Multi-manager

2004 was both interesting and challenging for the multi-manager sector because in economic terms, it was a year which has not quite lived up to expectations.

American Express has launched an investment account for trusts on to its wrap platform serving IFAs.

Standard Life Investments yesterday launched its first push into the institutional private equity fund of funds market.

Next year could see consolidation in the number of providers offering investment outsourcing services through fund of funds or manager of manager products.

Nick McBreen, independent financial adviser with Worldwide Financial Planning, looks at the benefits of outsourced multimanager investments and how it affects adviser-client relations.

New Star is rebranding three of the global funds in its Fund of Funds range, to try and better reflect their investment objective and risk profiles.

Scott Spencer has left specialist investment boutique Berkeley Fund Managers to join Credit Suisse Asset Management's multimanager team.

Take-up of multi-manager investments has been much slower than initially anticipated over the last three years, prompting questions as to whether advisers still wait for a fund manager's three-year track record before selecting a manager to handle assets....

Britons do appear to be more concerned with sorting out or managing their debts than with investing, suggests research published by Insight Investment.

Barclays is in the process of moving some £4.5bn in assets to a manager of manager proposition.