Commodities prices again affected Asian markets in August, with oil and metals continuing to decline. As a result, resource-rich countries such as Australia underperformed, while net energy users, such as India, fared comparatively well. The Fund underperformed its index during the month of August.A number of stocks influenced performance, including our decision not to hold index stock Westfield Group and overweight position in Capitaland. Capitaland, Southeast Asia's biggest developer by sales proved detrimental to performance with shares falling to a two year low during the month after a downgrade from Merrill Lynch.