Principal Wins Emerging Markets Debt Strategy of the Year Award

DES MOINES, Iowa--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Principal Global Investors^® and its Finisterre Unconstrained Emerging Markets Fixed Income Strategy has been awarded the Emerging Markets Debt Strategy of the Year by Pension Bridge. The honor was announced on September 24 during a virtual ceremony to celebrate recipients of Pension Bridge’s 2020 Institutional Asset Management Awards.

“We are pleased to receive the EM Debt Strategy of the Year award from Pension Bridge,” said Damien Buchet, chief investment officer and portfolio manager for Finisterre Capital, the PGI investment team that manages the award-winning strategy. “The investment process applied to this strategy has been historically effective in generating benchmark-beating, total returns by investing across the full spectrum of the EMD universe¹, even during this current period of increased volatility across global markets.”

The Pension Bridge Institutional Asset Management Awards recognize and reward the institutional asset management industry for performance and excellence across various strategies. Using a quantitative and qualitative methodology, the judging was done in two stages. The first used purely quantitative elements to derive leader boards from the entries to populate the shortlists for each category. In the second stage, a panel of independent and impartial judges ensured the data was correct and used their knowledge and the qualitative elements of the entry process to decide the winners by category. All data used for the awards was through June 2020.

About Principal Global Investors^®

Principal Global Investors^® leads global asset management at Principal^®. As a multi-boutique firm, we bring a focused perspective and offer expertise across a host of asset classes.

At our core, we are driven by our purpose to help investors and businesses achieve their financial goals. Our global investment professionals deliver investment solutions for public and private pension funds, foundations and endowments, central banks, insurance companies, sub-advisory arrangements, sovereign wealth funds and individual portfolios.

Principal Global Investors manages approximately $486.5 billion in assets on behalf of over 800 institutional clients located in over 80 markets as well as retirement plans and individual clients, reflecting our worldwide market reach and experience and our commitment to high-quality research and service (as of June 30, 2020). To find out more, visit us at principalglobal.com.

Third party rankings and recognitions are no guarantee of future investment success and do not ensure that a client or prospective client will experience a higher level of performance or results. These ratings should not be construed as an endorsement of the advisor by any client nor are they representative of any one client’s evaluation.

Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Finisterre Unconstrained Emerging Market Fixed Income Strategy earned Debt Strategy of the Year ending June 30, 2020.

Pension Bridge Judging Methodology and Criteria: The fund categories are open to any funds that have institutional investors, including, but not limited to, SMAs. Judging involved two stages. The first stage is purely the quantitative elements to derive leader boards from the entries. Leader boards informed and populated the shortlists for each category, who went through to the second stage of judging where a panel of independent and impartial judges from Institutional Investors and Consultants ensure firstly that the data is correct and use their knowledge and the qualitative elements of the entry process to decide on the winners by category. All data requested is through June 2020. Quantitative elements include: Each fund’s performance is measured next to the most appropriate benchmark for the 1-, 3-, and 5-year periods ending June 30, 2020 and account for 20%, 10% and 10% of the overall score, respectively. Each fund’s net AUM growth in real terms and % terms as well as the number of mandates won in over the 12-month period ending June 30, 2020 account for 10%, 10% and 10% of the overall score, respectively. Calculation of returns does not take into account sales charges or 12b-1 fees, if any. Qualitative elements include ESG, innovation, key staff turnover, usage of marketing and sales materials and account for 30% of the scoring. The number of entries judged per category is not disclosed.

Principal, Principal and symbol design and Principal Financial Group are trademarks and service marks of Principal Financial Services, Inc., a member of the Principal Financial Group.

¹ The Finisterre Total Return strategy has outperformed its benchmark (JP Morgan EM Equal Weight Index) as of each calendar year end, in six of the past seven years. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. JP Morgan EM Equal Weight Index (JEMBAGTR Index): 33.3% Corporate Emerging Market Bond Index Broad Diversification (CEMBI BD), 33.3% Emerging Markets Bond Global Diversification Index (EMBIGD), and 33.3% Government Bond-Emerging Market-Global Diversification Index (GBI EMGD)