Led by fund manager Chris Taylor, Neptune Japan Opportunities Fund’s objective is to generate consistent capital growth by investing predominantly in a concentrated portfolio of Japanese securities. Monetary easing, increased public spending and reforms to increase competitiveness are three initiatives that are helping Japanese PM Shinzo Abe get Japan’s economy back on track. The so-called ‘Abenomics’ consists of monetary policy, fiscal policy, and economic growth strategies to encourage private investment; and is working to create a much more positive environment for Japanese companies to thrive.
The fund is managed by Chris Taylor, who utilises global industry sector research from the entire Neptune investment team. Before managing this fund, he moved from Head of Scandinavian Equities at Enskilda Securities to Global Equity Fund Manager for Swiss American Asset Management in New York.
The fund’s largest holding is Toyota Motor, making up 4.33%, followed by Fanuc and Nintendo. By sector, the fund is made up of largely industrials, at 32%, followed by basic materials and technology.
Morningstar rates the fund as high risk, with the returns being relatively hard to predict over the last few years; in 2013 the annual return on the fund was 50%, but in 2014 it dropped to 4.39%. However, the value of the fund has risen steadily since November and could well be set to continue.
