OBSR, one of the UK’s most respected independent fund research companies, gives the annual award to a fund group that has established a successful record in a range of asset classes or regions and which has built a significant presence in the retail market over the longer term. Under its criteria, a high percentage of the overall stable of funds operated by the group have produced strong, consistent performance over the long term. However, the winning house will also have demonstrated a real and lasting commitment to the retail investment market by actively working to encourage investors to stay with their funds by refraining from opening and closing funds purely for marketing reasons and by ensuring it creates an environment in which its fund managers wish to work and indeed are able to flourish. Jupiter has 15 of its 31 funds rated by OBSR, eight of which have AAA ratings. *
Edward Bonham Carter, Chief Executive of Jupiter Asset Management, said: “I am delighted that Jupiter has won this important accolade. I believe this award is a reflection of the culture we have here at Jupiter. Rather than employing a house process, which effectively forces managers to invest with one hand behind their backs, we give them the freedom to back their judgement. The fact that many of our managers have now worked together for 10 years or more and invest their own assets in Jupiter funds, together with the fact that some 95% of employees own shares in the business, creates a strong culture where our interests are aligned with those of investors. Our managers are passionate about what they do here – and that is reflected in terms of our long term performance record.”
Richard Romer-Lee, the research director at OBSR, says: “We are looking to acknowledge companies committed to the retail market that have a relevant and good quality range of funds. Jupiter, despite a change of ownership, has been remarkably stable from an outsider's perspective, and it harbours a number of outstanding managers, all of whom have managed money for a long time.
“Compared to the general UK retail universe, in which we only rate approximately 10% of funds, we rate some 50% of Jupiter’s fund range. Meanwhile, a quarter of Jupiter’s fund range are AAA rated, whereas less than 2% of the entire fund’s universe have the same rating.” *
12/09/2009
Asset management
