Goldman Sachs' investment management arm has launched a fund that invests in less developed countries identified by the bank's economics guru Jim O'Neill as most likely to emerge as powerhouses of growth in coming years. Goldman Sachs Asset Management's (GSAM) 'Next Eleven' fund will buy stocks from the 11 countries identified by O'Neill that are set to follow Brazil, Russia, India and China - countries included in the BRIC acronym coined by O'Neill.
The Next Eleven includes Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Korea, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Turkey and Vietnam. "Whilst the N-11 are a diverse group of countries, what binds them together is their large populations, superior growth potential and strong domestic consumption story," said O'Neil, former head of global economics, commodities and strategy research and chairman of GSAM since last year. The portfolio, which will be run by the fundamental equities team, is not the first one to capitalise on O'Neill's view of the emerging markets.
Fund firm Castlestone Management said in August they would launch a fund inspired by the "Next-11" concept. The BRIC countries and more generally emerging markets are increasingly attracting investments from institutions like pension funds, as they look for higher returns amid slow growth in developed markets.