Janus Henderson Investors has been appointed a $285 million emerging markets equities mandate from MLC Asset Management.
It will be invested in the Janus Henderson Emerging Markets Equity strategy, which holds an all-cap, style-agnostic portfolio of 50–80 companies in emerging and frontier markets.
Made available to Australian investors mid-2023, the strategy seeks consistent risk-adjusted returns by looking to identify attractive opportunities within countries across various states of economic and political development.
According to its latest monthly report in May, the fund’s top holdings include Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), Samsung, HDFC Bank, and Tencent.
“Janus Henderson Investors is committed to creating and developing innovative strategies to better service its clients. We see real opportunities to bring our best investment talent in both global and emerging market equities to the Australian market,” said Matt Gaden, head of Australia at Janus Henderson Investors.
“Our high conviction Emerging Markets Equity strategy is just one example of where we can help investors such as MLC Asset Management build out their global equity portfolios with high-quality active investment strategies.”
Liam Wilson, portfolio manager at MLC Asset Management, added the firm was excited to partner with Janus Henderson to “embrace the opportunities of tomorrow by navigating the complexities of today’s global emerging markets.”
The Janus Henderson Emerging Markets Equity strategy is managed by lead portfolio manager Daniel Graña and co-portfolio manager Matt Culley, both based in Boston.
They are supported by research analysts based in Singapore and Boston, and in total, the team holds over 90 years of combined investment experience.
According to Graña, the mandate by MLC demonstrates how asset allocators across Australia recognise the importance of an active investment presence backed by fundamental research in successfully investing in emerging markets.
“The most innovative and disruptive companies of this generation have supply chains that begin in emerging markets. Their growth is creating several tailwinds in sectors such as biopharmaceuticals, fintechs and green energy, and run alongside favourable rate cutting cycles and GDP growth in these regions,” he said.
As of 31 March 2024, Janus Henderson has approximately $540 billion in assets under management.
