Hawksmoor set for distribution fund

16 February 2012 | By Amanda Smith

Hawksmoor Investment Management is preparing to launch a distribution fund, an income version of its Vanbrugh fund of funds.

The reasons for developing the fund are twofold. Some investors say they like Vanbrugh’s investment approach but want a portfolio that could provide a higher, less volatile level of income s well as capital growth.

The firm is also seeing investment opportunities among a wide range of income-producing assets and feel these would suit the remit of the new fund.

It says the fund, which is awaiting FSA approval, will overlap with Vanbrugh’s portfolio but with an additional focus on providing an initial yield of around 4 per cent.

Its formal yield target will be at least 125 per cent of the FTSE APCIMS Income Index, which currently yields around 2.7 per cent.

Like Vanbrugh, the fund will be a sub-fund of Hawksmoor’s existing Oeic. It will have the same share classes and structure as Vanbrugh but fees will be charged to capital rather than Vanbrugh’s 50 per cent to income and 50 per cent to capital.

The distribution fund will be in the IMA mixed investment 40 to 85 per cent shares sector, formerly balanced managed.

Hawksmoor feels the greater flexibility and implied risk of this sector is appropriate for the new fund because it will be managed on the basis of prioritising income.

Fund manager Daniel Lockyer says “We will be investing in different areas to complement what investors already have. The range of asset classes available for income has increased dramatically over the last five years. There is a lot more variety these days.”

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