Investment - Articles - Willis Towers Watson launches high active share fund

 The new fund, which provides daily liquidity, comprises the top 10 to 15 stock picks from eight top-rated investment managers with risk managed at the portfolio level.

 Paul Berriman, Global Head of Willis Towers Watson’s funds business, said: “Our new equity focus fund is specifically designed to provide institutional investors with targeted access to the world’s best equity ideas with high levels of transparency of the underlying investments, at competitive fees. This is consistent with our vision to help all our clients - whether advisory or delegated – to achieve the best net-of-fees returns for the right level of risk and, if the vehicles don’t exist, we’ll build them.”

 The company’s funds provide portfolio construction, risk management and manager-selection decisions, while using best-in-class asset managers for underlying security selection and trading strategies.

 David Shapiro, GEFF portfolio manager at Willis Towers Watson said: “When looking at what was available to those clients wishing to invest in equities, we were dispirited by the preponderance of expensive index-hugger-type products. So we built something very different. We would assert that this high active share fund, offered at such a competitive price, is a world first. While not for every institutional investor, we are confident that many disillusioned institutional equity investors, both large and small, will recognise the opportunity presented by this approach.”

 The company’s six pooled funds have total assets under management of around US$5bn.