AXA Investment Managers has this week announced the launch of a series of corporate bond strategies.
The company said the 'SmartBeta' strategies have been designed specifically for investors seeking low-cost credit exposure without the drawbacks of market capitalisation-weighted, index-based strategies.
According to the company, the SmartBeta strategies "take an active approach to define the investment universe and therefore aim for a more attractive risk/return profile than that offered by passive index-tracking strategies".
Commenting on the new approach, AXA IM's head of consultant relations Tim Gardener said the company had seen significant interest from institutional investors and their consultants, who want a more intelligent and pragmatic approach to capture the market return within the corporate bond segment.
"SmartBeta offers a middle ground for those clients looking to harvest the return of the market whilst still avoiding the inefficiencies of a purely passive approach.
"It is a strategy that is designed with the aim of protecting portfolios from both systemic and event risk and to deliver a less volatile return," he said.
