities. Positive earnings growth and the continued progress of economic reform are highlights of this.
In summary:
The Chinese markets are today valued at a much more reasonable level (based on current earnings), and continue to offer attractive investment opportunities. News emerging from the corporate reporting season highlights the momentum in the Chinese economy in 2007.
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