Keeping wealth within the family - Part 1

TheStar

The Chinese have a saying: “Wealth never survives three generations.” The West has something similar: “From shirtsleeves to shirtsleeves in three generations.” As with most proverbs, there may be more than a grain of truth to these. To kick off this two-part series, CIMB Private Banking and CIMB Trustee Services look at the dynamics behind this popular notion.

THE wealth cycle comprises wealth creation, enhancement, protection and distribution. However, we at CIMB Private Banking believe that many of the family-owned businesses and the rich in the country often neglect the last two aspects.

CIMB Investment Bank director and head of securities and trustee services Yap Huey Hoong, who oversees matters relating to trustee services such as succession and distribution, concurs with this view.

“Even if family business owners and the affluent pay attention to wealth preservation, it is usually only through traditional methods such as fixed deposits, savings accounts, properties, unit trust funds and life insurance. Unfortunately, this does not optimise the growth potential of their wealth,” she says.

Ignoring the protection and distribution of wealth may lead to a realisation of the popular notion that stems from the Chinese proverb, “Wealth never survives three generations.”

The saying reflects our forefathers’ observation that many wealthy families have seen their fortune dissipate as it is handed down over the course of three generations. It starts with the founder of the company who has worked hard and has lived frugally to build his business.

He sends his children – the second generation – to tertiary institutions to ensure that they are better equipped in life than he was. Accustomed to a life surrounded by wealth, the founder's grandchildren – the third generation – tend to fritter away the family fortune.

So, is this saying really just a myth? Is this rags-to-riches-and-back cycle in three generations inevitable or can it be overcome? Can families hold on to their wealth and businesses beyond three generations?

Yap points out that the proverb has been proven true very often as there are many real-life examples from around the world.

She says, “In Asia, the bulk of high net worth individuals are generally what is considered as ‘new wealth’. Many affluent Asian families are only beginning to progress from second to third generation. We have seen high-profile cases, ranging from family disputes to lawsuits, whereby family wealth has dissipated due to family differences.”

She, however, adds that there are also a handful of families who have broken through the third generation 'barrier' through proper estate and succession plans.

“The estate and succession plans are put in place well in advance to ensure that the family wealth and the reins of the family business are handed over to the following generations in an orderly manner,” she explains.

“Many family businesses and wealth do not survive due to two primary reasons – the lack of proper succession planning and the lack of a united family holding structure. As a family grows, this can lead to discord between the needs and interests of the business, and the expectations and requirements of family members.”

Survival of family wealth

Yap advocates the creation of a family holding structure, paired with a succession plan, as the key to the longevity of family wealth and business.

Imagine a founder with five children, who each has a spouse (or in some cases, several divorced spouses) and at least three children. We are thus looking at a family with more than 25 members, each with his own needs and family requirements, and who are all shareholders of the family business.

The different needs of these individuals and families are frequently at odds with the demands of the family business and wealth.

Says Yap, “Unless a proper succession plan is put in place, there will be too many fingers in the pie, with the family wealth being run by five siblings, or worse, a consortium of cousins and uncles.”

This disarray, she adds, may lead to family disputes that cause disharmony and eventually lead to the dissolution of the family business or even the dissipation of the wealth.

When family-run business continues to grow, one is likely to see more founder-children type of partnerships and even cousin consortiums. As the family expands, more people become involved, even if they have not worked directly in the business.

Hence, says Yap, their expectations are different and clashes erupt. The relatives who are silent partners or shareholders may only be concerned with their narrow interests when judging capital expenditure, growth or other major matters.

Those who are engaged in the daily operations will judge matters differently because they have a broader picture to consider. Furthermore, when the owner of the family business grows older, he may become more risk-averse and thus often hinders the growth of the business; this too may cause a rift among family members.

In addition, the second or third generation family members who run the business may not be as united or as driven as the founder. For example, cousins who are shareholders may want to cash out or may not have faith in the new management.

Sometimes, the founder will find himself in a dilemma when his daughter or maybe his niece has better business acumen than his oldest son. Who then should take over the business?

Hence, without any proper succession planning, says Yap, family businesses are unlikely to last past the third generation, as family members’ ownership and individual needs are so fragmented that it will be impossible to find consensus among family members.


Disclaimer: Reading materials in this site are obtained from its respective website and it is for information purposes only. It is not Malaysia Unit Trusts - administrator view and it is not to be used against Malaysia Unit Trusts - administrator.

Bank Rakyat said to be bidding for MBSB shares

BusinessTimes

THE Employees Provident Fund (EPF) has received two offers last week for its shares in Malaysia Building Society Bhd (MBSB), a mortgage provider, bankers familiar with the matter said yesterday.

"We are evaluating the offers. A decision on the matter will be made with the best interest of EPF and MBSB at heart," an EPF spokesperson told Business Times.

The spokesperson declined to reveal more details.

RHB Investment Bank Bhd is advising EPF on the sale. EPF holds a controlling 62.41 per cent in MBSB.

Business Times understands that state-owned Bank Kerjasama Rakyat Malaysia Bhd, the country's largest cooperative bank, is one of the parties which made a detailed offer last week, after it received the nod from the Ministry of Finance to proceed with its plans.

The Bank Rakyat plan, split in two stages with different timelines, will first see it buying a 30 per cent stake in MBSB.

Subsequently, Bank Rakyat will inject money for new shares and this will erode EPF's shareholding further.

The bank's offer, which is in the range of RM2 a share, is a steep premium over MBSB's asset backing per share of RM1.29, a source involved in the advisory of the sale said.

This is in line with similar deals in the financial sector where offers are between 1.5 times and two times the book value.

Bank Rakyat has cash and short-term funds of RM1.5 billion as well as 111 branches nationwide. The bank posted a net profit of RM368 milion for the financial year ended December 31 2006.

EPF has taken some flak in recent years over its investment in MBSB, after the company suffered six straight years of losses.

However, over the last three financial years, MBSB has stayed in the black, largely due to the professional management team appointed by EPF.

For its financial year ended December 31 2006, MBSB's revenue was up 28 per cent to RM293.1 million while net profit stood at RM40.2 million.


Disclaimer: Reading materials in this site are obtained from its respective website and it is for information purposes only. It is not Malaysia Unit Trusts - administrator view and it is not to be used against Malaysia Unit Trusts - administrator.

ASW 2020 investors to get RM344m payout

BusinessTimes

AMANAH Saham Wawasan 2020 (ASW 2020) unitholders will receive an eight sen per unit income distribution for the year ended August 2007.

The eight sen income distribution is higher than the 6.8 sen paid out last year. It included a "special gift" of one sen per unit given out in conjunction with Malaysia's 50th Merdeka celebrations this year.

Fund manager, Permodalan Nasional Bhd, chairman Tan Sri Ahmad Sarji Abdul Hamid said the fund will pay out RM344.1 million as income distribution for the year just ended. The amount is 71.09 per cent higher than the RM201.11 million paid out last year.

"It will benefit 715,526 unitholders who currently hold 5.36 billion units of ASW 2020," Ahmad Sarji said in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

Up until August 24 2007, ASW 2020 has recorded a gross income of RM530.23 million, an increase of 117.6 per cent from the RM243.65 million recorded in the previous corresponding period.

Profit from the sale of shares contributed RM292.75 million or 55.21 per cent, dividend income from invested companies contributed RM181.02 million or 34.14 per cent, and RM56.46 million or 10.65 per cent is derived from investments in short term instrument.

Ahmad Sarji said the calculations of income distribution this year will be based on lowest average monthly balance for the period of investment from September 1 2006 until August 31 2007.

The income distribution will be reinvested in the form of new units and will be credited to the unitholders' accounts automatically. Unitholders will be able to update their accounts at ASNB head office, ASNB branch offices or ASNB agents beginning next Monday. ASW 2020 is a fixed-priced equity fund open to Malaysians aged six and above.



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Malaysia’s GDP grows 5.7% in second quarter

TheStar

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's economy expanded by 5.7% in the second quarter this year, higher than the 5.5% rate in the first quarter but less than the 6.1% growth a year earlier.

Bank Negara governor Tan Sri Dr Zeti Akhtar Aziz said the gross domestic product growth in the second quarter was underpinned by domestic demand, which expanded 10.8% compared with 7.2% in the same quarter last year.

Private sector domestic demand was firm as income levels were steady due to stable employment conditions and high commodity prices. This more than offset a decline in the export growth of 3% compared with 5.5% in the second quarter 2006, she told the media yesterday.

The slower export growth was reflected in the expansion of just 1.5% in the manufacturing sector in second quarter 2007 compared with 8.4% a year earlier.

There was, similarly, a decline in output of 0.9% in the agricultural sector compared with an increase of 3.9% in the second quarter last year. This decline was due to weather conditions. It is understood that this refers to the floods encountered in several states during the period.

Bank Negara governor Tan Sri Dr Zeti Akhtar Aziz, announced Q2 2007 GDP on Wednesday

The weakness in the manufacturing and agricultural sectors in the second quarter 2007 was more than offset by an expansion of 9.2% in the services sector compared with 7% in the previous corresponding period. The expansion was led by finance, insurance and business services.

“We used to describe financial services as an enabler of growth. Now, it has become a source of growth, generating income and employment,” Zeti said.

Growth in the manufacturing sector was slow in second quarter, mainly due to “significant weakness” in the electrical and electronics industry, but it remained an important part of the economy. “It formed about a third of the economy,” she said.

There is a significant transformation in the manufacturing sector where higher-valued products would be manufactured, with new sources of growth industries such as petrochemicals and biotechnology.

The inflow of foreign direct investments was strong in the second quarter, amounting to RM13.6bil, compared with RM2.5bil in the same period last year.

Zeti said she expected economic growth in the second half this year would remain firm as tourist arrivals would peak during the period, there would be a higher output of oil and gas from new facilities and implementation of projects under that Ninth Malaysia Plan, which would reinforce the strong domestic demand.




Disclaimer: Reading materials in this site are obtained from its respective website and it is for information purposes only. It is not Malaysia Unit Trusts - administrator view and it is not to be used against Malaysia Unit Trusts - administrator.

Ten-year cycle of market crashes?

TheStar

By OOI KOK HWA

In this article, we look at three stock market crashes from the recent market crash to those in 1987/8 and 1997/8

Q: Are we in the 10-year stock market cycle, pending a big stock market crash?

The market crash in 2007

The recent heavy sell-down on the bond and stock markets caught a lot of retail and institutional investors by surprise. What appeared to be a haven in investment like the bond market was still subject to panic selling from institutional investors.

We believe the crash in the bond market was mainly due to the withdrawal of some foreign funds. As a result of tight liquidity, unwinding of yen carry trade and potential high losses in some hedge funds, some foreign funds might have been forced to withdraw their investments from the Asia-Pacific market.

The plummet in our stock market was mainly due to the fear of sharp drops in the US, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea and Japan markets.

Even though our banking institutions were not really affected by the US subprime issues, the international contagion and fear of more crashes, margin calls and panic selling from retailers caused heavy losses on Bursa Malaysia.

Nevertheless, the magnitude of our losses was far less than those in the regional markets.

The market crash in 1987/8

The market crash in October 1987 was partly attributed to strong market performance of most markets during the first nine months of the year. For example, the US market experienced more than 30% increase during the nine-month period.

However, from Oct 12 to 16, the Dow Index tumbled by 9.5%. On Black Monday of Oct 19, it plunged 22.6%, or 508 points, within a day. It was the largest single fall since 1929, in both absolute and percentage terms.

In Malaysia, the KL Composite Index (KLCI) tumbled by 12.4% on Black Monday. As a result of the overnight crash in US, the KLCI plunged another 15.7% the next trading day.

The market crash in 1997/8

The Asian stock market crash of 1997/98 began with a currency crisis in July in Thailand and quickly spread to neighbouring nations. One by one, overheated markets crashed in Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan and South Korea. This was mostly due to the rapid industrialisation in these countries.

The US market was affected by the turmoil in Asia. Its share prices began to collapse at the beginning of October 1997. On Oct 27, the Dow Index tumbled by 554 points, or 7.2%, within a day. However, it recovered by recording a rise of 337 points the next day.

In Malaysia, the KLCI tumbled from 1,231 points in the beginning of 1997 to the low of 262 on Sept 1, 1998, representing a total percentage drop of 78.7%.

Comparing the three market crashes, the KLCI suffered its biggest daily drop of 21.5% on Sept 8, 1998. The crashes in 1997/8 and 1987/8 were also far more severe than our recent market crash.

We are not too sure whether we have seen the worst of the crash in 2007. However, the sell-down has caused a big disruption in our uptrend momentum. It appears to be quite difficult for the KLCI to touch the recent peak of 1,392 again.

Any market rebounds may prompt fund managers to continue offloading their equity exposure. Most of big losses in 1997/8 and 1987/8 happened in October.

As we can only know the actual exposure of the subprime issues for most of the US financial institutions when they report their third quarter results in early October, we are expecting some market volatility in that month.

Ooi Kok Hwa is a licensed investment adviser and managing partner of MRR Consulting.

Disclaimer: Reading materials in this site are obtained from its respective website and it is for information purposes only. It is not Malaysia Unit Trusts - administrator view and it is not to be used against Malaysia Unit Trusts - administrator.

StanChart economist upbeat on 6% growth target

TheEdgeDaily

KUALA LUMPUR: Standard Chartered Bank (StanChart) is optimistic that Malaysia is on track to achieve its 6% growth target this year amid volatility in the global equity markets following the US subprime mortgage crisis.

While there were downside risks to the 6% growth target, StanChart was still expecting the economy to grow “on” or above trend”, its regional economist Tai Hui said, adding that anything above 4% to 5% was considered as “above trend”.

“Exports had been challenging for Malaysia in the first half (1H) of the year. We were looking forward to a rebound in the 2H as the electronics and electrical sector recovers, but it seems recovery has been delayed because of latest concerns in the US economy.

“So, that means Malaysia still has to depend on the domestic drive to achieve the growth target,” Tai told The Edge Financial Daily.

Although StanChart was cautious, the situation in the US has thus far not affected Malaysia’s export performance, he said.

For example, there was no significant change in the order book of Malaysian companies exporting to the US for the Christmas season, he said.

“Even if Malaysia does miss the 6% (growth target), I wouldn’t be worried because Malaysia is still above trend,” he added. Tai also said Malaysia’s fiscal policy would still be expansionary and StanChart had projected another year of “above-trend growth” in 2008 as Malaysia’s economy was expected to expand by 5.5% to 6%.

On the current subprime mortgage debacle, Tai said it could persist for some time and the market sentiment was still fragile.

According to him, the real issue was not the lack of liquidity in the US market but the case of liquidity not reaching “the right place”.

“That’s why we think the US Federal Reserve didn’t need to cut rates,” he added.

He said the Malaysian equity market was affected despite lack of exposure to the US subprime market mainly because of increased risk-aversion among investors.

Some funds were required to liquidate some of their positions and this led to the sell-off in Asian markets, he said.

On inflation, Tai said it was expected to increase to 2.2% by year-end due to a buoyant consumer sentiment in the country.

As such, Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) was likely to hold the current overnight policy rate of 3.5% until mid-2008, he added.

He said BNM had to maintain a balance between the need to encourage growth and to contain inflation at the same time.

On the ringgit, Tai said StanChart was positive on its medium-term outlook as the government had emphasised that the gradual appreciation of the ringgit would not hurt exports, and this enhanced investors’ confidence.

The ringgit was expected to gradually appreciate to RM3.45 to the US dollar by year-end before strengthening further to RM3.30 in 2008, he said.


Disclaimer: Reading materials in this site are obtained from its respective website and it is for information purposes only. It is not Malaysia Unit Trusts - administrator view and it is not to be used against Malaysia Unit Trusts - administrator.

Unit trusts urged to help grow capital mart

BusinessTimes

THE unit trust industry plays an important role in channelling funds to the capital market and has a huge potential to develop, Deputy Finance Minister 1 Datuk Dr Ng Yen Yen said today.

In view that the savings rate in Malaysia is much higher than that in developed countries, the unit trust industry has the capacity to draw some of these savings and thus help grow the capital market.

It is estimated that last year about RM279 billion was placed as savings in Malaysia’s banking system by individuals as well as institutions, she said when launching the ASM Global Diversified Structured Fund in Kuala Lumpur.

“Malaysia’s savings rate is high, at about 35 per cent of the gross domestic product since 2000. This is much higher than that in the US, Germany, Japan and other developed countries,” she noted.

Ng said that with Malaysia’s economy remaining strong and with rising revenues, as well as well-grounded savings and investment rates, the growth prospects for the unit trust industry are bright.

“Until end-June this year, the net assets of the unit trust funds in the market were valued at RM146.6 billion or 13.47 per cent of the market capitalisation of Bursa Malaysia.

“Although this percentage is rising, it is still far from the 40 per cent that has been reached in the capital markets of developed countries,” she added.

To draw more investors to unit trust funds, Ng urged managers of unit trusts and their assets to come out with more innovative products such as structured investment products or protection of principal deposits.

At present, there are about 10 structured investment products that offer capital protection for investors, she said.

She also feels that the industry players must seek to fill the gaps in the market by developing product chains through packaging products with specific risk /returns risks that meet the demands of investors.

ASM Investment Services Bhd’s fund which Ng launched is a local onshore investment structured product denominated in ringgit with a total fund size of 500 million units at 50 sen each.

Disclaimer: Reading materials in this site are obtained from its respective website and it is for information purposes only. It is not Malaysia Unit Trusts - administrator view and it is not to be used against Malaysia Unit Trusts - administrator.

ASM Investment strives to be the leader

TheStar

KUALA LUMPUR: ASM Investment Services Bhd wants to be a leading player and a preferred investment management company locally and in South-East Asia by 2012, said chief executive officer Izaddeen Daud.

Speaking at the launch of ASM Global Diversified Structured Fund (GDSF) yesterday, he said the company would actively introduce more customised products that were in line with investors' demand and needs.

He said ASM Investment was now ready to provide more innovative products with advisory services to current and future investors.

“Our target are institutional investors, notably government-linked companies (GLCs) and co-operatives,” Izaddeen said.

ASM Investment Services Bhd CEO izaddeeen Daud (second from right) at the launch of ASM Global Diversified Structured Fund in Kuala Lumpur on Monday. With him are company chairman Datuk Zamani Md Noor (left), ASM group chairman Datuk Seri Abdul Aziz Raja Salim (right) and Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Dr Ng Yen Yen (second from left)

He said efforts would be made to woo more GLCs to subscribe to its funds, including the ASM GDSF.

Institutional investors would eventually account for 80% of the company's subscriber base, he said. Other subscribers to the company's funds are retail investors.

As at July 31, ASM Investment managed 15 unit trust and third-party funds valued at more than RM500mil.

Izaddeen said ASM Investment had seen brisk sales of 100 million units of ASM GDSF worth RM50mil since it was made available for subscription last Thursday. It has a total fund size of 500 million 50 sen units.

“We are optimistic the remaining units will be fully subscribed before the closing period on Oct 6,” he said.

The closed-end structured fund will invest in a structured product issued by Deutsche Bank (M) Bhd that will provide investors capital protection upon reaching maturity in three years.

The fund will be invested equally in three different asset classes – real estate investment trust, commodity and equity – and is slated to provide 7% to 8% in annual returns.


Disclaimer: Reading materials in this site are obtained from its respective website and it is for information purposes only. It is not Malaysia Unit Trusts - administrator view and it is not to be used against Malaysia Unit Trusts - administrator.

Pressure to cut unit trust upfront fees

TheStar

PETALING JAYA: Pressure is mounting for unit trust upfront sales charges to be reduced as new players emerge.

The matter was also brought up by the Employees Provident Fund (EPF). In recent talks with the Federation of Malaysian Unit Trust Managers (FMUTM) and its members, EPF asked them to consider lowering the charges to facilitate investment in unit trusts.

Industry observers said with Tune Money and InterPacific Asset Management Sdn Bhd coming onstream, there was greater pressure to lower the upfront fees and this should bode well for the investing public.

It is also learnt that EPF, in the past two to three months, had proposed to FMUTM that the maximum sales charges for unit trust investment be capped at 3% as opposed to the average 5% to 6%.

Sources said FMUTM had appealed to the Finance Ministry, saying the EPF's proposed charges were too low and that the federation would consider lowering the charges gradually.
The dispute is expected to continue and the pressure is growing in every meeting between the EPF and the federation, according to an observer.

The latest player to join the unit trust league is InterPacific, which currently does not impose any upfront sales charges. Tune Money, meanwhile, plans to launch funds online with zero or minimal sales charges.

With the entrance of these players, competition is getting intense and fund houses will need to review their charges to ensure they are able to sustain the public's interest in investing with them, according to an industry observer.

By not imposing any upfront fees, a unit trust management company can fully invest their clients' money in the funds, they added.

Sources said many fund houses were not very keen on the EPF proposal to reduce the charges as it would affect their distributors' income, leading to lower sales volumes. At present, many of them sell funds via agents and banks (as third-party distributors).

It is estimated that 60% to 70% of unit trust management companies sell funds through agents and banks. As of May 31, there were 39 unit trust management companies with a total 462 approved funds.

An observer, however, said while the industry trends might lead to a gradual lowering of upfront fund charges, distributors could still succeed by growing their assets under management over the long term.

They could do this by being more productive and further elevating their capability to ensure long-term retention of customers, he added.

Disclaimer: Reading materials in this site are obtained from its respective website and it is for information purposes only. It is not Malaysia Unit Trusts - administrator view and it is not to be used against Malaysia Unit Trusts - administrator.

OSK-UOB fund size may hit RM4b

Business Times

OSK-UOB Unit Trust Management Bhd's portfolio may hit the RM4 billion mark by the end of the year as it rolls out more new products.

Its enlarged asset base could eventually comprise up to 31 unit trust funds, from the existing 28 schemes which account for around RM3 billion of investors' money.

"For this year, we intend to launch another two or three funds, and our total fund size is expected to grow to between RM3.8 billion and RM4 billion," said Ho Seng Yee, the executive director-cum-chief executive of OSK-UOB, a unit of financial services group OSK Holdings Bhd."Our new offerings include local and regional funds," he told reporters at the launch of OSK-UOB's latest offering in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

The RM400 million OSK-UOB Asian Real Estate Fund, which could potentially yield up to 15 per cent in annual returns, invests mainly in regional property stocks like property developers or real estate investment trusts.

"The Asian property market is at a very attractive development stage as Asian economies are experiencing a period of strong economic growth, led by China," Ho said.

The 800 million unit scheme, OSK-UOB's fifth new product this year, is initially priced at 50 sen apiece. It is primarily skewed towards real estate hotspots like China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia.

Malayan Banking Bhd is the sole distributor of the open-ended fund, which means its fund size can be increased in line with demand.

Singapore's UOB Asset Management Ltd, with S$25.8 billion (RM59 billion) worth of assets as at April this year, is the external investment manager for the scheme.

Unit trusts account for RM40.5 million, or 14 per cent, of OSK Holdings' RM280 million revenue in the first quarter to March 2007, its filings to Bursa Malaysia showed.

Disclaimer: Reading materials in this site are obtained from its respective website and it is for information purposes only. It is not Malaysia Unit Trusts - administrator view and it is not to be used against Malaysia Unit Trusts - administrator.

EPF first-half investment income up 39pc

Business Times

THE Employees Provident Fund (EPF) said its investment income surged by 38.6 per cent to RM9.8 billion in the first half of the year.

Its unaudited first half results revealed that income from equities recorded a 141 per cent jump to RM4 billion, accounting for 40.8 per cent of the fund's generated income.

"The returns from our equities portfolio have been very encouraging, reflecting great improvement in our investment management of the equities market, which has been further strengthened by the buoyant stock market," EPF chief executive officer Datuk Azlan Zainol said in a statement.

Azlan said EPF will however remain cautious as investments in equities pose relatively higher risks over most other instruments.

He said this is especially so in the wake of the weakened financial markets triggered by the subprime mortgage lending crisis in the United States, which is expected to slow down the equities market in the second half of 2007.

A total of RM58.6 billion was invested in the equities market in the first half of the year, with focus largely on the trade and services (41.9 per cent), financial (26 per cent) and plantation (9.7 per cent) sectors.

Investments of less than 10 per cent were made in sectors such as consumer and industrial products, construction, property, technology, infrastructure, REITS, Mesdaq and the second board.

Azlan said during the first six months, 71.8 per cent of its funds was invested in low-risk fixed income instruments such as Malaysian Government Securities (MGS) of various maturity dates, loans and bonds.

Income derived from money market instruments improved 79.7 per cent to RM592.4 million.

Loans and bonds contributed RM2.8 billion to the fund's income, and revenue from investments in MGS and property accounted for RM2.4 billion and RM23.3 million respectively.

Total accumulated investments also strengthened by 10.7 per cent to RM301.4 billion.

Disclaimer: Reading materials in this site are obtained from its respective website and it is for information purposes only. It is not Malaysia Unit Trusts - administrator view and it is not to be used against Malaysia Unit Trusts - administrator.

RM2bil fund size for RHB Unit Trust

TheStar

KUALA LUMPUR: RHB Unit Trust Management Bhd plans to unveil two or three more funds to achieve its target fund size of RM2bil by year-end.

Including the Global Multi Manager Fund (GMMF), the company now managed 22 funds with a total fund size of RM1.35bil, chief executive officer Michael Tan said.

GMMF is the first unit trust fund in Malaysia with a multi-manager approach, and would have at least 95% of its net asset value invested in a minimum of five collective investment schemes.

Speaking at the launch of the fund yesterday, Tan said this unique investment approach provided investors access to the expertise of top-notch fund managers with different investment styles.

“With GMMF, investors will not only enjoy international exposure and diversification, but also the added advantage of manager diversification through world class investment managers at no additional cost,” Tan said, adding that the fund's strategy would be to invest in at least five international and domestic funds.

The underlying international funds will be chosen from among the stable funds managed by Russell Investment Group, a leading asset consultant that advises over 450 clients on US$2tril worth of assets globally.

Tan said the asset allocation of the fund would be 80% in equities and fixed income globally and 20% in Malaysia.

“GMMF would be suitable for investors with moderate risk profile who are looking at investing in a globally well diversified portfolio,” he added.

Disclaimer: Reading materials in this site are obtained from its respective website and it is for information purposes only. It is not Malaysia Unit Trusts - administrator view and it is not to be used against Malaysia Unit Trusts - administrator .