Funds Talk 03: Pursue investing excellence with UOB Asset Management
Welcome to Funds Talk 03! We are pleased to have UOB Asset Management joining us in this round.
Headquartered in Singapore, UOBAM has an extensive presence in Asia with regional business and investment offices in Brunei, China, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.
And now UOBAM has become one of Asia's most acclaimed fund management companies!
Let's delve into the UOBAM team and uncover the keys to their rapid expansion and regional success in less than a century.
Qns 1: Who is UOBAM, and how are we different from other regional asset managers?
UOB Asset Management Ltd (UOBAM) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of United Overseas Bank Limited. Established in 1986, UOBAM has managed collective investment schemes and provided discretionary fund management services in Singapore for over 35 years. We are one of the largest unit trust managers in terms of assets under management. As of end-May 2023, we manage 58 unit trusts in Singapore and together with our subsidiaries, managed close to S$32 billion in clients' assets. Our network includes UOB Islamic Asset Management Sdn Bhd in Malaysia. We have a joint venture with Ping An Fund Management Company Limited (China) and have forged strategic alliances with UTI International (Singapore) and Wellington Management Singapore.
Most recently in 2023, UOBAM has been recognised by Asia Asset Management and they have awarded us the “Best Asset Management House in Asia – 20 Years”.
Our digital initiatives have also won numerous awards − the Best Digital Wealth Management in Asia and Thailand by Asia Asset Management, and the Best Robo Advisory Initiative by The Digital Banker in 2022.
In recognition of UOBAM’s efforts towards sustainability, UOBAM was awarded the Best Application of ESG in ASEAN, as well as the Best ESG Manager in Brunei and Thailand in 2023 by Asia Asset Management and Environmental Products House of the Year in 2022 by Energy Risk Asia.
UOBAM also earned the Best Machine Learning Initiative in 2022 by The Digital Banker, affirming its artificial intelligence capabilities.
Qns 2: How does UOBAM approach investment management, and what do they specialise in?
UOBAM has a team of more than 90 investment professionals located regionally, conducting independent and rigorous fundamental research within a proven investment framework and process.
Geographically, our in-house capabilities in Asiais supported by a dedicated team focusing on international partnerships, as well as experienced local and global investment managers.
Our fixed-income investment approach is founded on two principles – fundamental bottom-up research and disciplined top-down strategy.
By adopting these two principles, we are able to adapt to varying market environments and tailor each portfolio to the needs of different clients. Our equities investment approach combines rigorous research to identify high-performing businesses and a systematic model portfolio construction process. We focus on identifying businesses that have:
And now, our teams also conduct detailed portfolio risk and style factor analysis to ensure their research process is consistent with our investment style.
Further leveraging technology to deliver value, UOBAM has developed an innovative approach to equity investing through the use of its Asia Equity Artificial Intelligence Machine Learning (AIML) model. This model is a collaborative approach that utilises both technology and human expertise to achieve optimal investment outcomes.
Qns 3: What are UOBAM’s market insights and strategies given recent market trends?
To weather market storms, we offer high-quality, short-term bond funds
For investors concerned about a potential recession, UOBAM offers a select range of short-term, high-quality investment grade bond funds that are:
1.frequently higher performing than comparable bond funds;
2.have demonstrated ability to deliver stable income [1]; unlikely to default even during a downturn;
3.less sensitive to interest rate changes;
4.focused on sustainable securities
Presently, the $United SGD Fund(SG9999014864.MF$ is one of the most popular fixed income funds in Singapore, due to its low-risk profile and offering of stable income [1] to investors. It aims to achieve yield enhancement over Singapore dollar deposits through money market and short-term interest-bearing debt instruments and bank deposits.
Find out more about the $United SGD Fund(SG9999014864.MF$ here: Manager Talks: Update on the United SGD Fund
As of 30 June 2023
1.Effective duration: 1.20 years
2.Credit rating: BBB+
3.Weighted average Yield-To-Maturity: 4.89 per cent
Fund highlights:
1.Attractive income: The annualised dividend yield of 4.0 per cent[1], paid out monthly (Class A Dist), might be attractive to investors seeking regular income.
2.Stability: Holds high-quality, short-term investment grade bonds to preserve capital, and buffers against market instability with lower drawdowns compared to peer asset classes during market volatility.
Figure 1: $United SGD Fund(SG9999014864.MF$ experienced lower drawdowns during periods of volatility
Long-term track record: The $United SGD Fund(SG9999014864.MF$ has delivered positive calendar returns for 22 out of 24 years since the fund was incepted in 1998.
Source: Morningstar, as at 30 June 2023, SGD terms. Performance is based on United SGD Fund Class A (Acc) SGD portfolio, on a NAV basis, with dividend reinvested, if any.
[1] Distributions (in SGD) are not guaranteed. Distributions may be made out of income, capital gains and/or capital. This relates to the disclosed distribution policy as set out in the Fund’s prospectus.
We also conduct detailed portfolio risk and style factor analysis to ensure our research process is consistent with our investment style.
Figure 2: $United SGD Fund(SG9999014864.MF$ calendar year returns (%) since inception in 1998
We also conduct detailed portfolio risk and style factor analysis to ensure our research process is consistent with our investment style.
Figure 2: $United SGD Fund(SG9999014864.MF$ calendar year returns (%) since inception in 1998
Source: UOBAM, as of 30 June 2023. Fund performance sourced from Morningstar. Performance is net of fees and is based on United SGD Fund Class A (Acc) SGD, in SGD terms, on a NAV basis, with dividends and distributions reinvested, if any.
To enable steady income and portfolio diversification, UOBAM offers real estate investment trusts (REITs) funds
To enable steady income and portfolio diversification, UOBAM offers real estate investment trusts (REITs) funds
REITs tend to be negatively correlated to interest rates, so could see a strong recovery this year given the potential rate pause or cut. Property fundamentals are also strong given:
1.resilient earnings,
2.Asian demographics,
3.post-covid consumption growth. For income-seeking investors,
4.APAC REITs currently offer an average yield of over 4 per cent
The $United Asia Pacific Real Estate Income Fund MDis(SG9999010078.MF$ aims to provide investors stable returns and income through sustainable distribution growth, and provides investors the opportunity to capitalise on the positive outlook of the real estate sector in Australia, Japan, Singapore and Hong Kong.
Find out more about the $United Asia Pacific Real Estate Income Fund MDis(SG9999010078.MF$ - here
Find out more about the $United Asia Pacific Real Estate Income Fund MDis(SG9999010078.MF$ - here
Portfolio Manager Update - here
*The selected currency for the funds in this event is USD. Only one currency/dividend type will be displayed for the same fund.
After hearing something about UOBAM's brand culture and on-trend fund products, it's time for you to join us for an ACE Q&A session! Here, you can ask relevant questions in the comment section. You may get answers from the experienced teams at UOBAM, so don't miss the chance to be rewarded for your insightful inquiries!
*The selected currency for the funds in this event is USD. Only one currency/dividend type will be displayed for the same fund.
After hearing something about UOBAM's brand culture and on-trend fund products, it's time for you to join us for an ACE Q&A session! Here, you can ask relevant questions in the comment section. You may get answers from the experienced teams at UOBAM, so don't miss the chance to be rewarded for your insightful inquiries!
In addition to text responses, your questions may also be picked to answer during online or offline webinars.
Submit your questions and suggestions to win the rewards!
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Time:
July 24 – August 7
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Rewards:
S$8.8 fund cash coupon: for writers of the top 5 influential comments with great insights and meaningful questions over 50 words.
500 points: for writers whose suggestions and questions are selected.
66 points: for all writers of on-topic comments.
*Notes:
1. The selection is based on post quality, originality, creativity, and influence.
2. Comments that are not original or relevant shall be excluded.
3. Rewards 1 and 2 are not mutually exclusive, but neither of them can be paired with reward 3.
4. All rewards will be distributed to your universal account within 15–30 working days after the winner's announcement.
5. The selection of the winning entries will be solely at the discretion of moomoo Singapore. The decision is final and binding on all participants.
This statement is for information and educational use only and does not constitute a recommendation or endorsement of any particular investment or investment strategy. Tap this link for more details.
1. The selection is based on post quality, originality, creativity, and influence.
2. Comments that are not original or relevant shall be excluded.
3. Rewards 1 and 2 are not mutually exclusive, but neither of them can be paired with reward 3.
4. All rewards will be distributed to your universal account within 15–30 working days after the winner's announcement.
5. The selection of the winning entries will be solely at the discretion of moomoo Singapore. The decision is final and binding on all participants.
This statement is for information and educational use only and does not constitute a recommendation or endorsement of any particular investment or investment strategy. Tap this link for more details.
Disclaimer: Moomoo Technologies Inc. is providing this content for information and educational use only.
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Dadacai : Office and data centre REITs have been suffering from declining leases and higher debt servicing costs due to interest rate hikes. $United Asia Pacific Real Estate Income Fund MDis (SG9999010078.MF)$ has a small exposure (2.53%) to office REITS but what do diversified real estate activities (18.02%) and diversified REITs (13.44%) comprise of? With more competition from online shopping platforms, is it a good idea to have a large exposure to retail REITs (24.64%)? How does UOBAM hedge against the downsides? Where can we see whether past distributions were made out of income or capital?
JustTrade : in what way is the United SGD Fund better than MMF? From what i saw, the daily NAV, mostly no return or negative return.
No_Horse_Run_4896 : Push through the stomp with some fund in our portfolio for greater diversity
Kopikarp : In light of your various award-winning digital initiatives and AI capabilities, could you elaborate on how these technologies have contributed to UOBAM's success in fund management and client services?
ZnWC : There was a lot of promotion on this ETF a few months ago $UOBAM PINGAN CHINEXT S$ (CXS.SG)$. May I know what's the update of its performance and also the outlook of investment in China?
ZnWC : Your article recommended a few mutual fund which is related to REIT. The performance of REIT stocks are sluggish recently due to recession looms in US and China economy. What's the returns duration are you looking at short term or long term?
I'm more interested in ETF especially those related to artificial intelligence. Any recommendations?
Demascus : How much does United Global Real Estate Income Fund allocate to the asia pacific region, and would investing in the global variant help to diversify risks associated with $United Asia Pacific Real Estate Income Fund MDis (SG9999010078.MF)$'s APAC only allocation?
How are REITs focused on APAC performing relative to REITS that have a global asset allocation approach?
散修2706 : ETFs won't die; just buy them at a low price!
銭小钦 : Judging from my many years of experience in investing in ETFs, just buy at a lower price!
101789545 : i have been investing in United SG fund and is a steady fund that delivers consistent returns. a good fund
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