Managed solutions

Institutional fund managers are increasingly looking to the retail market, suggests a survey by Skandia Investment Group (SIG).

Aegon has unveiled a fund selection and portfolio building service which will allow advisers to choose off-the-shelf investment solutions or a more flexible, bespoke approach depending on customers' needs.

Tim Steer will take over the Artemis portion of Skandia's UK Strategic Best Ideas fund, five months after losing his mandate following his departure from New Star.

North's John Husselbee is maintaining a defensive stance in his suite of multi-manager funds, bolstering his cash weightings despite the recent market upturn.

Skandia Investment Group (SIG) has added Newton's European Higher Income to its European Equity Blend vehicle and introduced Schroder's US Small & Mid Cap fund to its US Equity Blend offering.

Merchant Investors has launched Zest Solutions, an insurance fund support package that enables advisers to run and eventually own their own-brand fund of funds Oeic.

Jupiter Asset Management has launched a sterling class for the Jupiter Merlin International Equities Portfolio, designed to appeal to UK investors.

Net retail sales of funds of funds dropped off to just £82.5m in Q3 this year, down from £332.7m at the same point in 2007, according to IMA.

BDO Stoy Hayward Investment Management has made three senior appointments to its alternatives fund of funds team.

PSigma Investment Management is to manage a new fund of funds which will be a unitised version of its existing multi-asset multi-manager services, Wealth Management Solutions (WMS).