We believe the best way to exploit the investment opportunities in emerging markets equities is through a combination of value and growth, and bottom-up and top-down factors. For Causeway Emerging Markets Fund, our stock selection is focused on attractively valued companies with superior earnings prospects and positive market sentiment; these companies should produce consistent returns across investment cycles. We use the same approach to select sectors and countries, comparing valuation against earnings growth and market sentiment. At the country level, we also consider the health of the macro-economy. Our quantitative process seamlessly combines these factors while attempting to avoid undue sources of risk.
The investment process begins with a liquidity screen on emerging markets equities. Our model creates a return forecast for every stock in the investable universe. We optimize the portfolio weights to maximize portfolio return potential, targeting a 5% tracking error relative to the benchmark MSCI Emerging Markets Index, and subject to additional relative constraints (sector, country, and stock).
Causeway Emerging Markets Fund is a fully invested portfolio of 70-120 stocks, with an average 85% annual turnover. Typically, the Fund is undervalued relative to the benchmark on a number of metrics, with greater earnings growth expectations.