15 November 2008 marks the first anniversary of the availability of the Delta Lloyd L Water & Climate Fund on the German market. The equity fund invests internationally in fast-growing companies which develop technologies to combat the global water shortage and climate change.
The Delta Lloyd L Water & Climate Fund (ISIN LU0269461587), owned by the Dutch investment company Delta Lloyd Asset Management, celebrates its first anniversary on the German market on 15 November 2008. The equity fund, which is managed by Ad Schellen, invests internationally in fast-growing companies which develop technologies to combat the global water shortage and climate change.
"We are delighted with the way the fund has developed over its first year. The fund has had excellent take-up rates among both institutional and private investors. As well as the potential offered by its thematic focus to investors wishing to concentrate on the longer term and the pragmatic style of investment and many years' experience of this market enjoyed by fund manager Ad Schellen and his team, there is also the fact that it received a prestigious 'A' rating from Standard & Poor ", says Christof W Göldi, the chairman of the board of Delta Lloyd Deutschland AG.
"It is also positive to note that despite current difficulties in the market situation, the fund has seen scarcely any outflows, which is a clear sign that investors trust the expertise of Ad Schellen and his team. At the same time, it confirms that our market entry in Germany was right", Göldi continues.
For the future development of the Delta Lloyd L Water & Climate Fund in the current economic climate, Ad Schellen is looking to the future with confidence, despite the challenges for growth and profit ratio.
"I believe that most of the companies in the Water & Climate Fund will experience current economic difficulties as little more than hiccups in their long-term growth. Because of the absolute necessity of finding solutions to problems such as water and air pollution or climate change, a great many opportunities will continue to come up in the future," says Ad Schellen, fund manager of the Delta Lloyd L Water & Climate Fund.
"On top of that, Barack Obama's election as the new President of the United States will open up the USA as a huge market for alternative energy sources. This, in turn, will lead to economies of scale. Growing investments and stricter rules will also oblige companies to look more to sustainable growth and profitability. It is not just important for a company to be able to offer alternatives which make the world around us a better place, but this also needs to be cost-effective. The companies in the fund are in good shape to make good on this promise," Schellen continues.
The Delta Lloyd L Water & Climate Fund's investment process consists of three stages: firstly, all companies active in the field of environmentally-friendly technologies are classified into sectors and sub-groups. At the same time, the fund management identifies important current economic and political trends and technological innovations in each of the segments.
The second step is the cornerstone of the investment process. The sectors and the individual companies in it are analysed on the basis of internal and external research. For all sectors, positive medium-term growth prospects (three-five years) are a key criterion. Companies in these sectors need to have a strong market position, potential for sustainable growth, qualified management and adequate financial resources, in order to make it onto the watch list.
During the third and final stage, the titles for the portfolio are selected, with particular focus on bottom-line analysis, predicted turnover, profitability and the relationship between profit growth and share rating.
The portfolio of the Delta Lloyd L Water & Climate Fund corresponds 100% to the OHRA Milieutechnologie Fonds, which has been a feature of the Dutch investment market since 1997. It made Delta Lloyd Asset Management one of the first investment companies to market an investment product based on the themes of water and climate change. Fund manager Ad Schellen has more than 20 years' experience in selecting companies whose technologies or services have a contribution to make in resolving the problems of water and climate. He leads a four-strong team, supporting him in selecting titles for thematic share investments. Delta Lloyd Asset Management's shares team comprises 25 people in total. Ad Schellen's investment strategy for the Delta Lloyd L Water & Climate Fund is geared towards targeting the absolute highest possible yield over the long term. In order to remain flexible in selecting investments and to keep its correlation to the total market low, the fund does not track a benchmark index.
For further information on the Delta Lloyd L Water & Climate Fund, go to
www.water-and-climate.de/.
-ends-
Further information about:
Martina Fassbender
Telephone: 0611 773 25 71
Fax: 0611 773 14 25 71
E-mail: martina.fassbender@deltalloyd.de
Internet: www.deltalloyd.de
Notes to editors:
About Delta Lloyd Asset Management
Delta Lloyd Asset Management (DLAM) is the asset manager of Delta Lloyd Groep, one of the leading providers of financial services in the Netherlands, active in the fields of insurance, banking and asset management. With assets of 39 billion euro (as at June 2008) under management for internal and external customers, DLAM is the fifth-largest asset manager in the Netherlands. The asset management company administrates investment funds for Delta Lloyd, OHRA and Triodos and also operates as an asset manager for institutional investors.
About Delta Lloyd
Delta Lloyd Deutschland is a 100%-owned subsidiary of the Delta Lloyd Groep, Amsterdam, and therefore part of the British Aviva Group. The company provides a wide range of financial, investment and provident products from a single source, as well as providing expert consultancy on all financial issues. In addition to Delta Lloyd Leben and Hamburger Leben, a pension fund and a consultancy for occupational pension schemes respectively, the Delta Lloyd Group in Germany also comprises its own private banking company, a real estate company and a mortgage broker.