50% of the Global Economy Is Missing From Most Aussie Portfolios. Here's How to Add It In

Why It Matters

Adding Asian exposure diversifies Australian portfolios and taps into growth from half the global economy, potentially enhancing returns while managing emerging‑market risks.

Key Takeaways

• Asia holds half of global economy, yet underrepresented in Aussie portfolios.
• Platinum Asia fund is 96% invested, focusing on China, Indonesia, Vietnam.
• Mid‑class growth drives automotive and consumer opportunities in Southeast Asia.
• Fund mitigates regulatory and governance risks through deep regional relationships.
• Investors can access strategy via Platinum managed fund or ASX‑listed ETF.

Summary

LiveWire Markets Fund in Focus featured Platinum Asset Management’s Cameron Robertson discussing the Platinum Asia strategy, highlighting that roughly 50% of the world’s economy resides in Asia yet most Australian portfolios remain heavily US‑centric.

Robertson explained the fund’s two‑decade track record, its 96% allocation, and the shift from a China‑dominant view to broader exposure across Indonesia, Vietnam and other emerging markets, driven by a burgeoning middle class and still‑cheap valuations.

He cited Astra International’s 50% market share in Indonesia’s automotive sector as a concrete example of upside potential, noting that “markets are cheap” and that the fund leverages deep relationships with entrepreneurs, families and regulators to navigate governance and currency risks.

For Australian investors, adding the Platinum Asia fund—available as a direct managed fund or via the ASX‑listed PAXX ETF—offers a diversified, high‑growth exposure to half the global economy without sacrificing return potential, while the firm’s risk‑management framework mitigates typical emerging‑market pitfalls.

Original Description

Approximately 60% of the global population lives in Asia. Yet for many Australian investors, “global” still largely means the United States. Over the past two decades, the world’s economic landscape has shifted significantly, and one would argue that nowhere has that shift been more profound than across Asia.

The region’s transformation from export-driven growth to increasingly powerful domestic economies has reshaped global trade, consumption and capital markets, with China now central to that story.

The Platinum Asia Fund (ex-Japan) is one of the rare managed funds to have navigated this change over more than 20 years.

We spoke with portfolio manager Cameron Robertson about what has sustained the strategy through multiple market cycles, and how investing in Asia provides exposure to the world’s largest population centres, along with all the opportunities for investors this creates.

Please note this interview was filmed 11th February, 2026.

Timecodes:

00:03 - Introduction

00:24 - Sustaining success and longevity

01:24 - How the investment landscape has changed over two decades

02:30 - The countries showing the most opportunity

03:40 - How the fund is positioned

05:35 - Who the fund suits

06:48 - Key risks

08:03 - Accessing the fund