New Fund: AmAsia Pacific REITs Plus

Do you remember the AmAsia Pacific REITs fund? I'm sure you have heard about it. Yes, backed by its success story, AmInvestment Management Bhd has launched a new version called AmAsia Pacific REITs Plus. The word "Plus" is used as a continuation of the AmAsia Pacific REITs and the fund may invest in listed equities in the real estate sector.

The fund aims to provide regular income and to a lesser extent capital appreciation over the medium to long term (at least 3 years) by investing in real estate investment trusts (REITs) and equities in the real estate sector.

What's the strategy?

Minimum 70% in REITs and a maximum of 29% in listed equities in real estate sector, which are in the Asia Pacific region. This is the asset allocation of the fund. Diversification in terms of country and different REITs sub-sectors (etc. residential, commercial and industrial) is expected.

An active allocation strategy will be employed by fund manager, based on macroeconomic trends and REITs market outlook of respective countries in Asia Pacific region. Meanwhile, bottom-up security selection strategy will be used for equities, with focus on undervalued companies.

Who is suitable for this fund?

• Those who wish to have investment exposure in real estate sector through a diversified portfolio of REITs and real estate equities in Asia Pacific region.
• Those seeking regular income and to a lesser extent capital appreciation over medium to long term

What's AmInvest aiming?

4% payout on yearly basis, which AmInvest said is achievable and is higher than fixed deposit rate offered by banks. AmInvest favors Australia, Singapore and Japan for REITs and China, Indonesia and Thailand for listed equities.

Click here to download the fund prospectus

New Fund: OSK-UOB Multi Asset Regular Income Fund

As investor continue to seek safe investment havens, i.e. investments that are more stable and/or of lower risk and with regular income, OSK-UOB Investment Management see opportunities in the Asia and Asia Pacific (ex Japan) region. Hence, they are now offering investors a fund that utilizes a multi-asset strategy to generate potential regular income and capital growth in a fund that invests in three yielding assets i.e. bonds, equities and REITs (real estate investment trusts) from the Asia and Asia Pacific (ex Japan) region.

The Fund is suitable for investors who:

1. seek regular income and capital growth over medium to long term;
2. are willing to accept moderate risk in their investments; and
3. wish to benefit from investment exposure in the Asian and Asia Pacific (ex Japan) region.

Tactical Asset Allocation?

Of the fund's investments, the External Investment Manager will initially invest in accordance to the allocation stated in the table below. However, for the purpose of tactical asset allocation, the manager may deviate from the stated allocation by a 10% variance for each asset class depending on the market conditions to achieve medium to long term returns.

Thus, this Fund's portfolio will be structured as follows:

• 65% - 98% of NAV
• Investments in Asian (ex Japan) debt instruments / bonds, Asia Pacific (ex Japan) dividend equities and Asia Pacific (ex Japan) REITs.
• 2% - 35% of NAV
• Investments in liquid assets including money market instruments and deposits with financial institutions.

What's the composite benchmark for this fund?

• 50% JP Morgan Asia Credit Index Total Return Composite (RM);
• 30% MSCI AC Asia Pacific ex Japan Index (RM);
• 20% MSCI AC Asia Pacific ex Japan REITs Index (RM).

Distribution Policy:

Depending on the level of income generated at each relevant period, the fund will declare distributions, if any, to unit holders QUARTERLY.

Click here to read fund's prospectus

Source: OSK-UOB Investment Management

New IPO: IGB Reit

IGB REIT comprises of Mid Valley Megamall (retail; 1.72m sf NLA) and the Gardens Mall (retail; 0.82sf NLA) with a total appraised value of RM4.6b. Currently, Mid Valley Megamall is 99.8% occupied and the Gardens Mall is 99.7% occupied. Based on the IPO price of RM1.25, IGB REIT’s market capitalization would be RM4.3bn, making it the largest pure retail M-REIT. Following closely behind IGB REIT in terms of market capitalization size is Pavilion REIT (RM4.08b), Sunway REIT (RM4.02b) and CMMT (RM3.02b).

What are the key selling points for IGB REIT?

1. Prime asset with strategic location, huge catchment area and well connected transportation networks.
   
   
   
   
   
2. Diverse based of tenants to sustain rental income.
   
   
   
3. Low gearing provides ample room for acquisition growth. Based on IGB REIT’s Pro Forma Statement of Financial position, IGB REIT’s gearing ratio upon listing will be approximately 25.8%, which is below the average of listed MREITs of approximately 29.2% as at 31 Dec 2011. Hence, for future acquisition, IGB REIT has the flexibility to borrow additional RM1.1bn before reaching the statutory gearing level of 50%.

What's the fair value?
As shown below, different research house gave different fair value by using different method of valuations. To summarize it, the fair values estimated could give investors an upside potential of between 7.2% - 16%. Does this enough for you to consider to subscribe this IPO? Anyway, only 1% of the shares were being allocated to retail investors. Good luck.

Source: Various research report