Skandia launches 20 funds under Signature brand

Skandia is to launch a new range of 20 single manager funds across 10 different asset classes.

The new range, managed by Skandia Investment Group and launched under the Signature brand, will comprise 18 funds new to the UK market.

It will give UK retail investors access to the expertise of some managers previously only available in the institutional space who utilise different investment styles. 

The range will consist of one property fund, two UK fixed interest, three international fixed interest, four UK equity, two European equity, three North American equity, one Japanese, two Far East excluding Japan, one Global specialist and one unspecified strategy.

The Signature range will be available on Skandia's Investment Solutions platform and has been developed to help meet the demand for outsourcing fund manager selection.

"The Signature funds meet the growing demand from financial advisers for different approaches to portfolio construction and management," head of investment marketing Graham Bentley says.

"Some advisers like to select and research funds themselves, but increasingly they are looking to focus more on their clients' financial planning needs and outsource elements of their investment service.

"Managed investment solutions such as risk-rated funds allow them to outsource asset allocation decisions, fund selection and risk control. Signature offers a further option.

"Advisers can retain control of asset allocation and style-tilt decisions within their clients' portfolios, and utilise the huge resources and expertise of SIG's global investment research team to identify the best fund managers in each investment sector."