While most funds rely on the skill and judgement of their managers to pick stocks, BlackRock is leaning on its tried-and-tested systematic investing approach to uncover the market’s ever-elusive alpha. Launched on April 27 under the EQDP, BlackRock’s new Asean systematic active equity (SAE) strategy fund, the BF1 Advantage Asean Equity Fund, will adopt a quantitative active approach without any bias toward growth, value, or other investment styles.
Investors now have a wide range of options when choosing which Equities Market Development Programme (EQDP) fund manager to entrust with their capital. The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has so far allocated $3.95 billion of the $6.5 billion fund to nine fund managers.
The MAS-appointed asset managers include local firms such as AR Capital, Avanda Investment Management, Fullerton Fund Management, and Lion Global Investors, as well as foreign ones like Amova Asset Management (formerly Nikko Asset Management), BlackRock, Eastspring Investments, JP Morgan Asset Management, and Manulife Investment Management.
