Vontobel has launched an emerging markets ex-China equity fund, allowing investors to access EMs while managing their own allocation to China separately.
The Vontobel Fund - mtx Emerging Markets Leaders ex-China invests in EM companies considered to be "industry leaders in terms of profitability, industry position as well as attractive valuation", while also meeting the firm's minimum ESG standards.
"China is the second largest economy in the world and it continues to play a crucial role in the evolution of the broader emerging market universe," said Roger Merz, head of mtx portfolio management.
"However, as China's economy has grown exponentially in recent years, its weighting relative to other emerging markets has also increased significantly. As such, some clients have made the decision to consider China as a standalone asset class, managing their exposure separately."
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Thomas Schaffner, co-portfolio manager of the fund, added: "The Emerging Markets Leaders ex-China fund is an important addition to our broad suite of emerging market funds".
He said: "Investors are increasingly looking at different ways to incorporate China into their portfolios and this new fund enables clients to take control of their own investment decisions and set targets for exposure to China equity within their overall strategic asset allocation framework."
The Luxembourg-domiciled fund, which has an annual management fee of 0.825% and the managers said it will complement Vontobel's existing offering in global emerging markets, Asian equities and China A-Shares.
The portfolio managers are supported by a team of 27 investment professionals and ESG analysts.
