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Meet the Team

TEMIT is managed by an experienced investment team comprising of the following members:

Chetan Sehgal, CFA

Senior Managing Director, Director of Portfolio Management

Andrew Ness

Portfolio Manager, Franklin Templeton Emerging Markets Equity

Overview

Emerging Market (EM) stocks rose in May 2026, helped by two main drivers. Hopes for a US–Iran peace deal lifted sentiment. At the same time, the artificial intelligence (AI) theme spread beyond the leading technology firms. For the month, the MSCI Emerging Markets Index returned 10.57%. The MSCI World Index delivered 5.40%, both in net UK-sterling terms.1

The emerging Asia region advanced in May, led by North Asia. Taiwan and South Korea benefited from continued enthusiasm for AI infrastructure. Demand for advanced semiconductors, high-bandwidth memory (HBM) and AI server supply-chain components supported earnings expectations. Broader risk appetite improved late in the month on hopes for a US-Iran peace deal, which eased oil prices. However, performance was not uniform.

Chinese stocks faced pressure after regulators tightened enforcement on cross-border trading through offshore brokers. This weighed on parts of the market, particularly online brokers and selected ADRs (American Depositary Receipts). However, chip stocks rose on signs of domestic progress in the sector. This could help narrow the gap with global leaders. Indian stocks rose slightly on better sentiment from US–Iran talks. Indonesian stocks fell after MSCI removed six firms from its index.

Equities in the emerging Europe, Middle East and Africa region posted small gains. Hopes for a halt in fighting supported sentiment, especially in oil importers like Poland, South Africa and Hungary. Turkey diverged negatively after a court ruling against the opposition leadership weighted on local equities.

Equities in the emerging Latin America (LatAm) region ended lower.  Brazil led regional losses. Falling oil prices weighed on its state-backed oil company Petrobras. This reversed part of the earlier commodity-led rally. Expectations of higher interest rates for longer and lingering political and fiscal uncertainty ahead of elections also weighed on sentiment. Mexico was more resilient after its central bank cut interest rates, following easing inflation pressures in April.

Portfolio Changes & Positioning

During the period, we took the opportunity to increase our holdings in Chinese electric vehicle (EV) and battery manufacturer BYD as its share price fell. Beyond this short-term weakness, we remain optimistic on its vertically integrated EV business model, which has significant scope to gain share in the overseas market. It is also a leading supplier of energy storage systems batteries, which is seeing strong growth in both China and overseas. We therefore took advantage of this share price weakness to strengthen our exposure.

Overall, we increased investments in the industrials, financials and consumer discretionary sectors. In terms of countries, we undertook purchases in China/Hong Kong, India and Brazil.

In line with our investment approach, we trimmed our position in South Korean semiconductor company SK Hynix on the back of a share price advancement. SK Hynix remains a key portfolio holding as it retains a leadership position in the high bandwidth memory market.

By sector, we reduced our exposure to information technology and utilities. Geographically, we made the biggest sales in South Korea, Taiwan and the United Arab Emirates.

Positive Contributors

TEMIT’s net asset value returned 14.90% over the month, compared to the MSCI EM Index-NR’s result of 11.32%, both in UK-sterling terms.

The AI theme continued to influence the top contributors for the month. South Korean semiconductor company SK Hynix was a top performer, supported by a sustained AI chip rally and an earnings beat for the first quarter of 2026. MediaTek’s share price gained on investor sentiment over MediaTek’s role in Google’s (not a portfolio holding) new tensor processing units, and its partnership to co-develop a smartphone. The world’s largest printed circuit board manufacturer Zhen Ding was also a contributor.

Detractors

Grupo Financiero Banorte is a leading financial institution in Mexico. While the company’s first-quarter results reflected resilient operating performance, some headline noise in the form of expected total loan growth and a higher cost of risk (or higher provisions) weighed on its share price. Other detractors included leading Chinese electric vehicle (EV) and battery manufacturer BYD and US-listed India-based technology services company Cognizant Technology.

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Outlook

The outlook for EM equities is balanced between structural tailwinds and persistent geopolitical risks, resulting in a more selective and differentiated opportunity set rather than a broad-based rally.

On the positive side, structural growth themes are evident, with AI being one of the key drivers. While there have been bouts of volatility in the AI trade, demand for AI continues to expand. This is driven by increased uptake, improvements in model performance, and widening productivity gains. AI is likely to remain an important driver across major EMs, benefiting companies in the supply chain including semiconductors, electronics manufacturing services, power supply and printed circuit board companies.

Domestically, several countries have implemented policies or are in the midst of reforms. We believe these could provide us with an insight into equity performance in the short and/or medium terms.

We have built considerable expertise in the EM equity asset class, which has guided us to outperform in a complex environment. We continue to apply our investment approach, focusing on companies that, in our assessment, have long-term earnings power.

The information provided is not a recommendation to purchase, sell, or hold any particular security and is not to be taken as advice. It should not be assumed that any securities transactions were or will be profitable.

  1. Source: MSCI. The MSCI World Index captures large- and mid-capitalisation representation across 23 developed market countries. The MSCI Emerging Markets Index captures large- and mid-cap representation across 24 emerging market (EM) countries. Indexes are unmanaged and one cannot directly invest in them. They do not include fees, expenses or sales charges. Past performance is not an indicator or guarantee of future results. MSCI makes no warranties and shall have no liability with respect to any MSCI data reproduced herein. No further redistribution or use is permitted. This report is not prepared or endorsed by MSCI. Important data provider notices and terms available at www.franklintempletondatasources.com
  2. As measured by the MSCI EM Asia Index.
  3. As measured by the MSCI EM EMEA Index.
  4. OPEC refers to the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries while OPEC+ is a broader alliance that incorporates major non-member producers.
  5. As measured by the MSCI EM Latin America Index.

WHAT ARE THE KEY RISKS?

The value of shares in the Templeton Emerging Markets Investment Trust PLC (TEMIT) and any income received from it can go down as well as up and investors may not get back the full amount invested. There is no guarantee that TEMIT will meet its objective. TEMIT invests in the equity securities of emerging markets companies. Emerging markets have historically been subject to significant price movements, often to a greater extent than more established equity markets. As a result, the share price and net asset value of TEMIT can fluctuate over time. Performance may also be affected by currency fluctuations. TEMIT can borrow to purchase assets for the company; this will magnify any gains or losses made by the company. Shares of TEMIT are bought and sold on stock exchanges, typically, at any given time on any given day, the price you pay for a share will be higher than the price at which you could sell it. In addition, investors should be aware that TEMIT may trade at a discount to its Net Asset Value (NAV) per Share, and such discount may become larger in the future. TEMIT may take charges from the Company’s capital account. While this might allow a larger dividend to be distributed, it may also have the effect of reducing capital. For more details of all the risks applicable to TEMIT, please refer to the Key Information Document, Investor Disclosure Document and the risk section in TEMIT’s Annual Report, which can be downloaded from our website – www.temit.co.uk.
 

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

This material is intended to be of general interest only and should not be construed as investment advice. It does not constitute legal or tax advice nor is it an offer for shares or invitation to apply for shares of Templeton Emerging Markets Investment Trust PLC (“TEMIT”). TEMIT is an alternative investment fund (“AIF”) for the purposes of the UK AIFM Directive and is incorporated as a public limited Company in Scotland.

Opinions expressed are the author’s at publication date and they are subject to change without prior notice. Investments in shares in TEMIT should only be made on the basis of the Investor Disclosure and Key Information Documents, accompanied by the latest available audited annual report and the latest semi-annual report if published thereafter.

Shares in investment trusts are traded on a stockmarket. The share price of investment trusts fluctuate in accordance with supply and demand and may not reflect the value of underlying net asset value of the shares.

TEMIT shall not be liable to any user of this material or to any other person or entity for the inaccuracy of information or any errors or omissions in its contents, regardless of the cause of such inaccuracy, error or omission. Any opinions expressed are the author's at publication date and they are subject to change without prior notice. Any research and analysis contained in this material has been procured by TEMIT for its own purposes and is provided to you only incidentally. Data from third party sources may have been used in the preparation of this material and TEMIT has not independently verified, validated or audited such data.

There is no guarantee TEMIT will meet its objective. The value of shares in TEMIT and income received from it can go down as well as up, and investors may not get back the full amount invested. Past performance is not an indicator or a guarantee of future performance. An investment in TEMIT entails risks. In emerging markets, the risks can be greater than in developed markets.

Investment trusts may borrow money in order to make further investments. This is known as 'gearing' and can enhance shareholder returns in rising markets but, conversely, can reduce them in falling markets. The majority of charges will be deducted from the capital of the company. This will constrain capital growth of the company in order to maintain the income streams. TEMIT may use financial derivatives or other instruments which entail specific risks more fully described in the company's documents.

TEMIT invests in the equity securities of emerging markets companies. Emerging markets have historically been subject to significant price movements, often to a greater extent than more established equity markets. As a result, the share price and net asset value of TEMIT can fluctuate over time. Performance may also be affected by currency f luctuations. For details of all the risks applicable to TEMIT, please refer to the Key Information Document, Investor Disclosure Document and the Principal and Emerging risks sections in the Annual Report. These documents can be found on our website: https://www.temit.co.uk/resources/literature or can be obtained, free of charge from the address below. TEMIT shares are not registered, marketed or promoted to US Persons. Shares of TEMIT are available for sale on the London and New Zealand stock exchanges.

References to indices are made for comparative purposes only and are provided to represent the investment environment existing during the time periods shown. Indices are unmanaged, and one cannot invest directly in an index. They do not reflect any fees, expenses or sales charges. lAll index data is provided “as is.”

The portfolio described herein is not sponsored or endorsed by MSCI. In no event shall MSCI, its affiliates or any MSCI data provider have any liability of any kind in connection with the MSCI data or the portfolio described herein. Copying or redistributing the MSCI data is strictly prohibited. © 2026 Morningstar, Inc. All rights reserved. You will find more information at www.morningstar.com

Franklin Templeton Investment Trust Management Ltd (registered in Scotland SC460631) is the Alternative Investment Fund Manager to Alternative Investment Funds.

Issued by Franklin Templeton Investment Management Limited (FTIML), Cannon Place, 78 Cannon Street, London EC4N 6HL. FTIML is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Information about TEMIT can be found on the TEMIT website https://www.temit.co.uk

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