Via Jamaica Observer

Sagicor Investments Limited, through its suite of Sigma Global Funds portfolios, has said that it now controls over 42 per cent or some $130 billion of local unit trust investments in the market.

The entity, which by this now has control of almost half the local market, said it has also outpaced its closest competitor Scotia Investments by more than 100 per cent in a market which is currently valued at approximately $312 billion.

According to Robert McKenzie, manager of group treasury and asset management at Sagicor, the company's sustained dominance of the unit trust markets should be attributed to its extensive catalogue of portfolio options for investors supported by expert management of funds during volatile periods.

“With a total of 18 portfolios — comprising six US dollar and 12 Jamaican dollar funds — that cover equities, real estate, and fixed income, we have the widest range of options in the market, giving our investors more choices,” he said in a recent news release from the company.

In addition, McKenzie said that the entity, which has performed creditably over the last 20 years, has managed to maintain investor confidence whilst remaining accessible to young investors. He noted that, with a year-to-date return of about 10.2 per cent, the Sigma Global Corporate portfolio is now touted as the best-performing Jamaican dollar fixed income portfolio, which also leaves Sagicor Investments as the number one US dollar and the number one balance fund portfolios in the market.

Other Sigma Global Funds portfolios, such as real estate, have also been said to be performing well, even as they continue to recover from the economic depression spawned by the novel coronavirus pandemic. Amid recovery activities in the local environment, Sigma Global Funds grew by almost $6 billion, further widening the gap among competitors.

Highlighting reduced transaction fees and the expertise of portfolio managers as major pulls to Sagicor's unit trust products, McKenzie said he is expecting the Sigma Global Funds to continue on a positive trajectory for the rest of this financial year and into the next.

“For 2021, we are doing well and we're looking forward to more opportunities in the recovering market. There are a number of portfolios that we anticipate should generate strong returns,” he said in an outlook.