First State - Global Opportunities

First State Investments is a specialist asset management business, which is focused on developing and managing innovative investment products.

They offer a range of investment strategies across categories including Asia Pacific and global emerging markets, global resources and global equities, property securities and infrastructure.

First State is the UK asset management arm of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, which has approximately £60 billion under management

The First State Global Opportunities fund is one of the top performing funds in the global equity sector. It has the ability to invest in virtually any size company, across the globe. This gives the fund manage the flexibility he needs to achieve larger returns, than those funds, which are geographically restrained. At least two thirds of the Fund's total assets will be invested in equities or equity type securities, at all times.

Habib Subjally joined first state investments in April 2006 as head of global equities. He has previously held high-ranking positions at other large investment houses, such as Credit Suisse, Invesco Asset Management and Merrill Lynch Investment Managers. Habib Subjally and his team of financial analysts take a global approach to investment, they believe that sectors grow independently of geographical regions. Habib Subjally currently feels that the immediate outlook for markets remains uncertain; however, he thinks there are early signs that the economic downturn is easing. He also believes that the long-term valuations of companies, especially in financial and technology sectors are undervalued, offering variety of high quality companies at a discount.

Investing in global equity funds can be highly profitable in the long run and can often exceed the profits of a standard cautious UK funds. Nevertheless, they encounter high volatility and sometimes devastating downward swings, as a result should only be considered by experienced investors.