RCBC trust funds outperform benchmarks

The unit investment trust funds (UITFs) of the Rizal Commercial and Banking Corp. (RCBC) has outperformed standard industry benchmarks despite the prevalence of a sluggish economic environment.

The Rizal Dollar Money Market Fund (formerly known as the Phoenix Dollar Money Market Fund), for instance, achieved a yield from inception of 20.376 percent with year-on-year return on investment (ROI) of 3.884 percent. Year-to-date absolute ROI of 3.782 percent is higher than the benchmark three-month LIBOR rate of 2.708 percent per annu.

The Rizal Equity Fund (formerly Tiger Equity Fund) showed some strength as it continued to outperform the Philippine Stock Exchange index (Phisix) with a yield since inception of 14.59 percent.

The Rizal Peso Money Market Fund (formerly the Dragon Peso Money Market Fund) achieved a yield from inception of 21.692 percent with year-on-year ROI of 4.354 percent. Year-to-date absolute ROI of 4.272 percent is higher than the benchmark 91-day T-Bill rate of 4.131 percent per annum.

The Rizal Dollar Bond Fund (formerly Eagle Dollar Fund) and Rizal Peso Bond Fund (formerly Unicorn Peso Bond Fund), posted yields from inception of 15.312 percent and 26.27 percent, respectively.

The new names were made in honor of the Dr. Jose Rizal.

“Our formula in branding our UITFs is now Rizal, which reflects the national hero’s integrity and proud legacy, followed by the specific UITF type of fund made available by RCBC to its customers,” Nanette Ferrer, RCBC senior vice president and Trust Division head, explained in a media release.

“Moreover, Rizal is the bank’s name and its use as the cornerstone of the names of the RCBC UITFs would facilitate easy recall and immediate identification with the unibank,” she said, adding that they offer one of the lowest minimum investment amount as well as the lowest fees in the industr.

RCBC is currently the country’s fourth biggest local bank in terms of capital base and is also among the top 10 trust institutions in the country in terms of assets.

RCBC is also known for its retirement fund management and segregated portfolio management services as well as for the steady performance of its UITFs. It is a member of the multi-industry conglomerate Yuchengco Group of Companies.