MEDIA RELEASE
03 October 2017
Alpha Fund Managers will invest in the India Avenue Equity Fund, managed by the Sydney based investment manager, India Avenue Investment Management Australia Pty. Ltd. (India Avenue). India Avenue is a boutique fund manager focused on providing Australian and NZ investors with the opportunity to create wealth from the capital markets of one of the fastest growing economies in the world.
The India Avenue Equity Fund invests in companies listed on India’s stock exchanges with an emphasis towards companies thriving from local demand dynamics. The tailwind of India’s economic reforms, rising consumption patterns from a significant and youthful population and growing infrastructure needs, present an investment opportunity to find capital growth whilst ensuring diversity for Australian clients.
The Fund currently holds 51 listed companies and aims to outperform the MSCI India (AUD) over rolling five year periods.
“We wanted to gain direct exposure to the Indian market given the structural reforms taking place and potential for outsized growth versus other markets,” said Julien Brodie, Portfolio Manager at Alpha Fund Managers.
“India Avenue is well regarded and one of the few managers offering direct Indian equity exposure to the Australian market making it an attractive fit for our Global Equities portfolio,” Mr Brodie said.
Mugunthan Siva, Managing Director of India Avenue and Fund Manager of India Avenue Equity Fund said, “the investment is a testament to the strategy and the team’s capabilities, prior track record and dual domiciled in Australia and India.”
“Investing in India makes sense for Australian investors, given India’s economy, currency and equity market all thrive when commodity prices are benign or falling, the investment is the anti-thesis of the commodity play,” Mr Siva said.
“This is why other commodity producing nations like Norway, Canada and the Middle-East have been long-term investors in India. Australia is in fact a laggard,” he said.
India’s youthful and vast demographic places it in a sweet spot when compared to the rest of the world. With significant reform initiatives from the Modi Government, such as the newly introduced GST, there is significant potential for corporate India to deliver double digit earnings growth over the coming decades.
The India Avenue Equity Fund was recently rated ‘recommended’ by Lonsec* and was awarded a ‘superior’ rating by SQM Research** at the end of 2016.
MUGUNTHAN SIVA
JULIEN BRODIE
*Lonsec Disclaimer: The Lonsec Rating (assigned June 2017) presented in this document is published by Lonsec Research Pty Ltd ABN 11 151 658 561 AFSL 421 445. The Rating is limited to “General Advice” (as defined in the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) and based solely on consideration of the investment merits of the financial product. Past performance information is for illustrative purposes only and is not indicative of future performance. It is not a recommendation to purchase, sell or hold India Avenue Investment Management Limited’s product, and you should seek independent financial advice before investing in this product. The Rating is subject to change without notice and Lonsec assumes no obligation to update the relevant document following publication. Lonsec receives a fee from the Fund Manager for researching the product using comprehensive and objective criteria. For further information regarding Lonsec’s Ratings methodology, please refer to Lonsec’s website at: http://www.lonsecresearch.com.au/research-solutions/our-ratings
** SQM Research is an investment research arm that undertakes research on investment products exclusively for its wholesale clients, utilising a proprietary review and star rating system. The SQM Research star rating system is of a general nature and does not take into account the particular circumstances or needs of any specific person. The rating may be subject to change at any me. Only licensed financial advisers may use the SQM Research star rating system in determining whether an investment is appropriate to a person’s particular circumstances or needs. You should read the product disclosure statement and consult a licensed financial adviser before making an investment decision in relation to this investment product. SQM Research receives a fee from the Fund Manager for the research and rating of the managed investment scheme.http://www.lonsecresearch.com.au/research-solutions/our-ratings
India Avenue is a boutique investment management firm providing investment solutions that allow our clients to benefit from India’s remarkable growth story.
OUR BUSINESS
2005
The journey towards the “birth” of India Avenue originated in 2005, when ING Investment Management started a business in India as a separate division, utilising a practiced multi-manager philosophy in markets like Australia, and exported it to India. Three of our founders, Mugunthan Siva, Rajeev Thakkar and Sajjan Raut Desai worked together for INGIM (India), building investment strategies and structures, under this philosophy and applying them to Indian capital markets
2011
In 2011 our founders started discussing the possibility of building an investment firm with a capability to provide a focus on India as an stand-alone investment jurisdiction for foreign investors. The founders identified Australia and New Zealand as nascent markets for investing in regional locations, with the potential to accelerate given education and insights which the firm could provide.
2015
By 2015 the group of founders decided to work full-time on this concept to bring it to life. They did this by leaving their existing employment, thus exercising high conviction in the investment region of India as a long-term structural story for investors in Australia and New Zealand. Thus, the firm India Avenue Investment Management was registered and came to life in 2015 in Sydney, Australia.
2016
After building our business for a period of 12 months, our first fund, The India Avenue Equity Fund was launched on 6th September 2016, with strong service provider partners like Equity Trustees (RE), Mainstream (Fund Administrator), KPMG (Fund Auditor) and BNP India (Custodian).
NOW
India Avenue is now a boutique investment business firm, with clients spread across family offices, high net worth individuals, wealth advisers and financial planning firms. Our firm has focused on education and knowledge as a driver of investment behaviour and have taken a long-term approach towards Australian and New Zealand investors contemplating an allocation to India’s growth as part of their portfolios. Our firm has assets in excess of A$50m and the India Avenue Equity Fund is rated “Recommended”* by Lonsec and is available on multiple investment platforms across Australia and New Zealand.