January’s triple announcement that Legg Mason plans to acquire Clarion Partners and Entrust Capital, while making a strategic investment in Precidian Investments underlines that commitment. This follows the more familiar recent acquisitions of RARE Infrastructure, Martin Currie and QS Investors.
Scratch beneath the surface of the acquisitions and you will see a clear path that Legg Mason is forging. It is broadening its reach into the less-traditional asset management spaces, filling gaps with best-in-world capabilities that the global group believes represents the next generation of investment solutions.
Why this strategy matters is because investors are increasingly looking beyond traditional ‘benchmark-plus’ return strategies, for more outcome-oriented options such as income, volatility managed, unconstrained and multi-asset solutions to name a few.
Legg Mason is positioning itself at the front of the curve with an expansive product strategy in some of the world’s largest markets.
Jaspal Sagger, Head of International Product visited Australia recently, and said “the asset management industry is constantly evolving and no more so than in Australia, with its reputation for innovation within asset management. To be successful, we must understand the needs of our clients and reconcile these with appropriate investment capabilities. The breadth of our investment platform now gives us a big advantage in this regard”.
For the Australian-based business of Legg Mason, the global strategy sits perfectly with its domestic charter to provide innovative products that are among industry leaders. Real Income, Equity Income, Multi-Asset Retirement Income, Global Unconstrained Fixed Income – these are all examples of products that Legg Mason brought to the Australian market early, and some still remain truly innovative with few competitors. More recently, the successive launches of Ethical Income, Microcaps and Global Long Term Unconstrained strategies continue to showcase Legg Mason’s deep pockets when it comes to building next generation solutions with affiliates that share common goals.
Legg Mason Asset Management Australia Ltd (ABN 76 004 835 849 AFSL 240827) is part of the Global Legg Mason Inc. group. Any reference to ‘Legg Mason Australia’ or ‘Martin Currie Australia’ is a reference to Legg Mason Asset Management Australia Limited. ‘Martin Currie Australia’ is a division within Legg Mason Asset Management Australia Limited. Legg Mason Australia is the responsible entity of the Trusts. Before making an investment decision you should read the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) for the Trust carefully and you need to consider, with or without the assistance of a financial advisor, whether such an investment is appropriate in light of your particular investment needs, objectives and financial circumstances. The PDS is available and can be obtained by contacting Legg Mason Australia on 1800 679 541 or at www.leggmason.com.au. The products in this document have not been prepared to take into account the investment objectives, financial objectives or particular needs of any particular person. Neither Legg Mason Australia, nor any of its related parties guarantees any performance or the return of capital invested. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future performance. Investments are subject to risks, including, but not limited to, possible delays in payments and loss of income or capital invested. These opinions are subject to change without notice and do not constitute investment advice or recommendation.
