Three out of four awards won are part of Horizons ETFs' suite
of actively managed ETFs.
TORONTO, Nov. 5, 2015 /CNW/ - Horizons ETFs
Management (Canada) Inc.
("Horizons ETFs") is proud to announce four of its ETFs won
"best" in their respective categories at the 2015 Lipper Fund
Awards ("Lipper Awards").
The following ETFs won awards:
Fund
Name
|
Ticker
|
Lipper Awards
Category
|
Award
Period
|
Horizons S&P 500®
Index ETF
|
HXS
|
US Equity
|
3 Years
|
Horizons Active High
Yield Bond ETF
|
HYI
|
High Yield Fixed
Income
|
3 Years
|
Horizons Seasonal
Rotation ETF
|
HAC
|
Alternative
Strategies
|
3 Years
|
Horizons Gold
Yield ETF
|
HGY
|
Commodity
|
3 Years
|
"The Lipper Awards are among the most prestigious awards that
an investment fund can receive globally and we are very proud of
our four winners," said Steve
Hawkins, Co-CEO of Horizons ETFs. "The fact that the
majority of our awards were for actively managed ETFs validates our
long held belief that active management in a low-cost ETF structure
can produce superior returns."
The Lipper Awards are calculated based on a comparison with
other ETFs in the same Canadian Investment Funds Standards
Committee (CIFSC) category. The 2015 Lipper Awards are given to
funds for delivering consistently strong risk-adjusted performance
relative to their peers, for various time periods ending
July 31, 2015.
HXS received the 2015 Lipper Fund Award in the US Equity
category for the three-year period ending July 31, 2015, ranking first out of the 16 ETFs
eligible for consideration. HXS seeks to replicate, to the extent
possible, the performance of the S&P 500® (Total
Return), net of expenses. HXS uses a total return swap (TRS) based
structure, which means the ETF does not physically hold the
underlying stocks of the S&P 500®; this can reduce
tracking error and can also minimize taxable distributions. Since
its inception in 2010, HXS has not paid taxable distributions.
"HXS' win illustrates the power of our innovative TRS
structure," said Mr. Hawkins. "There are multiple ETFs in
Canada that offer exposure to the
US large cap market, but we believe that it's the combination of
HXS' low management fee, reduced potential for tracking error and
greater tax efficiency that has produced its exceptional
performance."
HYI received the 2015 Lipper Award in the High Yield Fixed
Income category for the three-year period ending July 31, 2015, ranking first out of the 11 ETFs
eligible for consideration. HYI is a cost-efficient, actively
managed ETF that seeks to deliver high total-return income and
monthly distributions.
"The success of HYI highlights how advantageous it is to pair
active fixed income investing with an ETF," said Derek Brown, Vice-President and Senior Portfolio
Manager, Fiera Capital Corp. "Active management isn't limited to
issuers in a benchmark, which allows for greater flexibility in
selecting securities with more dynamic durations and credit
ratings."
HAC received the 2015 Lipper Award in the Alternative Strategies
category for the three-year period ending July 31, 2015, ranking first out of the six ETFs
eligible for consideration. HAC uses a proprietary, seasonal
rotation investment strategy which seeks to deliver absolute
returns in all market conditions. HAC rotates between certain asset
classes or industry sectors at specific times of the year, based on
repeating seasonal events in the markets or the economy.
"HAC's proven track record speaks to how seasonality paired
with technical analysis can provide consistent risk-adjusted
returns," said Brooke Thackray,
Research Analyst, Horizons ETFs. "HAC has delivered very
attractive annual returns since its inception in 2009, with a much
lower standard deviation than the broader North American equity
market."
HGY won the Best Commodity category amongst the eight eligible
ETFs for the three-year period ending July
31, 2015. HGY seeks to provide unitholders with: (i)
exposure to the price of gold bullion hedged to the Canadian
dollar, less the ETF's fees and expenses; (ii) tax-efficient
monthly distributions; and (iii) in order to mitigate downside risk
and generate income, exposure to a covered call option writing
strategy.
"Investing in gold, typically, doesn't generate income. HGY
not only offers exposure to gold bullion, but also the opportunity
for income from covered calls," said Mr. Hawkins. "The
option premium generated by HGY's call writing strategy has offset
some of the losses in the gold market, which is why it has been a
better strategy to be invested in than just simply holding
gold."
HYI, HAC and HGY are all actively managed strategies. Horizons
ETFs is currently the largest provider of actively managed ETFs in
Canada, which make up more than
half of its $5.1 billion of assets
under management. Horizons ETFs also offers a wide range of other
ETF solutions, which include benchmark and leveraged ETFs for
investors of all experience levels to achieve their investment
goals.
About the Lipper Fund Awards
The Lipper Fund Awards
are part of the Thomson Reuters Awards for Excellence, a global
family of awards that celebrate exceptional performance throughout
the professional investment community. The Thomson Reuters Awards
for Excellence recognize the world's top funds, fund management
firms, sell-side firms, research analysts, and investor relations
teams. The Thomson Reuters Awards for Excellence also include the
Extel Survey Awards and the StarMine Analyst Awards. For more
information about the Lipper Awards, please contact
markets.awards@thomsonreuters.com or visit
excellence.thomsonreuters.com
About Horizons ETFs Management (Canada) Inc.
(www.HorizonsETFs.com)
Horizons ETFs Management (Canada)
Inc. and its affiliate AlphaPro Management Inc. are innovative
financial services companies, which combined make up one of the
largest families of exchange traded funds in Canada. The Horizons ETFs' product suite
includes a broadly diversified range of solutions for investors of
all experience levels to meet their investment objectives in a
variety of market conditions. Horizons ETFs currently has more than
$5.1 billion of assets under
management and has 70 ETFs listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange.
Horizons ETFs Management (Canada)
Inc. and AlphaPro Management Inc. are members of the Mirae Asset
Global Investments Group.
Commissions, trailing commissions, management fees and
expenses all may be associated with an investment in exchange
traded products managed by AlphaPro Management Inc. and Horizons
ETFs Management (Canada) Inc. (the
"Horizons Exchange Traded Products"). The Horizons Exchange Traded
Products are not guaranteed, their values change frequently and
past performance may not be repeated. The Horizons Seasonal
Rotation ETF (HAC) may have exposure to leveraged investment
techniques that magnify gains and losses and which may result in
greater volatility in value and could be subject to aggressive
investment risk and price volatility risk. Such risks are described
in the ETFs prospectus. Please read the relevant
prospectus before investing.
Certain statements contained in this news release constitute
forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian
securities laws. Forward-looking information may relate to a future
outlook and anticipated distributions, events or results and may
include statements regarding future financial performance. In some
cases, forward-looking information can be identified by terms such
as "may", "will", "should", "expect", "anticipate", "believe",
"intend" or other similar expressions concerning matters that are
not historical facts. Actual results may vary from such
forward-looking information. Horizons ETFs undertakes no obligation
to update publicly or otherwise revise any forward-looking
statement whether as a result of new information, future events or
other such factors which affect this information, except as
required by law.
Horizons Seasonal Rotation ETF (HAC), Horizons Gold Yield ETF
(HGY), Horizons S&P 500 Index ETF (HXS) and the Horizons Active
High Yield Bond ETF (HYI) were awarded the 2015 Lipper Fund Award
in the Alternative Strategies, Commodity, US Equity, and High Yield
Fixed Income categories for the three year period ending
July 31, 2015 out of a total of 6, 8,
16, and 11 ETFs, respectively. The Lipper Fund Awards, granted
annually, are part of the Thomson Reuters Awards for Excellence
awarded by Lipper, Inc. and highlight funds that have excelled in
delivering consistently strong risk-adjusted performance relative
to their peers. The Lipper Fund Awards are based on the
Lipper Ratings for Consistent Return, which is a risk-adjusted
performance measure calculated over 36, 60 and 120 month
periods. The highest 20% of funds in each category are named
Lipper Leaders for Consistent Return and receive a score of 5, the
next 20% receive a score of 4, the middle 20% are scored 3, the
next 20% are scored 2 and the lowest 20% are scored 1. The highest
Lipper Leader for Consistent Return in each category wins the
Lipper Fund Award. Lipper Leader ratings change
monthly. For more information, see
www.lipperweb.com. Although Lipper makes reasonable
efforts to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the data
contained herein, the accuracy is not guaranteed by Lipper.
Performance for the HAC fund for the period ended July 31, 2015 is as follows: 12.76 % (1 year),
9.89 % (3 years), 8.68 % (5 years) and 9.11 % (since inception on
November 19, 2009). The corresponding
Lipper Leader ratings of the fund for the same period are as
follows: 4 (3 years), 5 (5 years). Performance for the HGY fund for
the period ended July 31, 2015
is as follows: -13.47 % (1 year), -30.28 % (3 years), and -23.15 %
(since inception on December 20,
2010). The corresponding Lipper Leader ratings of the fund
for the same period are as follows: 3 (3 years). Performance for
the HXS fund for the period ended July 31,
2015 is as follows: 32.82 % (1 year), 27.50 % (3 years) and
47.49 % (since inception on November 30,
2010). The corresponding Lipper Leader ratings of the fund
for the same period are as follows: 4 (3 years). Performance for
the HYI fund for the period ended July 31,
2015 is as follows: 0.15 % (1 year), 18.93 % (3 years) and
7.12 % (since inception on February 14,
2012). The corresponding Lipper Leader ratings of the fund
for the same period are as follows: 4 (3 years).
SOURCE Horizons ETFs Management (Canada) Inc.