On March 16, 2021, Refinitiv Lipper unveiled the results of the Refinitiv Lipper Fund Awards for Germany in conjunction with our long-term media partner Mein Geld.

Unlike previous years, physical in-person events won’t be held globally due to Covid-19 pandemic restrictions. This announcement marks the annual kick-off for Lipper’s global awards program. Since 2020 was a challenging year for the global fund industry, the Refinitiv Lipper Fund Awards will get a lot of attention from the asset management industry, as these awards showcase the ability of a fund to deliver high risk-adjusted returns.

Different methodologies lead to different results

Contrary to what a number of market observers would expect, the Refinitiv Lipper Fund Awards are not based on return numbers alone. The winners of a Refinitiv Lipper Fund Award aren’t determined by looking at the funds with the highest returns over the respective awards periods. In actuality, the Refinitiv Lipper Fund Awards are based on the Lipper Leader rating for Consistent Return. These ratings are calculated using a utility function based on the effective return over multiple non-overlapping periods—within the respective three-, five-, and 10-year horizons. The calculations over multiple periods ensure that all periods in which a fund underperforms the average of its peer group are identified. Then, Refinitiv Lipper uses a utility function based on behavioral finance theory to penalize periods of underperformance against the peer group average, with more significant weightings being given to excess returns.

From an investor point of view, the calculation methodology ensures that the winners of the Refinitiv Lipper Fund Awards are funds that have provided relatively superior consistency and risk-adjusted returns compared to a group of similar funds. Therefore, funds that receive a Refinitiv Lipper Fund Award may be the best fit for investors who value a fund’s year-to-year consistency relative to other funds in a particular peer group. A document outlining the full methodology for the Refinitiv Lipper Fund Awards can be found here.

The best mutual funds in Germany

The Refinitiv Lipper Fund Awards honored those funds which had the highest score in the Lipper Leader rating for Consistent Return over the three-, five- and 10-year periods. Overall, there were 103 funds that won an award for the three-year period. Also, 99 funds were recognized with a Lipper Fund Award over the five-year period, and 84 funds won the prestigious trophy for the 10-year period. The complete lists of the winning funds can be found on our awards website.

Equity Germany

AS SICAV I – German Equity A Acc EUR won the Lipper Fund Award for the Equity Germany category over the three-year period, while DWS Concept Platow LC won for the five- and 10-year periods.

Chart 1: Performance AS SICAV I – German Equity A Acc EUR vs LGC Average Equity Germany 01.01.2018 – 31.12.2020 (in %) 

Source: Refintiv Lipper

Equity Germany Small- and Mid-Cap

Alpha Star Aktien A was named the Lipper Fund Award winner for Equity Germany Small- and Mid-Cap over the three- and five-year periods, while DWS German Small/Mid Cap LD was tops over the 10-year period.

Chart 2: Performance Alpha Star Aktien A vs LGC Average Equity German Small and Mid Caps 01.01.2018 – 31.12.2020 (in %) 

Source: Refintiv Lipper

The best asset management groups in Germany

The group awards are divided into those for large and small asset management groups based on a regional assets-under-management split. It is not enough for a fund management company to hold just one large fund. A large management group must have at least five equity, five bond, and three mixed-asset portfolios, while a small group must have at least three equity, three bond, and three mixed-asset portfolios. The complete lists of the winning asset management groups can be found on our awards website.

Within the bond segment, the best small asset manager was once again Mirova, which outperformed 52 competitors in this category. The best large bond fund manager was Russell Investments, which beat 65 competitors in its category.

German asset manager Berenberg outperformed its 105 opponents and was named the best small asset manager in the equity segment. Columbia Threadneedle Investments won the trophy as the best large asset manager of equity funds, beating 76 competitors in terms of consistent outperformance.

There were 55 large asset managers and 73 small asset managers competing for the Lipper Fund Awards in the mixed-asset segment. While BBBank won the trophy for the best small manager, the award for the best large manager went to Carmignac.

The winning groups for the overall awards were able to show an above-average risk-adjusted performance within their bond, equity, and mixed-asset products. In this category, there were 41 large groups and 14 small groups competing for the prestigious trophy. Berenberg won the award for the best small fund management group, while Goldman Sachs was named the best large fund management group.

As one can see from the number of fund management groups in the single categories, the Lipper Fund Awards are exceedingly competitive and recognize the fund managers that are setting benchmarks within the industry. The Awards commemorate the expertise of the collective fund management industry and the individual funds’ ability to outperform the market.