Standard Life adds BlackRock's UK Absolute Alpha

Standard Life and BlackRock are delighted to announce the addition of BlackRock UK Absolute Alpha fund to Standard Life's insured product range, from 5 August 2008.

Standard Life is fully committed to providing advisers with the funds they need to construct the optimum portfolios for their clients and the company sees the addition of this leading fund as a major contribution to that goal.

The UK Absolute Alpha fund aims to provide a positive absolute return for investors regardless of the UK market environment. This is a very attractive proposition in current market conditions.

The fund is currently the most popular within the Absolute Return Fund sector and should be considered for a number of compelling reasons, including:

The fund is designed as a core holding within a wider portfolio allowing investors to hold it for the long-term and build around it

It is an attractive fund for a cautious investor

The fund is co-managed by Citywire AA-rated Mark Lyttleton and Nick Osborne

The fund is AA rated by Standard & Poor's. This is the only Absolute Return Fund with a positive 3 year track record to have received this accolade to date

Graham Dow, Head of Investment Development, at Standard Life said "This is a very important addition to our fund range. BlackRock has demonstrated that they can deliver on the potential of Absolute Return Funds. They have a very good track record in this fast growing sector."

Graham continued, "Standard Life now has a high quality and diversified range of Absolute Return Funds to offer advisers including Standard Life Investments' Global Absolute Return Strategies Fund, which is hugely complementary to BlackRock's UK mandate."
Alex Hoctor-Duncan, Head of UK Retail Business at BlackRock said "We are delighted that Standard Life now offers our fund through their insured product range as well as on their mutual fund platform - FundZone."

In addition to the BlackRock UK Absolute Alpha fund and Standard Life Investments' Global Absolute Return Strategies fund, a number of other absolute return funds including offerings from Insight, Newton and JP Morgan are also available on Standard Life's expanding insured product range.