(pictured: Grant Kennaway)
Morningstar has published its first ‘Morningstar Australia Prospects’ report, a sort-of Morningstar Lite, which lists 26 funds that may be worthy of greater investor attention although they have not yet been fully analysed by the research house.
Morningstar points out that the Australian managed fund universe has thousands of unique funds. As of October 2015 the research house had ‘full rated coverage’ of 500 flagship strategies which mapped to about 4,500 underlying funds, including ETFs and LICs.
Grant Kennaway, Morningstar director of manager research for Asia Pacific, said: “Our analysts are always alert for strategies that may deserve a wider audience and, eventually, full qualitative research coverage… In the Prospects report we share what we believe are the most promising candidates on our research ‘bench’.”
The list, which includes a brief summary of each fund’s strategy and characteristics, will be updated every six months.
Morningstar said the funds had some or all of the following characteristics:

• unique strategy or process
• existing strategy with new, possibly transformative, management
• new strategy run by a manager with a long track record elsewhere
• under-the-radar strategy that has an established track record but is not well-known.

The inaugural Morningstar ‘Prospects’ are:
Global Equity
Emerging Markets
BT Global Emerging Markets Opportunities
World Large-cap
CFS FC Inv-Sanlam Mgd Risk
Robeco BP Global Premium Equities
Antipodes Global
Pan-Tribal Global Equity Fund
Polaris Global Equity Fund
Australian Equity
Fidelity Australian Opportunities
Wavestone Wholesale Australian Share
Perennial Value Wealth Defender Aust Shares
Fidelity Future Leaders
Fixed Income
Fidelity Global Strategic Bond
Payden Global Income Opportunities
Australian Alternative Strategies
Bennelong Kardinia Absolute Return
UBS Dynamic Alpha Strategies Fund
Global Real Estate
Presima Global Property Sec Concentrated
World Other
Partners Group Global Value (AUD)
Infrastructure – Global
Maple-Brown Abbott Global Listed Infrastructure
Multisector
MLC Inflation Plus Assertive Portfolio
BMO Pyrford Global Absolute Return
MLC Wholesale Inflation Plus – Conservative
State Street Sustainer
Aberdeen Multi-Asset Real Return
MLC Wholesale Inflation Plus
State Street Builder
State Street Provider