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. The strategy aims to provide fast and effective value investment opportunities in the current volatile times.

This new fund is a different and limited-term investment proposition, which will invest primarily in stocks that offer special investment opportunities and have the potential to take advantage of market conditions. The investment period in the fund (subscription window) will close on the fulfillment of any of the conditions - the end of the fund raising window on July 31, 2025 or the achievement of the total target of Rs 1,000 crore. As per the discretion of the portfolio manager, if market valuations are not favorable or additional investment opportunities are reduced.

How much will have to be invested

A minimum investment of Rs 50 lakh will have to be made in the ASK Special Opportunities portfolio and the company is targeting to raise Rs 1,000 crore from this portfolio. This fund plans to take advantage of the strong fundamentals of the Indian economy and the big decline in the markets in the last few months from a long-term perspective.

Investment strategy

The strategy of this portfolio will not be limited to any particular market cap (large cap, mid cap or small cap companies) or any particular sector. This will help it to easily choose better stocks in all possible sectors of investment. The fund will select stocks with good opportunities based on a "bottom-up" approach. The portfolio structure will typically comprise 15 to 30 stocks, with no single stock representing more than 10% of the total portfolio.

The benchmark is the BSE 500 Total Return Index (TRI), which is a broad representation of the Indian equity market. The fee structure includes both fixed and hybrid models, giving investors greater flexibility.

For which investors is this scheme better?

This portfolio is suitable for investors who are looking for solutions to diversify their portfolios, such as: Ultra High Net Worth Individuals (UHNIs), High Net Worth Individuals (HNIs), Family Offices, Corporate Treasury, Private Family Trusts.

ASK Investment Managers has a provision to return capital to investors in three special circumstances. This decision will be based on the discretion of the portfolio manager - when the portfolio tenure is completed for 4 to 5 years and when the value of the portfolio doubles. In situations where factors such as rapid growth in valuations, declining return potential or changing market conditions indicate that returning capital would be in the investors' best interest, portfolio managers may exercise their discretion.

George Heber Joseph, CIO & CEO (Equity), ASK Investment Managers says that at ASK, we continue to innovate and improve our investment options to suit our clients' needs and the changing market environment. Our equity investment approach is based on data and in-depth research. We see many value investing opportunities in the current market, where companies have strong track records, strong management and better growth prospects.

Aim to create wealth with a time horizon of 4-5 years

Amidst increasing volatility in the market, we believe that the ASK Special Opportunities portfolio will be an ideal choice for investors who want to create wealth with a time horizon of 4-5 years. With the proven track record of ASK Investment Managers, we are confident of meeting the needs of investors through this offering.

Long-term investment goal

Sandeep Bansal, Deputy CIO, ASK Investment Managers, said that amid global volatility, macroeconomic uncertainty and changing market environment, there are better opportunities for long-term investors in sectors where there is either a lot of pessimism or underestimated growth prospects. The launch of ASK Special Opportunity Portfolio reflects our belief that volatility often provides the most attractive investment opportunities.

He further said that in this strategy, our investment will be in two main parts. Stocks in which we have good valuation comfort or which offer high growth opportunities. The first part will consist of stocks with high re-rating potential, while the second will include companies that have strong earnings, hidden potential, or high returns in the long term.

Uncertain market conditions lead to higher price and value imbalances. Also, such markets affect businesses more that have uncertainties in the near future due to macroeconomic conditions, industry changes, business cycles, or company-specific events. This fund enables us to take a contrarian view for the long term. Our goal is to identify and participate in unique opportunities that have the potential to deliver superior risk-adjusted returns over the long term.

Fund Manager

ASK Special Opportunities portfolio will be managed by Sandeep Bansal. Sandeep has more than 21 years of experience. Prior to this, 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.