Barclays Wealth has announced that it is launching the fourth issue of its Emerging Markets Optimizer, as investors continue to seek alternative ways to access high growth but volatile investment areas.
The latest issue retains the eastern European option introduced in June 2008, offering a return based on the performance of two indices: the RDX, which comprises Russian shares quoted on the London Stock Exchange, and the CECE Traded Index, which is representative of the shares in the Polish, Hungarian and Czech stock markets, said Barclays Wealth.
As with the Global option – linked to the iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Index Fund, an exchange traded fund providing exposure to 22 developing markets including Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Korea and South Africa – the eastern European option employs a risk-adjusting strategy to determine a daily participation level to the performance of the underlying markets, added Barclays Wealth. When perceived market risk is high, typically during periods of high volatility, the participation falls, and when risk is deemed lower, participation levels increase.
Both options have five-year terms, at the end of which investors receive the investment return plus their initial capital. The minimum investment is GBP3,600. Independent financial adviser (IFA) commission is 3%.
Colin Dickie, director of Barclays Wealth, said: When launched many said that the risk adjusting mechanism was too difficult to understand but there is clear evidence that this unique feature is starting to find its mark. With three issues behind us, we are seeing increasing numbers of IFAs starting to use this product, which we believe is a genuine alternative to traditional fund based investments.