Strong year for Standard Life Investments pooled pension funds

Standard Life Investments, a leading investment house, saw 87% of its pooled pension funds outperform their respective peer groups during 2006, according to new Russell/Mellon figures.

20 out of 23 funds beat the median during the 12 months to 31st December 2006. This includes the UK Equity Unconstrained Fund, which for the last quarter of 2006 came first out of 118 funds with a return of 15.1.%. Launched in September 2005, it has returned 34.9% for the twelve months of 2006.

The detail of the survey shows:

10 of the 11 equity funds outperformed their respective peer group in 2006
Six of the eight bond funds outperformed their respective medians during 2006
Outperformance in both Property and Cash in 2006
The £1.4bn flagship Corporate Managed fund, the second largest fund of its kind in the survey, is ranked above median over one, three, five and 10 years
The £1.3bn UK Equity Select fund has been top quartile over 12 months and top decile over three and five years

George Walker, Head of UK Institutional Business, Standard Life Investments, said: “2006 has seen another strong period of performance for SLI’s pooled pension fund performance. I would have thought that few other managers could lay claim to having consistently outperformed their peers across such a wide range of markets and asset classes.

“The past year has been a strong one for those investors who have been prepared both to lengthen their investment timeframe and to increase their risk appetite. Utilising our ‘Focus on Change’ philosophy in a disciplined manner, whether among Asset Class Managers or our Global Investment Group, has enabled Standard Life Investments to provide superior returns to its clients in 2006. I have every confidence this will continue into 2007.”