Chris Rands
Nikko Asset Management Australia (Nikko AM) has announced that its Nikko AM Australian Bond Fund received an upgrade to ‘Recommended’ from Zenith Investment Partners on 16 April 2020.
This comes after the Nikko AM Australian Bond Fund received a Bronze Analyst Rating from Morningstar and an upgrade to ‘Recommended’ from Lonsec earlier this year. The new rating recognises the investment capability and track record of portfolio managers, Darren Langer, Chris Rands and team.
The Nikko AM Australian Bond Fund delivered a total net return of 5.69% p.a. over the past three years, and 6.56% p.a. over the last year as at 31 March 2020*.
The Fund primarily invests in a diversified portfolio of Australian bonds and aims to deliver an active return for a competitive fee. The team’s multi-strategy approach has delivered top quartile performances over the past three years (as at 31 March 2020), with risk management the core focus of the Nikko AM investment process. Nikko AM not only considers risk from an individual security viewpoint but also from a macroeconomic view looking at the risk and how it may impact the overall portfolio.
“We are extremely proud of this achievement, which is a demonstration of the team’s relative value approach to Australian Fixed Income,” said Darren Langer, Head of Australian Fixed Income for Nikko AM Australia.
“In our opinion, a key strength of the portfolio construction process is the breadth of excess return sources and the disciplined approach to identifying incremental trade ideas that align with the team’s strength in sector rotation and security selection. Moreover, Nikko AM’s approach is synchronised to the prevailing fixed interest environment where it has proven challenging to generate consistent returns from large directional rates positioning”, Zenith’s Nikko AM Australian Bond client release, April 2020.
Darren Langer has also been promoted to Head of Australian Fixed Income. Darren has been with the company since 2008 and has 32 years’ investment experience. He has shown exceptional support, and responsibility for Australian multi-sector portfolios including the flagship Australian Bond strategy and the Insurance & Customised Solutions segment of the Australian fixed income offering.
“We’re excited to see Darren at the helm of the fixed income team. Darren is an integral part of the growth and delivery of objectives for fixed income in Australia and in helping to generate excess return for our clients,” Sam Hallinan, Australian Managing Director, Nikko AM, added.
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