About Australia Core Equity
The Martin Currie Core Equity strategy is designed to provide investors with consistently higher returns than the benchmark throughout market cycles, without the risk of style-biased strategies.
The strategy invests in a diversified portfolio of Australian equities with a balanced exposure to Valuation, Direction and Quality.
Unlike ‘traditional’ quantitative-only funds that rely on backward-looking signals, the strategy utilises a unique set of forward-looking fundamental and quantitative signals from Martin Currie Australia’s long-serving investment team.
The portfolio is built systematically to achieve an optimal balance of risk and reward, and the combination of the deep fundamental insights and quantitative analysis provides conviction in security and portfolio positioning.
Our approach is premised on the philosophy that the equity market is efficient over the long term, with security prices ultimately reflecting the present value of future cash flows.
However, in the short term, the market’s behavioural biases can create temporary mispricing and divergence from fair value that can be exploited by our disciplined investment process.
We aim to build a portfolio that provides:
- consistently higher returns than the index through all market conditions;
- with lower risk than style-biased strategies.
Security conviction and position sizes are a function of our investment thesis, and the Quality, Valuation and Direction rankings of each security.
Disciplined portfolio construction ensures that active risk is accepted only to the extent that we believe it should improve future returns.
Portfolio characteristics | Australian Core Equity |
---|---|
Long-term objective | To provide an after-fee return in excess of the S&P/ASX 200 Accumulation Index over rolling three-year periods. |
Investable Universe | Australian listed securities |
Benchmark | S&P/ASX 200 Accumulation Index |
Market capitalisation | All cap |
Country limit | N/A |
Sector limit | Benchmark +/- 6% |
Security limit | Benchmark +/- 4% |
Number of stocks | Typically 55 |
Portfolio turnover | Typically 35% p.a. |
Forecast tracking error | Typically 2% to 3% p.a. (ex ante) |
Inception | 1 April 1982 |
The characteristics shown are guidelines only and not hard limits.
Forward looking insights drive security selection
Our unique combination of fundamental and quantitative research is key to consistently adding value through market cycles.
Matthew Lambert
Portfolio Manager

Reece Birtles
- Job title
- Chief Investment Officer, Australia – Non Executive Director
- Experience
- 29 years

Matthew Lambert
- Job title
- Portfolio Manager & Quantitative Research
- Experience
- 23 years
Our unique set of fundamental and quantitative signals is designed to consistently add value through market cycles.
How to invest
Through our parent company, Franklin Templeton, investors are offered access to a segregated account or a range of pooled vehicles.
Please contact us to discuss the most appropriate investment to meet your requirements.
How to invest
Martin Currie is a Specialist Investment Manager of Franklin Resources Inc, operating as Franklin Templeton.
Franklin Templeton is responsible for the sales and client service of our funds for financial advisers and individual investors.
If you would like to find out more about these funds, please visit the Franklin Templeton website.
How to invest
Martin Currie is a ‘Specialist Investment Manager’ within the Franklin Templeton group.
Franklin Templeton is responsible for the sales and client service of our funds for financial advisers and individual investors.
If you would like to find out more about these funds, please visit the Franklin Templeton website.
How to invest
Martin Currie is a ‘Specialist Investment Manager’ within the Franklin Templeton group.
Franklin Templeton is responsible for the sales and client service of our funds for financial advisers and individual investors.
If you would like to find out more about these funds, please visit the Franklin Templeton website.
Related insights
-
Stewardship Annual Report 2021
The Stewardship Annual Report 2021 highlights the results of our sustained commitment to the development of productive ESG engagements embedded in our investment process.
- Date published
- 31 Mar 2021
- Tag
- Stewardship & ESG
-
Stewardship Matters - Edition 2
Our regular update of Martin Currie’s work in the stewardship and ESG space and our insights into future ESG trends. EDITION 2 focusses on the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals.
- Date published
- 20 Jan 2021
- Tag
- Stewardship & ESG
-
Australia’s ‘social distancing’ with China
The crisis has forced the Australian government to pick a side, but this has hurt Australia as a brand in China. What does taking the US side mean for Australian industry?
- Date published
- 5 Oct 2020
- Tag
- Covid-19