Global share prices for all industries got battered in March 2020 amid Covid and have remained volatile since then, but that is not stopping a fund manager launching a global property equity fund.

London-based Janus Henderson is marketing the Janus Henderson Global Equities Fund

London-Based Janus Henderson is Marketing the Janus Henderson Global Equities Fund

London-based Janus Henderson is marketing the Janus Henderson Global Equities Fund, it said on Wednesday.

It will pick REITs and listed property companies to buy shares in to give UK investors a globally diversified portfolio open to both individuals and institutional investors.

The liquid fund will be managed by Guy Barnard, Tim Gibson, and Greg Kuhl, supported by a global team located in London, Singapore and Chicago.

In a statement, Janus Henderson said real estate was a ‘continuously evolving asset class where structural trends are creating opportunity in select parts of the market and rendering some historically core property types to be less relevant’.

The company first offered a global property fund in 2005. Its latest offering will be actively managed and have a ‘differentiated approach to fundamental research, ESG integration and portfolio construction, and are focused on opportunities across the asset class including alternatives and non-benchmark sectors’.

The fund will typically hold a concentrated portfolio of 50 to 60 holdings comprised of its highest-conviction’ ideas.

Guy Barnard, co-head of Global Property Equities at Janus Henderson Investors said: ‘We believe REITs should be a building block within any truly diversified portfolio, providing investors with a liquid, diversified and low-cost way of accessing the property market.’

Though global stocks remain volatile, a week ago, some positive signs emerged from various quarters including  Asia. As reported by CNBC, Hong Kong listed companies – all types, not just real estate – gained 1.84% - the biggest gain for the first trading session of a year since 2018 on what the news outlet called ‘China recovery hopes’.

The FTSE 100 in London bottomed in March 2020 to 5,190. However, although it has been volatile, it has slowly climbed to 7,761. That’s the highest level since 2018.

Germany’s DAX fell to 9,935 in March 2020. It now stands at 14,932.

But it is not all positive news recently for global stocks. On Monday, Morgan Stanley warned US stocks risked slumping 22% - a sharper decline than others have forecast, with the specter of recession likely to compound their biggest annual slump since the global financial crisis of 2008.

The Nasdaq dropped to 6,879 in March 2020, then rose to 15,491 in November 2021, before succumbing to a  downward trend ever since.

Looking specifically at listed real estate companies, the S&P United States REIT index fell to 205 in March 2020. REITs staged a mini recovery up until April 2022, but then went on a downward track.

In the UK, FTSE All Share REITs have been on a downward turn since April 2022, but since October have been recovering somewhat.