Investment Products and Services Launches

BNY Mellon Investment Management has announced the recent launch of Dreyfus Global Multi-Asset Income Fund, which began offering its shares on November 30, 2017. The fund uses an actively managed global multi-asset strategy that focuses on income generation.

BNY Mellon’s Dreyfus Corporation serves as the investment adviser of the fund, and Newton Investment Management (North America) Limited serves as the fund’s sub-investment adviser. Paul Flood and Bhavin Shah are the fund’s primary portfolio managers. Flood, the fund’s lead portfolio manager, is the lead manager of Newton’s global multi-asset income and multi-asset diversified return strategies. He joined Newton in 2006. Shah is an investment manager on the multi-asset team at Newton, and joined in June 2011.

“With the launch of Dreyfus Global Multi-Asset Income Fund, we see the potential for U.S. investors to capture attractive income streams globally, while diversifying risk through Newton’s multi-asset, active approach,” says Joe Moran, head of distribution, The Dreyfus Corporation, A BNY Mellon company. “Across the investment landscape we are seeing a shift away from one asset class products focused on a single region in favor of products that invest across the full spectrum of asset classes, and we are responding to that demand with what we believe are our ‘best-in-breed’ boutique offerings.”

Newton allocates the fund’s investments across asset classes seeking to construct a diversified portfolio focused on income generation, while maintaining the potential for long-term capital appreciation and managing the risk profile of the fund’s portfolio of investments. Newton allocates the fund’s investments among equity and equity-related securities, debt and debt-related securities, and, generally to a lesser extent, real estate, commodities and infrastructure in developed and emerging markets. The fund seeks to gain exposure to various asset classes principally through direct investments in securities, but the fund also may use derivative instruments and investments in other investment companies, including exchange-traded funds, and real estate investment trusts for such exposure.

“Investors need investment options that can deliver not only a current income stream, but that take a long-term approach to capital appreciation. We see Dreyfus Global Multi-Asset Income Fund, which aims to provide current income while maintaining the potential for long-term capital appreciation, as an opportunity that can provide for both needs,” says Flood. “The Fund draws upon Newton’s strong heritage of managing multi-asset portfolios, deep experience across global markets and rigorous fundamental analysis to unearth our highest-conviction ideas for investors.”

The fund offers Class A (DRAAX), Class C (DRACX), and Class I (DRAIX) shares with a minimum initial investment of $1,000. The fund also offers Class Y (DRAYX) shares generally with a minimum initial investment of $1,000,000.  Additional information regarding the fund can be found on Dreyfus’ website at www.dreyfus.com.

AI Insight Announces New Liquid Alternative Research

AI Insight Inc. will begin offering liquid alternative research reports in 2018, enabling advisers to compare the details and financial performance of alternative investment mutual funds.

Given the growing popularity of liquid alternatives and need for research around this asset class, the reports are designed to provide financial professionals with the information they need to understand the complexities of these investments, while making it easy for them to document for regulatory compliance.

AI Insight also announced the release of a whitepaper, Understanding the Complexities of Liquid Alternatives, which provides information around liquid alternatives, including regulators’ guidance and definition of liquid alternatives; different types of funds; supervision; and training and documentation recommendations.  

AI Insight wrote the whitepaper in response to regulators’ increased focus on liquid alternatives, including the release of a Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) e-learning course, Understanding Alternative Mutual Funds in August 2017 and a recently reissued Investor Alert by FINRA and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Alternative Funds Are Not Your Typical Mutual Funds.

In addition to making the Understanding Alternative Mutual Funds FINRA e-learning course available on its platform, AI Insight currently offers over 80 CE courses eligible for .5 to 2 credits toward the CFP and other designations, as well as prospectus- and PPM-based research and training.

To support its liquid alternative research capabilities, AI Insight has hired Lucas Johnson, CFA, to help lead the initiative. Johnson was formerly a due diligence analyst with National Planning Holdings, Inc., where he specialized in due diligence reviews of liquid alternatives and other alternative investments.   

“We are excited to welcome Lucas to the team to help expand our liquid alternative research capabilities,” says Sherri Cooke, president and chief executive officer of AI Insight. “AI Insight is dedicated to providing advisers with the tools and resources they need to understand the risks, rewards and investment strategies of complex products.”