Interactive Investor

ii Super 60 investments:Baillie Gifford Shin Nippon IT

Asset GroupAsset Sub-GroupInvestment Category
EquitiesJapanese equitiesSmaller company

The investment team consists of ten professionals of which six are investment managers. Every team member contributes ideas to the Shin Nippon portfolio, however, Praveen Kumar has been the designated manager and decision maker on the fund since 1st December 2015 and has been part of the Japan team since 2011.

The investment approach focuses on identifying high-growth companies and holding them for the long term to benefit from compounding growth. The portfolio manager aims to invest in financially secure and growing businesses that enjoy durable long-term competitive advantages and are managed by trustworthy management teams. High earnings and sales growth are targeted, and this is expected to drive price performance over time. The resultant portfolio is relatively diversified, typically with 60-70 stocks and the fund has a clear small-cap bias compared to the benchmark (MSCI Japan Small Cap Index).

The disappointing performance experienced over 2021 and 2022 is related to the investment style and followed a prolonged period of outperformance from the fund.

Opinion
We have a positive overall view based on the well-resourced team and the differentiated, established, and high-growth investment process that is consistent across the firm. However, the risks inherent in investing in small-cap companies are to some degree compounded here by the consistent focus on high-growth companies and an element of gearing (approx. 5-18% over recent years). Investors therefore need to be comfortable with the potential for volatility and significant drawdowns over the shorter term.

December 2022

Risk warnings

Past performance of the underlying constituents is not a guarantee of future performance. The value of investments, and any income from them, can fall as well as rise so you could get back less than you invest. 

Annual performance can be found on the factsheet of each fund, trust or ETF. Simply click on the asset’s name and then the performance tab. 

The information we provide in the ii Super 60 investments list is an opinion provided by ii or one of its partners on whether to buy a specific investment. Please note that none of the opinions we provide are a “personal recommendation”, which means that we have not assessed your investing knowledge and experience, your financial situation or your investment objectives. Therefore you should ensure that any investment decisions you make are suitable for your personal circumstances.

If you are unsure about the suitability of a particular investment or think that you need a personal recommendation, you should speak to a suitably qualified financial advisor. 

Any changes to the ii Super 60 investments list and the rationale behind those decisions will be communicated through the Quarterly Investment Outlook.

Details of all recommendations issued by ii during the previous 12 month period can be found here.

ii adheres to a strict code of conduct. Members of ii staff may hold shares in companies mentioned in the ii Super 60 investments list, which could create a conflict of interest. Any member of staff intending to complete some research about any financial instrument in which they have an interest are required to disclose such interest to ii. We will at all times consider whether such interest impairs the objectivity of the recommendation.

In addition, staff involved in the production of this ii Super 60 list are subject to a personal account dealing restriction. This prevents them from placing a transaction in the specified instrument(s) for five working days before and after an investment is included or amended and made public within the list. This is to avoid personal interests conflicting with the interests of the recipients of this ii Super 60 investments list.