The fund also aims to target an excess return of 1.5% over the Barclays Global Aggregate Corporate Index in addition to the 4% absolute return target and will hold a portfolio of 70-120 corporate bonds.
“We believe credit is most effectively managed within a global context, allowing fundamental research to determine asset allocation and security selection, tempered by awareness of the asymmetric risks of credit exposures,” said Holger Mertens, the head portfolio manager for the Global Credit fund.
Mertens will be supported in his new role by Nikko AM’s credit teams in London, Tokyo, Singapore, Sydney, Auckland and New York.
The firm currently has more than 200 investment professionals operating in 11 countries.
Global scope
Nikko AM head of global fixed income, Andre Severino said there was growing need for a highly skilled active fund management team with truly global resources and experience in different regions of the world.
“We are launching the fund in response to investor’s need for consistent and sufficient returns in a low yield environment through a diversified and high quality credit portfolio,” he said.
Nikko AM has been steadily adding to its Ucits fund range to meet what it sees as evolving investor demand for exposure to diverse products and strategies. The new global credit fund follows the launch of a Japan Focus Equity Ucits and an Asia ex-Japan, Global Equity and Multi-Asset Ucits fund last year.
Nikko AM had $154.9bn in assets under management as of March 31, 2015. The company was established in 1999 through the merger of Nikko Securities Investment Trust & Management Co and Nikko International Capital Management Co and can trace its history back to 1959.
