HEXAM funds awarded S&P ratings

HEXAM Capital's Global Emerging Markets and Emerging Europe funds have both been awarded prestigious ‘A' ratings by Standard & Poor's.

Managed by Bryan Collings, the Dublin-domiciled Ignis HEXAM Global Emerging Markets Fund, was recently awarded the ‘Best Equity Newcomer Award' across all equity sectors at the ‘2008 Portfolio Adviser' fund awards. A UK-domiciled mirror fund is due to be made available to UK retail investors in the first quarter of 2009.

The Ignis HEXAM Emerging Europe Fund is managed by Stuart Richards and focuses on Russia, Central Europe and Turkey.

Both funds are run based on a high conviction style with the managers taking a pragmatic approach to stock selection, blending top-down and bottom-up analysis into their GLCMV (growth, liquidity, currency, management and valuation) research structure.

Bryan Collings, founding partner of HEXAM Capital and manager of the Ignis HEXAM Global Emerging Markets Fund, says: "We are delighted that both funds have been awarded S&P ratings, which is welcome recognition of the consistency of our investment process and our unconstrained, blended style.

"We firmly believe that emerging markets will come out of the current crisis stronger than the developed world and, over the long-term, will enjoy more sustainable growth. Positive gross domestic product (GDP) and budget surpluses in key emerging markets are in stark contrast to contracting developed markets that are running significant deficits. These solid foundations will drive emerging market outperformance over the coming decades. Recent technical set backs should, therefore, offer an excellent long-term buying opportunity for investors. Our concentrated portfolios are well positioned to capture significant alpha this year should markets correct from their current lows."