Standard Life Investment’s (SLI) Global Absolute Return Strategies (GARS) ‘solution’ has been made available to Australian investors.
GARS is a multi-asset strategy that uses “traditional and non-traditional” sources of returns to target unleveraged growth of cash plus 5% over rolling three year periods.
The structure available to Australian investors is a locally domiciled fund that feeds into SLI’s Cayman domiciled GARS master fund through a hedged Australian dollar share class.
According to SLI, GARS returned 8.7% over three years to the end of last November, with volatility of 7.4%. Over the same period, said SLI, the MSCI World Index delivered 0.9% with volatility of 19%.
The Australian structure, which is initially aimed at institutional and wholesale investors, has monthly liquidity. It is managed by a team of 22 investment professionals who specialise in a variety of asset classes and sources of investment returns.
James Cooper, country head, Australia, for Standard Life Investments Asia, said: “Australian investors are increasingly recognising the benefits of a solution that provides global diversification across a range of traditional and non-traditional asset classes.
"The launch of the GARS Australian Trust should ensure easy and convenient access to one of Standard Life Investments’ principal investment strategies.”
