Franklin was founded in 1947 when it introduced one of the first families of mutual funds designed to address the requirements of a broad range of investors.

Today, serving institutional, retail and private clients globally, Franklin manages portfolios covering a range of asset classes including fixed income, equity and specialised, sector-focused portfolios.

With a reputation for innovation and leadership, Franklin, as part of Franklin Templeton Investments, is one of the world's leading investment management organisations.

Investment Philosophy

Franklin seeks to meet or exceed client objectives and designated benchmarks by adhering to investment principles derived from 60 years of experience

Among these principles are:

Rigorous Security Selection. We employ a disciplined, bottom-up investment process focused on long-term performance.

Experience. Each portfolio is managed by a team of investment professionals with extensive industry experience.

Risk Management. We rely on rigorous screening, diversification, and state-of-the-art analytical tools to manage a portfolio's risk exposure.

Specialisation. In addition to the successful management of equity and fixed income portfolios, we believe our location near Silicon Valley provides a competitive advantage from which to develop and manage specialised portfolios focused on entrepreneurial and technology-driven businesses.

Equity Management

Over the years, Franklin has created an investment culture that emphasises both individual accountability and teamwork. We employ a disciplined approach, but one that does not restrict all managers to a single strategy. The Franklin process is characterised by:

Teamwork. We believe one of the keys to superior performance is the free exchange of ideas, especially as it relates to the early identification of promising investment themes. Each portfolio is the joint responsibility of a team of managers, analysts and traders who routinely communicate with each other to leverage their observations and insights.

Research-Driven Process. We believe that independent research is indispensable to managing our clients' portfolios. Our analysts conduct original research using proprietary models, and maintain a database of closely-monitored companies. Their work is supported through the use of respected external research sources.

Bottom-Up Analysis. Extensive scrutiny of company and industry fundamentals is the core of our analytical process. We recognise, however, that investment opportunity is more than the sum of the numbers. Analysts and portfolio managers regularly speak and visit with company management and observe operations to evaluate an organisation's ability to translate its vision into reality.

Buy-Sell Discipline. Before purchasing a security, our analysts establish target buy and sell prices based on a company's fundamentals and their own estimates of its growth potential. They continually re-evaluate these prices, assessing whether changes in the economy, industry or company itself warrant revised target prices.

Fixed Income Management

Franklin is recognised for its extensive experience in the management of fixed income portfolios through decades of different economic and market environments. We employ straightforward management strategies that seek to provide total returns above designated benchmarks. To pursue this goal, we follow a time-tested process based on four principles:

Detailed Analysis. We seek to find securities where the potential return exceeds the risks involved. For corporate issuers, our research includes detailed examination of individual companies and industries, looking for undervalued investment opportunities that meet stringent credit quality criteria.

Long-Term Outlook. Securities are purchased with a view to long holding periods and low portfolio turnover. We do not speculate on interest rates or make decisions based on short-term considerations. We believe this approach enhances a portfolio's long-term total return potential and helps reduce its expenses.

Fundamental Strategy. We establish clear benchmarks for each portfolio and then seek to outperform them. Just as our managers do not speculate on interest rates, they do not hedge their positions with exotic derivatives. Portfolios are managed to assure prudent diversification.

Teamwork. As with equity management, our fixed income portfolios have dedicated teams of managers, analysts and traders. Teams regularly interact to share ideas and leverage their collective expertise.