Top 10 Best Performing Unit Trust Funds As of 7th June 2013

If this is your first time reading this review, I would highly recommend that you read "A Guide Towards Understanding Unit Trust Performance Table" before proceeding.

Review
Fund Category : Asia excluding Japan 
Top 10 Best Performing Fund for Category Asia Excluding Japan (click Image to Enlarge):

2 Weeks Gain/Loss Ranking Table for Category Asia Excluding Japan:

Fund Name	YTD as of 22nd May 2013	YTD as of 7th June 2013	2 Weeks Gain / Loss (%)	2 Weeks Gain/ Loss Rankings	Previous 2 Weeks Gain/Loss Rankings
Public Islamic Asia Dividend Fund	-2.2	-1.24	0.96	1	5
Public Asia Ittikal Fund	-0.74	-1.81	-1.07	6	3
Eastspring Investments Asia Pacific Shariah Equity Fund	0.14	-0.88	-1.02	5	9
PB Islamic Asia Equity Fund	-1.6	-1.95	-0.35	4	2
Pheim Asia Ex-Japan Islamic	5.22	5.03	-0.19	2	1
MAAKL Shariah Asia-Pacific Fund	-4.96	-6.22	-1.26	7	6
CIMB Islamic Asia Pacific Equity Fund	-0.54	-0.83	-0.29	3	8
Eastspring Investments Asia Pacific Equity MY Fund	-0.24	-4.01	-3.77	8	4
PB Islamic Asia Strategic Sector Fund	Newcomer	-0.41	N/A	N/A	N/A
MAAKL Pacific Fund	Newcomer	-0.37	N/A	N/A	N/A
AVERAGE 2 WEEKS GAIN/LOSS (%)			-0.87

Review of Asia Excluding Japan Funds:

Any unit trust investor holding an Asia Pacific Excluding Japan fund in their portfolio should feel rather frustrated by the performance of the fund. Singling out Pheim Asia Ex-Japan Islamic (PAEJI) fund as the only fund that has a positive Yield to Date (YTD) of 5.03%, the rest of the top 10 funds are in the red since 1st January 2013.

I "believe" the Top 10 funds in the list above have in their portfolio a range of equities/stocks from China, Hong Kong and South Korea. The Hong Kong's Hang Seng has been breathing hot and cold the past couple of months due to influence by China and US. Watching the Hang Seng movement is akin to  watching two kids on a see saw going up and down.

In addition, South Korea's Stock Market or better known as KOSPI is lagging behind most Asian countries.  Poor economic data and being overshadowed by rivals Japan has resulted in the KOSPI index losing 3.64% over a period of 5 days.

Not forgetting a huge dip in the Japan's NIKKEI on 23 May 2013 (losing 7.73% on a single day) have also contributed to the decline in Hang Seng and KOSPI during this period of review.

Once again I would like to reiterate that the top 10 funds above have large allocations of funds invested in stocks from Hong Kong and South Korea. With see-saw like uncertainty in the Hang Seng and the poor performance of the KOSPI, it is not surprising that 9 out of the 10 funds in the list are in the red for 2013.

The only positive news I can blog about is that over the two week period from 23 May - 7 June 2013, the average 2 Weeks Gain/Loss of -0.87% is better then the benchmark MSCI AC Asia ex Japan index whom lost -3.35% over the same period.

If you would like to take advantage of the ASEAN market growth yet not want to have any exposure to Hong Kong and South Korea drop me an email at sickfreak03@gmail.com to find out what funds I would recommend.

Review
Fund Category : Greater China

Top 10 Best Performing Fund for Category Asia Excluding Japan (click Image to Enlarge): 

2 Weeks Gain/Loss Ranking Table for Category Greater China:

Fund Name	YTD as of 22nd May 2013	YTD as of 7th June 2013	2 Weeks Gain / Loss (%)	2 Weeks Gain/ Loss Rankings	Previous 2 Weeks Gain/Loss Rankings
CIMB-Principal Greater China Equity Fund	-2.98	-3.07	-0.09	2	8
CIMB-Principal Greater China Equity Fund	-2.98	-3.07	-0.09	2	8
PB China Titans Fund	0.32	-1.34	-1.66	6	3
Public China Ittikal Fund	-1.56	-3.23	-1.67	7	6
PB China Pacific Equity Fund	1.5	-0.52	-2.02	9	4
Public China Select Fund	3.19	1.47	-1.72	8	7
AmIslamic Greater China	-3.73	-6.93	-3.2	10	2
Eastspring Investments Dinasti Equity Fund	-0.63	-0.85	-0.22	4	10
Hwang China Select Fund	10.85	10.81	-0.04	1	1
MAAKL Greater China Fund	-1.47	-2.58	-1.11	5	5
AVERAGE 2 WEEKS GAIN/LOSS (%)			-1.18

Review of Greater China Funds:

Some movements in the top 10 ranking for Greater China Funds as PB China Titans Fund (PBCTF) fell back to 3rd ranking from 1st the previous week. Other funds ranking remained unchanged over the 5 year returns ranking

On the shorter horizan, the Average 2 Weeks Gain/Loss for Greater China Funds shed -1.18%. AmIslamic Greater China (AIGC) fund suffered the highest lost, shedding -3.2% of it's NAV. 

In this review, I would like to specifically point out Hwang China Select Fund (HCSF). Why this fund? Here are some key observations:

1. This fund is the only fund that has a double digit returns since 1st January 2013 at +10.81%

2. Over a 1 year period, this fund has returned 21.36%.

2. While other funds are struggling to maintain a positive gain, this fund has been able to robustly maintain positive figures since 31 January 2013.

3. The fund manager for HCSF has so far been able to ensure that investors are getting a positive gain regardless of how volatile the market is. This is inline with the policy of Absolute Investing by this Fund House. 

See Video of Absolute Investing as describe by David Ng, CIO of Hwang Investment Management:

Is it the right time to invest in China?

Despite the pledge for economic reforms by President Xi Jinping, most of the policies released recently are too general to depict any clear direction for China. Perhaps the President realizes that weeding out deep rooted bribery and corruption among officials need to be subtle and carefully executed instead of spouting out specific hammer down policies which could lead to mass revolt among local officials. By the time of writing, President Obama would have met with President Xi Jinping, discussing on how the world's largest and 2nd largest economies can work together. Hopefully there will be a clear indications from China as a result of this meeting!

Additional Updates: 
Am disappointed to read that the outcome of the discussion between Obama and Xi Jinping revolved around cyber-security instead of economic development. However Obama did mention the following;

United States is seeking an economic order "where nations are playing by the same rules, where trade is free and fair, and where the United States and China work together to address issues like cybersecurity and the protection of intellectual property."

The secretive nature of China as hinted by Obama's statement makes investing into China funds unattractive for many including myself. For now I wouldn't want to touch any of the China funds even with a foot long pole. 

Review
Fund Category : Equity Malaysia

Top 10 Best Performing Fund for Category Equity Malaysia (click Image to Enlarge):

2 Weeks Gain/Loss Ranking Table for Category Equity Malaysia:

Fund Name	YTD as of 22nd May 2013	YTD as of 7th June 2013	2 Weeks Gain / Loss (%)	2 Weeks Gain/ Loss Rankings	Previous 2 Weeks Gain/Loss Rankings
MAAKL-HDBS Flexi Fund	14.76	13.61	-1.15	10	4
Kenanga Growth Fund	14.8	15.91	1.11	2	3
Phillip Master Equity Growth Fund	18.03	20.78	2.75	1	2
Kenanga Syariah Growth Fund	13.21	14.11	0.9	4	6
Hwang AIIMAN Growth	18.3	18.89	0.59	5	1
AMB Dividend Trust Fund	8.9	8.43	-0.47	9	10
MAAKL Dividend Fund	13.39	13.5	0.11	8	8
CIMB-Principal Equity Fund	13.92	14.31	0.39	6	7
CIMB-Principal Wholesale Equity Fund	11.76	12.72	0.96	3	5
Public Focus Select Fund	10.55	10.8	0.25	7	9
AVERAGE 2 WEEKS GAIN/LOSS (%)			0.54

Review of Equity Malaysia Funds:

The after election-mini bull run have more or less died down as seen from the Average 2 Weeks Gain/Loss (%) which only added +0.54% over the past 2 weeks. Key points to highlight are the performance of Philip Master Equity Growth Fund (PMEGF) whom finish top in terms of 2 weeks Gain/Loss ranking by adding an additional +2.75% gain. PMEGF has since returned +20.78% since 1st January 2013, the first among the top 10 funds to break the 20% barrier.

Also worthy of a mentioned is Hwang AIIMAN Growth (HAG), a syariah compliant fund managed by Hwang Investment Management. Despite the limitation on the types of stocks that can be invested due to syariah laws, HAG has outperformed it's peers. Impressive indeed and a recommended fund for long term Muslim investors!

In terms of Market Outlook, there would not be much action for the KLSE Index for the next couple of weeks as no key events/announcements are expected to be made. However we should see gains from the Dow Jones Index last Friday (7 June 2013) to be reflected on our Index when it opens this coming Monday (10 June 2013). 

Cheers and Happy Investing!

P/s : If you like to invest into Philip Master Equity Growth Fund or Hwang AIIMAN Growth, feel free to contact me at sickfreak03@gmail.com 

P.P/s : All recommendations made are based on my experience and understanding. After which I apply them to my own personal investment. I am not into unit trust for hard selling. If you feel what I have recommended is bullshit, feel free to leave your frustration behind by commenting in this post. 

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