Paula Chan and Ezra Nazula of Manulife Asset Management, Nirmal Gandhi of SBI Life Insurance, and Michael Chang of MCIS Insurance were nominated among the most valuable fund managers by about 500 research, sales, and trading individuals at banks and brokerages, a survey by Asset Benchmark Research (ABR) reveals.

Chan, who garnered top marks for the Hong Kong market, and Gandhi, Nazula, and Chang for India, Indonesia, and Malaysia respectively, have been ranked for at least five consecutive years as most Astute Investors. The selection of the most Astute Investors is part of ABR's Asian Local Currency Bond Benchmark Review 2016. 

A total of 142 fund managers out of nearly 600 across Asia were ranked most Astute Investors in 2016. Now in its seventeenth year, the Asian Local Currency Bond Benchmark Review is the longest-running and only review of its kind that tracks the opinion of professionals in research, sales and trading in terms of who the best investors are in the Asian currency bond market. The fund managers are being recognized for their knowledge of credits and the markets, their acumen in making investment decisions and their trading skill.

Chajchai Sarit-Apirak of Kasikorn Asset Management has been voted among the best in Thailand for the last three years as well as in 2010 to 2012. Jiayi Yew of Allianz Global Investors has been ranked in Singapore over the past three years, while Jose Miguel Liboro of ATR KimEng Asset Management leads the Philippine ranking for the past two years. Ryan Peng of Mercuries Life Insurance leads for the first time in Taiwan in 2016. 

The Asian Local Currency Bond Benchmark Review covers 11 markets including China (onshore and offshore), Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand. It has been conducted annually since 2000. It provides a wealth of data on the product needs of investors and the market penetration of the banks that are active in local currency bonds. It also provides detailed analysis on the investors’ buying behaviour when selecting their counterparties, giving unprecedented access into the minds of investors.

To view the rankings of the most Astute Investors in Asian local currency bonds by country, please click here.

Please click on the links to view the outlook for the Asian local currency bond markets from the most Astute Investors and from the Best Individuals in research, sales and trading in the next 12 months. 

To find out more about Asset Benchmark Research and its work, please click here.