OREANDA-NEWS. Two unit trust funds managed by Absa Asset Management and Absa Multi Management were recognised for delivering exceptional risk-adjusted returns for clients at the annual Morningstar Fund Awards held in Cape Town this week. Both funds also claimed top spot in their respective categories at last month's Raging Bull Awards.

Armien Tyer, Head of the Investment Cluster at the Barclays Africa Group, says: "These achievements showcase our top tier investment professionals and their teams who have worked hard to consistently ensure that our clients continue to receive steady investment returns."

Managed by Fayyaz Mottiar, the Absa Property Equity Fund returned an exceptional 39.7% in 2014 and was the top performer in the Property category for unit trusts in South Africa. Over the past three years the fund has returned 26.8% on an annualised basis and was the second best performing unit trust in the country in 2014.

"The recipe for our success is keeping our focus on our investment philosophy and process, as well as the underlying fundamentals of the businesses in the listed property space by ignoring the short-term distractions and emotions. This invariably leads to above average returns in the long term," says Fayyaz Mottiar.

"We look to invest in companies that own the best located properties and have smart and capable management. We still see listed property as one of the best places to invest in the medium to long term because of the contractual nature of the income and it's inherent above-inflation rental escalation," adds Fayyaz.

Managed by Sheetal Rama, the Bond Fund is an actively multi-managed fund for investors seeking exposure to the South African fixed interest market, combining the collective expertise of selected fixed interest managers with proven track records.

"Our philosophy with the Multi Managed Bond Fund is to minimise risk while aiming to achieve a consistent absolute return from the bond market. This has resulted in excellent risk-adjusted performance," says Sheetal.

According to Morningstar, the annual awards are "designed to help investors identify the country's most exceptional funds and fund managers for the previous year."

"These latest accolades confirm that we are more than a bank while reflective of the inherent talent in the investment team across the Investment Cluster, including Absa Asset Management and Absa Multi Management. We are continuing to build capacity to enhance our investment pedigree and pockets of excellence," concludes Armien.