Littlewood adds Japanese equities as Strategic Assets hits £500m

Artemis' William Littlewood has introduced a Japanese equity position into his Strategic Assets fund for the first time as the portfolio reaches £500m of assets in under a year since launch.

While Littlewood remains extremely bearish on Japanese government bonds and the yen, running large short positions in both assets, the manager believes the prospects for the country’s equity market is well placed for a revival. He has moved 3% of the Strategic Assets fund into Japanese equities, via an index future. The position has taken the fund’s weighting in overseas shares to 35% of the equity portfolio; the highest level since inception. Littlewood says he has followed the Japanese markets closely for a number of years. “Japan is still a very efficient manufacturing country a...