The folks at a $203-billion-AUM (as of September 30, 2024) asset manager in Southern California are teaming up with a $9.4-billion-AUM (as of December 31), eight-year-old boutique in Southeast Asia to launch a mutual fund for U.S. investors.

Yesterday (March 3), Melissa Stolfi, global chief operating officer at the TCW Group, Inc. [profile], and Prashant Khemka, founder and chief investment officer of White Oak Capital Partners Pte. Ltd., unveiled the debut of the TCW White Oak Emerging Markets Equity Fund. Los Angeles-based TCW Investment Management Company LLC serves as the new, open-end fund's investment advisor, while Singapore-based White Oak serves as subadvisor.

The new TCW White Oak fund's inception date was Friday (February 28). As of yesterday, the fund had $5 million in AUM.

TCW is offering two flavors of the new, actively managed fund: I shares (TWOEX), with an expense ratio of 98 basis points; and N shares (TWEMX), with an expense ratio of 123bps. Both expense ratios bake in an 18bps fee waiver promised through March 1, 2026.

The new fund is PMed by three White Oak executives: Manog Garg, founding member and director; Wen Loong Lim, investment director; and Khemka himself.

Stolfi describes the new TCW-White Oak fund as "an exciting addition to TCW's lineup of investment capabilities and a natural complement to TCW's best-in-class public equities and emerging markets debt strategies."

"TCW and White Oak have built a strong partnership based on our shared investment approach and investment-led cultures," Stolfi states, "and we look forward to bringing White Oak's industry-leading emerging markets expertise to our clients."

Khemka puts the fund's launch in the context of investors searching "across the globe for opportunities to provide both superior returns and diversification."

"Emerging markets provide a fertile hunting ground for alpha generation via bottom up stock selection amid a backdrop of favorable demographics, a rising share of global growth and a diverse opportunity set," Khemka states.

The new TCW-White Oak fund is a series of TCW Funds, Inc.. The fund's other service providers include: Deloitte & Touche LLP as independent accounting firm; Paul Hastings LLP as counsel; State Street Bank and Trust Company as administrator, custodian, and securities lending agent; TCW Funds Distributors, LLC as distributor; and U.S. Bank Global Fund Services as transfer agent. 

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