The Principal Asia Pacific High Dividend Equity Fund is a consistently outperforming Fund with a disciplined approach to investing in listed companies across Asia for income and capital growth.

The strong diversification of the Fund was noted across industry and country with typically over 120 portfolio holdings. Investing style is systematic and well tested, using conventional bottom-up analysis based on companies’ earnings characteristics.

Principal Asia had both internal processes and third-party customized resources to provide risk control across its portfolio in terms of risk management.

While ESG is incorporated in the investment screening and investment process, there was scope for further strengthening activity here. An explicit spelled out ESG and stewardship process is in the process of being finalized over the next 12 months.

In terms of fund volatility, it was observed that the Fund had a larger maximum drawdown (25-30%) and longer recovery time than its peers.

This Fund has been reviewed by five industry veterans of the Benchmark judging committee.