‘Impressive 2018 dividend shows EPF is versatile’
KUALA LUMPUR: The Employees Provident Fund’s (EPF) dividend rate of 6.15 per cent for conventional savings for 2018 is an impressive performance that many cannot deliver, says Phillip Capital Management senior vice-president (investment) Datuk Dr Nazri Khan Adam Khan.
The senior fund manager said EPF is a very well-diversified fund house that is able to withstand challenges on both the international and local fronts, amid a volatile market environment that is pressuring investors to crack their heads to make a handsome profit.
“We need to understand that our economy is stabilising, so when EPF can deliver more than five per cent dividend, that shows EPF remains one of the world’s most versatile fund houses.
“I must give credit to EPF for being able to provide (us) a stable income,” he told Bernama in a telephone interview.
Nazri Khan said EPF had performed much better than other unit trust firms, most of which he described as having been ‘underwater’ or posting negative returns.
“EPF is very good in diversification, they know where to rotate the money, for example when their international asset is not doing well, they shift it into property, later to private equity and back to local equities,” he explained.
Going forward, Nazri Khan expressed hope EPF would have better risk control on their noncore assets as the sovereign provident fund shifts its focus into non-traditional assets such as real estate and private equities. — Bernama