GARS

‘If people want to emulate what we did with GARS, they are welcome to try’

Aviva Investors is to close its UK Absolute Return fund, run by Trevor Green, as well as Peter Fitzgerald's Diversified Strategy fund, Investment Week can reveal.

Kames Capital is considering a move into the multi-asset absolute return space, following strong inflows into its existing absolute return products and the outstanding success of the multi-billion pound GARS franchise.

Aviva Investors has appointed Ian Pizer from Standard Life Investments' GARS team as senior asset manager on its multi-asset team, led by Peter Fitzgerald.

Standard Life Investments has agreed to buy Ignis Asset Management for £390m, in a move which will also see the group work more closely with Ignis' parent Phoenix Group.

New money pouring into the absolute return sector may not provide the protection investors are seeking, as data shows near-record correlations with long-only equity funds.

Standard Life Investments has soft-launched a more aggressive version of its £20bn Global Absolute Return Strategies (GARS) fund and will roll it out widely in the next few months.

As the latest figures from the IMA show Absolute Return funds have seen their highest retail sales for over four years, Standard Life Investments' phenomenally successful GARS fund is starting to face more competition from peers.

Fund buyers are increasing their exposure to absolute return equity funds to take advantage of sharp falls by companies which miss earnings estimates.

Aviva Investors plans to launch a low volatility absolute return fund as it simplifies its product offering following the arrival of Euan Munro as CEO, Investment Week can reveal.