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Aberdeen Asian Income Fund - Benefiting from focus on quality and income

Aberdeen Asian Income Fund (AAIF) has recovered well from the widespread market sell-off driven by the coronavirus pandemic, although its focus on quality stocks with attractive dividends has held back returns relative to the broad Asian index, which is increasingly dominated by non-yielding Chinese internet companies. Portfolio manager Yoojeong Oh says the team has ridden the technology wave differently, with exposure to semiconductor companies that are supporting the cloud-based boom in working from home, as well as e-commerce stocks in high-yielding markets like Taiwan, and firms that benefit from green stimulus in Europe. While gearing (currently c 8%) was a drag in the March market falls, keeping it steady has helped boost returns in the recovery, and the fund is on track to deliver a 13th consecutive year of dividend growth, partly supported by reserves it has built up over the past decade.