Prescient Investment Management has been named the Overall Investment Manager of the Year at the Imbasa Yegolide Awards for 2011. The 2011 award winners were announced at a gala dinner held at the Birchwood Hotel and OR Tambo Conference Centre in Johannesburg this week.
The awards, hosted by the Principal Officers Association (POA) in conjunction with Global Pensions, gives principal officers across the country the chance to highlight those service providers who have provided exceptional service to their clients. The Imbasa Yegolide Awards is in its third year and Prescient was a nominee at each of the previous awards. This award adds to the list of accolades for the Prescient Group this year, with Prescient Investment Management winning the Morningstar award for the best bond fund and two of Prescient Securities’ analysts being ranked first in the Financial Mail Analyst Ranking.
According to Prescient director Herman Steyn, Prescient’s win can be attributed to its investment philosophy. “Prescient’s aim has been to deliver certainty in an uncertain world. Our business philosophy is simple – peace of mind. That means that our clients get what we promise; no negative surprises in terms of investments, administration and interaction.”
Prescient, one of the few quantitative houses in the country, uses mathematics to determine market behaviour rather than forecasting the markets. This methodology is used to create investment portfolios and strategies. Steyn says, “We use our mathematical ability to determine value across asset classes. Our ability to reduce losses and truly manage risk instead of purely diversifying risk has translated into higher compounded returns for our clients. We therefore marry our clients’ risk tolerance to the investments to ensure we exceed our clients’ expectations.”
Prescient’s funds have performed well using this strategy, particularly during the volatile markets. The Prescient Balanced Quantplus Fund, for example, returned more than 10 percent over the past year to April 2011, and has returned 16.5 percent per annum since inception in 2003. The fund performed well above inflation, which means that investors have increased their wealth or purchasing power..
According to Steyn, “We have seen strong returns across our investment portfolios. But our key message is that we offer predictable returns; we reduce the market volatility and lower the risks associated with investing, particularly in this uncertain environment.”
Prescient Investment Management has grown its business 50 percent per annum since inception. It currently has R87-billion of assets under management. It has offices in South Africa, Namibia, Ireland and China.
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