UBS tops the list of Six Star Fund Managers

UBS Global Asset Management(UBS) has been namedInvestorWebReserch’s Six Star Fund Manager for 2003.

InvestorWeb gave the group line honours for demonstrating broad strengths over all asset classes and outperforming its peers, investment analyst Ben Davis says.

“UBS has the ability to outperform over time in all market conditions and that makes it a core manager.”

UBS’ asset allocation strategy is driven by its assessment of relative value between asset classes and the business/growth cycle, and its implications for the relative performance of different asset classes. Performance, according to InvestorWeb, has been significantly stronger than its competitors, and has been achieved with low volatility.

The key to this outperformance is the fact that it is process driven, Davis says.

“Most fund managers rely heavily on key members of their team but UBS has a repeatable, consistent process, which means it is not reliant on key personnel.”

That said, Davis believes the manager also has great people that it has managed to keep.

UBS hails from a wholesale background but refocused on the retail market three years ago, which makes its success in the retail environment even more remarkable. The manager has built funds under management from $500 million in December, 2002 to $2.8 billion today.

UBS managing director John Larum attributes the group’s success to good investment performance across a broad range of assets over the long term.

“Our Australian and international equities, Australian bonds and property are all working strongly for us, so we have a range of different capabilities. They have all produced good three to five-year returns,” Larum says.

He also says that securing ratings such as InvestorWeb’s six star rating from research groups are critical to a manager’s success, but at the same time recognises the hard work within the group.

“Positive ratings from the research groups raise our profile and increase adviser confidence in our group, but UBS also has competitive fees and our lower entry levels encourages investment into its funds,” Larum says.