Blackstone-backed ASK Investment Managers launches ASK Special Opportunities Portfolio
ASK Investment Managers (“ASK”), part of the Blackstone-backed ASK Asset & Wealth Management group, has announced the launch of its new equity PMS strategy - ASK Special Opportunities Portfolio, to enable agile value investment opportunities in today’s volatile times.
The newly launched fund will be a differentiated and limited-period investment offer which aims to invest predominantly in stocks that present special investment opportunities and capitalize on the market conditions. The fund subscription window will close as soon as any one of the following conditions are met:
* End of fundraising window on 31 July 2025, or
*Total assets raised reach INR 1000 crore, or
*At the discretion of the Portfolio Manager, provided the market valuations become unfavourable or if the incremental investment opportunity diminishes
The minimum investment ticket size of the ASK Special Opportunities Portfolio will be INR 50 lakhs, and the company is targeting to raise INR 1,000 crore from this portfolio. The fund plans to ride on the strong fundamentals of the Indian economy from a long-term perspective and the substantial correction in the markets in the last few months.
The portfolio strategy will be market-cap agnostic and free from sectoral limitations, enabling it to capture value across the investment universe flexibly. It will be built on a bottom-up stock selection process and will typically comprise 15 to 30 stocks, with no single stock exceeding 10% of the overall portfolio. The benchmark for this portfolio will be the BSE 500 Total Return Index (TRI), offering a broad representation of the Indian equity market. The fee structure includes both fixed and hybrid models, allowing for greater flexibility for investors.
This portfolio is suitable for UHNIs (Ultra High Net Worth Individuals), HNIs (High Net Worth Individuals), Family Offices, Corporate Treasuries, and Private Family Trusts that are looking for diversification solutions for their portfolio.
In a unique feature of the fund, ASK Investment Managers intends to return capital to investors upon the occurrence of any of the following three conditions at the discretion of the Portfolio Manager:
* Completion of 4 to 5 years of portfolio tenure
* Doubling of the portfolio value
* At the discretion of the Portfolio Manager, in situations where factors such as sharp valuation escalations, diminishing return potential, or evolving market conditions indicate that returning capital would be in the best interest of investors.
George Heber Joseph, CIO & CEO (Equity), ASK Investment Managers, said, “At ASK, we continue to innovate and evolve our offerings in line with dynamic market environments and the sophisticated needs of our clients, driven by a data-driven and research-backed equity investment approach. We see the current market offering many value investing opportunities, where the companies have a sound track record, proven management credentials and have good growth prospects. As market volatility increases, we believe ASK Special Opportunities Portfolio will be an ideal fit for investors looking to create wealth with a horizon of 4-5 years. With our proven track record, ASK Investment Managers is confident of meeting the investment needs of investors through this offering”.
Sandip Bansal, Deputy CIO, ASK Investment Managers, said, “The environment of heightened global volatility, macroeconomic uncertainty, and shifting market dynamics presents an opportunity to capitalize on pockets of undue pessimism or under-appreciated growth potential, with a long-term investment horizon. The launch of the ASK Special Opportunities Portfolio reflects our belief that periods of dislocation often present the most compelling investment opportunities.”
He further added, “In this strategy, our investments will be in two broad buckets - stocks wherein we have good valuation comfort or that present high growth opportunities. The first bucket has high re-rating potential while the second bucket has superior earnings, latent earnings potential or possibility of high profitability over the long-term. Uncertain market conditions have more instances of price-value mismatches. Also, such markets are more punishing on businesses with near-term uncertainties caused by macros, industry-level changes, business cyclicality or company-specific events. This fund enables us to take a contrarian view from a long-term perspective. Our goal is to uncover and participate in unique value creation opportunities that have the potential to deliver superior long-term risk-adjusted returns.”
ASK Special Opportunities Portfolio will be managed by Sandip Bansal. Sandip has over 21 years of experience. Previously, he has worked with SBI Life Insurance, UBS Securities, Kotak Institutional Equities, KPMG, and Citibank. He is a Chartered Accountant and an MBA from IIM Ahmedabad.
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