- January 25, 2022
- Investment
(ST. MICHAEL, BARBADOS) RF Merchant Bank & Trust (RF) hosted their 2022 Investor Forum on January 26, 2022. David Slatter, RF VP of Investment Management confirmed that four out of seven of the investment banks mutual funds outperformed benchmarks in one year returns ending in December 2021. Mr. Slatter reported that the top performing fund was the internationally invested Global Balanced Fund which had a 19.48% one year return, 12% above benchmark.
This session is now available On-Demand:
The RF International Opportunities fund and the Strategic Growth mutual fund also had impressive one year returns, ending 2021 with 18.11% and 15.1% returns respectively.
Mr. Slatter also covered economic outlooks for the year noting there is strong projected GDP growth in 2022 and 2023 in Barbados which he hopes will spark a more active local capital market. He noted that in global markets high inflation numbers signal higher interest rates to come and in turn lower valuations.
“We don’t think passively buying an index is the approach right now, you need to be using active Asset Managers that have a strong track record of adding aplpha,” stated David Slatter, “We have a great selection of Asset Managers that we are utilizing currently given their historical performances.”
Guest speaker Steven Brod, CEO of Crystal Capital Partners also presented during the virtual Forum introducing upcoming private equity trends and opportunities. RF Bank & Trust, in partnership with Crystal Capital Partners, will be providing access for Bahamian institutional investors to international Private Equity funds that include some well-known and established brands such as SpaceX, DoorDash and Instacart.
“Companies today are increasingly reaching $10Bn in value pre-IPO,” Stated Steven Brod. This creates an amazing opportunity for investors to gain access to these companies as private equity. A strategy many Ivy League schools such as Harvard are already taking advantage of by investing up to 30% in.
RF Investor Forum was hosted by Jackie Cleare, RF Assistant VP of Operations and will be available on demand via the RF website: www.rfgroup.com. For more information, please email marketing@rfgroup.com.
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About RF
Since its inception in 1997, RF has been committed to helping our clients create and manage wealth. We are your regional private bank connecting clients in The Bahamas, Barbados and the Cayman Islands with the best in local and international investments. Collectively, we have helped clients raise in excess of USD $1.8 Billion in capital and we have $2 Billion+ assets under administration. Offering a wide range of investment products and services, our financial solutions are designed to help individuals and corporate clients meet and achieve their investment goals.
These include Mutual Funds, Investment Management. Investment Banking, Group & Personal Pension Plans, Personal Retirement Accounts, Stock Brokerage, Trust & Estate Planning, Educational Investment Accounts.