M&G wins the double at Trustnet Awards 2008

M&G Investments has beaten off stiff competition to win two categories at the Trustnet Awards 2008.

The group took top honours in the IMA Global Equity sector with the M&G Global Basics Fund, and in the North American Equity sector with the M&G American Fund.

The awards celebrate the best of the collective investment industry and winners were decided on their excellent performance records, with financial intermediaries’ and private investors’ views also taken into account.

The M&G Global Basics Fund and the M&G American Fund, managed by Citywire ‘A’ rated Graham French and Citywire ‘AA’ rated Aled Smith respectively, demonstrated a proven track record of consistency, low volatility, high alpha and recognition of the marketplace at both a professional and private level in their sectors in order to win the awards.

The £2.8 billion M&G Global Basics Fund, a global equities fund, is managed with the sole aim of long-term capital growth and invests in companies that drive economic growth worldwide and represent the ‘building blocks of the global economy’. The investment focus is on both ‘primary’ industries which produce raw materials and ‘secondary’ industries which turn raw materials into consumer products. The fund can also invest in companies servicing these industries and stocks are selected on a pure bottom-up basis. The fund is top decile in the IMA Global Growth sector over one, three and five years and is ‘AA’ S&P rated.

The investment approach for the £1.1 billion M&G American Fund is driven by bottom-up stock selection, focusing on companies with improving returns on capital. Aled Smith looks for companies that are undergoing some form of change, in particular internal change such as a new management team or restructuring; external change such as increased demand for the company’s products; and research and development-led change. The fund is top decile in the IMA North America sector over three and five years, is S&P ‘AA’ rated and is OBSR ‘A’ rated.

Jonathan Willcocks, Managing Director UK Sales at M&G, comments: “These awards truly acknowledge the proven investment strategies of the M&G Global Basics Fund and the M&G American Fund in all types of markets. They also recognise the outstanding and consistent long-term performance Graham French and Aled Smith have delivered on both funds.”