Standard Life Investments’ Global Absolute Return Strategies fund has been added to Hargreaves Lansdown’s Wealth 150 List.
Gars will join Standard Life Investments’ AAA Income, Global Equity Unconstrained, Higher Income, UK Equity High Income, UK Equity Unconstrained and UK Smaller Companies funds which are also listed amongst Hargreaves Lansdown’s top fund recommendations.
Mark Dampier (pictured), head of research at Hargreaves Lansdown, says: “The Wealth 150 represents what we believe to be the best funds across all the major sectors. We meet with hundreds of fund managers and analyse hundreds of funds every year, so a fund does need to stand out from the crowd to be acknowledged.
“Standard Life Investments’ Gars fund has proven itself through a rigorous selection process and through the benefits we think investors will reap from the sheer scale of the fund’s diversification which has enabled it to weather the economic storm successfully returning 9.8 per cent to investors since its launch to market in June 2006.”
Tam McVie, investment director – mutual funds, Standard Life Investments, says: “This announcement comes hot on the heels of our announcement that Legal & General has added Gars to their Portfolio Plus Pensions and Portfolio Bond range. Gars was our best selling mutual fund in 2009 and continues to be so during 2010 which we think reflects the fact that the fund’s track record to date is providing investors with the reassurance they need that it really can provide similar returns to those achieved from conventional long-¬term equity investment but with less risk attached.”
Gars was opened to retail investors in May 2008, enabling investors to access the fund via Sipp, bond, Isa and Standard Life fund platform channels.
