SLI Int’l Bond enjoys surge
to £270m in first half of ’08
BY DANIEL JUDGE
Dublin-based Standard
Life International’s (SLI)
International Bond sales
reached £270m in the first
half of 2008, only £14m
less than for the whole of
the previous year.
SLI offshore sales growth
£m
300
200
100
0
Full year ’07
Q1 ’08
Source: Standard Life International
SKANDIA ADDS
CASTLESTONE
MANAGEMENT
COMMODITY FUND
An exciting new opportunity for your clients to
diversify their investments: The mayhem that has
afflicted financial markets in recent weeks has led
many investors to take a long hard look at their
portfolios and realize that diversification is the
best way to protect and grow their capital. Adding
commodities is an obvious choice for many,
and this is why Skandia International has chosen to
add the new Aliquot Commodity (UCITS) Fund to
its Royal Skandia fund range. This fund gives retail
investors direct exposure to commodity markets,
unlike equity-based resource funds.
Total sales since the
product launched in 2006,
with an enhanced version
for UK investors in March
2007, now stand at £593m.
Ian Searle, business
development manager
for international business
at SLI, said: “Advisers are
Q2 ’08
increasingly seeing the
benefits of using offshore
bonds as part of mainstream
financial planning,
using the product to help
clients with university fees
or plans to retire abroad. It
is also an extremely effective
planning tool for those
working outside the UK.”
The firm said the offshore
sales had been supported
by people choosing
them when making estate
planning arrangements, in
conjunction with its own
trust range.
Julie Hutchison, SLI head
of estate planning, said:
“Given the longer investment
time frame which
is common with trusts,
we have seen the growing
use offshore bonds
by intermediaries as a
trust investment.”
Why the Aliquot Commodity (UCITS) Fund?
� An actively managed, diversified fund.
� Offers 100% exposure to commodities.
� No exposure to company stocks or stock indexes.
� Performance is uncorrelated to stock and bond
markets.
� Offers your clients diversification.
� Daily traded fund with $ US Dollar, £ Sterling and
� ���� ����� ��������
� An experienced investment team, investing in
commodities since 2002.
� Aims to outperform the commodity indexes but
with reduced risk.
Commodity potential: Commodities have generated
excellent returns in recent years, but more importantly,
at Castlestone Management, we believe
prices will gain substantially in the months and
years ahead of us. Our increasing world population
has led to growing demand for every kind of
commodity.
Members of the public may buy this fund through professional advisers.
Information in this document relates to the underlying fund Castlestone Aliquot
Active Commodity Index (UCITS) Fund.
Past performance cannot be relied upon as a guide to future results.
Please refer to the relevant fund documentation for detailed information.
Acuity’s Probity service
signs its first subscribers
Aegon Scottish Equitable
International, Generali
International and Standard
Life International have
registered as the first subscribers
to Acuity Consultants’
fund governance
service, Probity.
The offshore life companies,
all based in Dublin,
are set to be followed by
a number of further international
insurers in the
coming weeks. Acuity said
this would bring uptake of
the service among offshore
life companies to around
40% of the sector.
Probity, which allows
investment funds to be systematically
analysed and
compliance checked for
inclusion on life company
platforms, was launched
earlier this summer. Funds
are currently assessed by
four underlying service providers
with experience in
LIFE NEWS
Low: more providers to come
analysing fund structures,
investment strategies and
underlying asset classes.
The initial fund service
providers used by Probity
are Channel Islands-based
Active Group, Isle of Manbased
Cayman National
Bank and Dixcart, and
Dublin’s Kinetic Partners.
Bryan Low, director of
Probity, said: “We expect
our database to hold the
details of 3,000 funds by
the end of next year.”
Agriculture and livestock: Developing nations are
switching to higher calorie diets, increasing demand.
Water shortages have decreased the availability
of arable land, hampering crop production
increases, while the growing popularity of biofuels
has boosted demand for grains.
Precious metals: Not only are these metals the safe
haven of choice for investors in troubled times, but
they are seen as providing a solid hedge against
inflation. The power crisis in South Africa will hamper
production for years to come.
Industrial metals: Inventories are at all time lows.
Prices remain highly sensitive to any increase in
the inevitable economic recovery in 2009 with potential
price gains of 40% and more.
Energy: ���� ������� ��� ������� ������ �� ���port
prices. Demand is increasing worldwide while
supply has been in decline, with new reserves increasingly
harder to find.
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