The firm said it was putting together its SYZ AM (Lux) Absolute Return Institutional fund with its UCITS UK-registered OYSTER Absolute Return vehicle.

Previously, the SYZ AM (Lux) – Absolute Return Institutional funds were only available to institutional investors. The merger with the UCITS UK-registered OYSTER Absolute Return funds will make this proven strategy available to a wider investment public. In particular, a GBP retail share class will now be offered.

SYZ AM said that absolute return strategies are appealing in today’s environment of low interest rates and high equity prices and can be well suited to both pre- and post-retirement investors.  The OYSTER Absolute Return funds are invested long-only and the use of derivatives is limited to hedging of positions.

The OYSTER Absolute Return funds are managed in-house by the multi-asset investment team, which comprises Fabrizio Quirighetti (head of multi-asset), Roberto Magnatantini (head of global equities), Jérôme Schupp (head of research) and Adrien Pichoud (economist).

The strategy, which totals €1.2 billion ($1.34 billion) in client assets, was initially launched in 2003 through segregated sterling mandates for UK institutional clients. The objective of the fund is to deliver a return of LIBOR + 200 basis points net of fees over a cycle, with a volatility below 3 per cent. In fact it has delivered an annualised performance of +4.7 per cent since fund launch, and a volatility of 2.89.