Japan calls drive pan-Asian outperformance

Japan weighting has dictated fortunes of top-performing S&W Far Eastern Growth, with manager Jane Andrews currently bullish on inflationary impact in the region

The right call on Japan has dictated the fortunes of funds in the pan-Asian sector over the last three years. Overall, the best performer over the timeframe has been Smith & Williamson Far Eastern Growth, which returned 33.02%. Manager Jane Andrews highlighted the impact of making the correct geographical calls. "In terms of the macro level, getting Japan right relative to Australia and Asia has been a major factor behind our returns," she said. "The weighting in Japan has been key over the last three years. In mid-2005, Japan looked interesting so I built that up from the summer to...