The upcoming Raging Bull Awards will recognise outstanding performance by both passively managed funds and actively managed funds.
This is one of the changes to the Awards announced last week by Personal Finance, which will host the Awards ceremony in January next year.
The Raging Bull Awards have been presented annually since they were established by the founding editor of Personal Finance, Bruce Cameron, in 1997. The ceremony is regarded a key event on the South African investment industry’s calendar.
Until this year, only actively managed funds were eligible for trophies and certificates. Now, index-tracking unit trusts and exchange-traded funds are included in all the categories.
Dieketseng Maleke, the editor of Personal Finance, said the Awards could no longer ignore the growing popularity of passive funds.
“The new Awards will give investors a more comprehensive view of the investment universe as a whole and of where the greatest value lies. This is especially pertinent as investors increasingly seek transparency, clarity, and value for money in their investment choices,” Maleke said.
Another significant change is the simplification of the categories.
Martin Hesse, Raging Bull Awards consultant, explained that the most prestigious awards, the trophies, will be awarded exclusively for risk-adjusted performance over five years in eight broad categories. Previously, trophies were awarded for straight performance in four categories and for risk-adjusted performance in four categories.
Certificates will be exclusively for straight performance over three years in 19 ASISA-based categories. Previously, certificates were awarded for straight and risk-adjusted performance in 30 categories, Hesse said.
Furthermore, funds managed by offshore managers are no longer eligible for trophies and certificates. “The event focuses solely on the South African investment industry,” he said.
The elimination of offshore funds means there will only be a trophy for the South African Manager of the Year, whereas previously there were trophies for the domestic and the offshore managers of the year.
More information about the eligibility criteria can be found on the Raging Bull Awards website.
The 29th Raging Bull Awards ceremony will take place on 27 January at the Cape Town International Convention Centre.
Personal Finance also announced that Iress is the new data provider for the Awards.
In July, Profile Group ended its long-standing media partnership with Personal Finance. Profile said it is establishing new awards for actively managed unit trust performance, and the first awards will be presented early next year.
Read: Profile to launch new unit trust award after ending relationship with Personal Finance