Perpetual launches joint listed property fund

PerpetualJames Fielding has launched its first fund — a wholesale property securities fund — following the creation of the joint-venture byPerpetual Trusteesand the James Fielding Group back in October.

The fund aims to provide investors, including the retail market, with a combination of both income returns and long-term capital growth by investing in listed property securities.

Perpetual Investments group executive Gerard Doherty says that while the fund’s rate of return may vary at times, he expects strong returns from property and continued demand over the long term.

“There has been compound annual growth of 18 per cent of the Australian Stock Exchange LPT index since 1997 and we believe there will be continued long-term strong growth for listed property securities,” Doherty says.

The total minimum initial investment in the wholesale fund is $50,000, though investors will have the option of dividing this into two investments of $25,000 in any two wholesale funds offered by Perpetual.

Doherty says it will take an active management approach in investing the fund’s assets.

“Individual stocks will be analysed and selected for inclusion in the portfolio based on both quality and value,” Doherty says.

In determining investment opportunities, Perpetual James Fielding will seek to identify individual securities that have sound management; earnings and distributions growth; quality portfolios; and sound capital management.

“The growth of superannuation funds will mean increasing demand for a diversified range of growth investment products, and we see the Wholesale Property Securities Fund providing another alternative for investors,” Doherty says.