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GAM Emerging Markets Equity

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GAM Emerging Markets Equity is an actively managed, long-only strategy seeking alpha through a diversified portfolio of emerging and select frontier market equities. By blending bottom-up research with top-down analysis, the team targets quality companies at attractive valuations with the aim of capturing growth potential while seeking to limit downside risk.

Our Edge

Experienced team testtesttest

With over 75 years of combined experience the team brings deep market insight and a refined process built to uncover opportunities through cycles.

A quantamental, holistic investment process

A consistent and repeatable process that combines proprietary quantitative models with deep fundamental research, integrating top-down and bottom-up insights in a high-conviction approach designed for the complexity of emerging markets.

Focus on reform and fundamentals

The strategy targets markets with solid fundamentals and reform momentum and invests in companies aligned with long-term structural themes such as AI, green energy and technology transformation.

Style-agnostic and diversified approach

The strategy flexibly blends value, GARP and thematic ideas, allowing the team to adapt to changing market conditions and uncover opportunities across sectors, regions and cycles.

Investment Team

The strategy is led by Investment Director Ygal Sebban, a seasoned emerging markets investor with expertise across Latin America, Emerging Europe, the Middle East and South Africa. He is supported by a globally based team as well as GAM’s Fundamental Active Equity platform, providing access to a deep bench of seasoned investors and collaborative insights.

GAM Emerging Markets Equity seeks consistent alpha with strong risk-adjusted returns through a diversified portfolio of long only emerging markets stocks, including frontier plays.
Ygal Sebban, Investment Director

Philosophy and Process

Investment Philosophy

The team believes long-term returns in emerging markets are driven by the ability to identify macroeconomic and thematic trends and express those views through carefully selected mispriced securities. Frequent inefficiencies – arising from regulatory, political and structural changes – create opportunities for active managers. To capture these, the strategy applies a consistent and repeatable process that blends top-down country analysis with bottom-up stock selection, supported by rigorous fundamental research and proprietary tools.

Investment Process

The team’s proven quantamental investment process combines proprietary modelling tools with qualitative judgement. Fundamental bottom-up valuation screens highlight the most undervalued and overvalued stocks across the universe, while top-down models analyse macroeconomic influences. Each company is assessed using structured templates and cross-referenced with company meetings and independent third-party research, within an ESG-integrated framework. This results in a set of mispriced stocks and attractive risk/return opportunities, which the team uses to actively construct a diversified portfolio of approximately 60 to 90 positions. A cross-asset class perspective informs position sizing and country exposures, with strong risk awareness maintained throughout.

1

Top-down analysis

  • TDAM model ranks countries by macro, ESG and liquidity factors
  • Timing sheet guides entry, exit and currency decisions
2

Bottom-up valuation screens

  • Quant screens flag mispriced stocks
  • Proprietary templates assess valuation, fundamentals and ESG
3

Stock analysis

  • Fundamental research supported by company meetings and analyst input
  • Consistent framework ensures disciplined investment theses
4

Portfolio construction and risk management

  • Blend top-down and bottom-up views to build conviction-led portfolios
  • Risk managed across country, stock and currency exposures

Reasons to Invest

Secular and cyclical drivers

Emerging markets may offer sustainable long-term growth alongside a superior risk-return profile compared with developed markets.

Re-rating potential

Nearly all of the top 10 EM countries are now rated investment grade, making the asset class structurally safer than a decade ago.

Broad appeal

EM equities trade at relatively attractive valuations versus history and developed markets, providing opportunities for value, growth income-seeking investors.

Alpha generation

Frequent valuation dislocations in EM mean that active managers with strong fundamental tools can add value and enhance risk-adjusted returns.

Key Risks

Capital at Risk
: All financial investments involve an element of risk. Therefore, the value of the investment and the income from it will vary and the initial investment amount cannot be guaranteed.

Counterparty or Derivatives Risk
: If a counterparty to a financial derivative contract were to default, the value of the contract, the cost to replace it and any cash or securities held by the counterparty to facilitate it, may be lost. The use of derivatives may create leverage, which can magnify both gains and losses; even small market movements can therefore result in proportionally larger changes in the Fund’s value, including the risk of significant loss of capital.

Credit Risk / Structured Products
: Should the counterparty to a structured note default, the value of those structured notes may be nil.

Currency Risk
: The value of investments in assets that are denominated in currencies other than the base currency will be affected by changes in the relevant exchange rates which may cause a decline.

Leverage Risk
: Derivatives may multiply the exposure to underlying assets and expose the Fund to the risk of substantial losses.

Currency Risk - Non Base Currency Share Class
: Non-base currency share classes may or may not be hedged to the base currency of the Fund. Changes in exchange rates will have an impact on the value of shares in the Fund which are not denominated in the base currency. Where hedging structures are in place, they aim to reduce but may not fully eliminate currency risk.

Equity
: Investments in equities (directly or indirectly via derivatives) may be subject to fluctuations in value, and their values may be more volatile than those of other asset classes. Equities and equity-related securities (such as warrants and rights issues) can be affected by daily stock market movements.

Market Risk / Emerging Markets
: Emerging markets will generally be subject to greater political, market, counterparty and operational risks.

Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect / Shenzhen Connect Risk
: The Fund may be investing in China A Shares via the Shanghai – Hong Kong Stock Connect or Shenzhen Connect which may entail additional clearing and settlement, regulatory, operational and counterparty risks.

List Not Exhaustive
: This list of risk factors is not exhaustive. Please refer to the relevant Fund’s prospectus.

Fund Information

Contacts

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Disclaimer: Past performance is not an indicator of future performance and current or future trends. The indications could be based on figures denominated in a currency that may be different from the currency of your residence country and therefore the return may increase or decrease as a result of currency fluctuations. Capital at risk: all financial investments involve an element of risk. Therefore, the value of the investment and the income from it will vary and the initial investment amount cannot be guaranteed. Any reference to a security is not a recommendation to buy or sell that security.