Credit Suisse has revealed that its Asia ex-Japan Focus List has generated a 19.3 percent total return since inception, outperforming the benchmark index by20.9 percent.

Whether in a volatile or stable market, investors are constantly searching for investment ideas that outperform. To help clients pick the best stocks, Credit Suisse Equity Research has launched an Asia ex-Japan Focus List (AxJ Focus List), consisting of a portfolio of the 12-20 top buy ideas from the universe of over 1,000 stocks that it covers in Asia.

The AxJ Focus List is part of a global initiative by Credit Suisse Equity Research that aims to select a portfolio of stocks across multiple markets and sectors that are expected to deliver the highest risk adjusted returns for clients.

Ernest Fong, Director of Research, Asia said, “Credit Suisse has a strong track record in providing insightful research and stock picking, given the increasing demand from our clients for strong bottom-up ideas, we launched the AxJ Focus List with the goal of offering clients a portfolio that consists of our highest conviction buy ideas. Since its inception, the AxJ Focus List has consistently out-performed the benchmark MSCI Asia ex-Japan Index. This is a clear testament of our stock selection and portfolio construction capability.”

Commenting on the construction of the AxJ Focus List, Manish Nigam, Deputy Director of Research, Asia, who drives the initiative said, “We have a rigorous process in selecting potential top outperformers from the universe of stocks we cover. This is a highly concentrated list with a small number of stocks that have strong fundamentals and highest conviction. To make our Focus List a practical investable portfolio, all of the stocks in the list need to meet a minimum liquidity and market capitalization requirement.”

Since its inception in mid-April 2014, the Credit Suisse AxJ Focus List has had a total of 36 investment ideas, with the current portfolio standing at 17 stocks. As at the end of July 2015, AxJ Focus List has generated a 19.3 percent cumulative total return and a 24.1 percent Beta adjusted return outperforming the benchmark MSCI Asia ex-Japan Index by 20.9 percent over the period.

While the regional markets have seen a notable correction over the past two months, the AxJ Focus List has managed to outperform the market since the start of the year. Overall performance since inception has also been very consistent, with 13 out of 16 months outperforming the benchmark index.