The First Asset Nigeria Smart Beta Equity Fund has delivered a strong Year-to-Date (YTD) return of 34.71%, which stands as its headline achievement for the year so far. Managed by First Asset Management Limited, the fund holds a Net Asset Value (NAV) of ₦6.85B, placing it at #80 of 222 across all funds and #10 of 18 within the Equity Funds category. While its most recent Week-to-Date (WTD) yield of -0.21% shows a small dip this week, that figure is notably better than the median WTD yield of -1.75% recorded across all Equity Funds, meaning this fund is holding up better than most of its peers during a difficult short-term period.
Looking at the fund's recent history gives useful context. Over the past five recorded weeks, the NAV moved from ₦6.81B on 5 June 2026, climbed to a recent peak of ₦7.01B on 19 June 2026, then fell sharply to ₦6.79B on 26 June 2026, a week where the WTD yield dropped to -3.67%, its steepest weekly decline in the period shown. The latest reading of ₦6.85B suggests some recovery from that low point. The fund currently serves 2,199 unitholders, a relatively small investor base, which tells you this is not yet one of the larger, more widely held funds in the Nigerian market, even though its full-year performance has been competitive.
Key insight: Despite recent weekly volatility, this fund's YTD gain of 34.71% and its ability to limit this week's loss to just -0.21% against a peer median of -1.75% suggests it has been more resilient than most Equity Funds during the current market weakness.
