The company reported record profits earlier this week, which has reaffirmed the stock as a "buy" for The Share Centre. According to FE Analytics, 90 funds in the IMA unit trust and OEIC universe hold the company in their top-10 holdings, including the £753.2m Jupiter Financial Opportunities and the £2.3bn Aberdeen Asia Pacific funds.
The £992m Murray International Trust is among seven closed-ended funds that hold the stock in their top-10.
"For investors looking for an emerging market play and willing to accept the degree of risk associated with these regions and the sector, Standard Chartered is a stock to consider," said Spooner.
"Since November the share price has fallen and this decline provides a more attractive entry point."
The company announced a 20 per cent rise in net profits to $2.52bn for the first half of the year, which Spooner attributes to its increased penetration of countries such as China and India.
"Its focus on emerging markets continues to pay off, and the bank also benefitted from tight cost controls, which it has said will continue for the remainder of the year," he explained.
"The company's exposure to Taiwan, Korea, China, Pakistan, India and Thailand, along with other emerging markets, means it is geared to benefit from any upturn in the economic situation. It is well placed to benefit from Asia’s rise in personal wealth and a growing middle class."
"Further positive news was that bad debt charges fell across both the consumer banking and wholesale banking divisions. The company also said it had started the second half of the year well and has continued to see good income momentum during July."
Performance of stock vs indices over 5-yrs
Source: FE Analytics
According to FE Analytics data, Standard Chartered has returned 36.23 per cent in the last five years and outperformed the FTSE Banks index by 87.94 per cent.