The series combines approaches from Dimensional Fund Advisors and SouthPeak Investment Management, with an emphasis on systematic portfolio construction and risk-management techniques.
AMP chief investment officer Anna Shelley said the initiative represents an effort to broaden retail access to specialist methods the firm already applies in its institutional portfolios.
“We’re thrilled to be launching the AMP Constructor Series as we partner with external fund managers that we have institutional investments and relationships with to offer a series of funds to the retail market,” she said.
Shelley added that the aim is to extend manager selection typically reserved for large investors.
“By partnering with Dimensional and SouthPeak, we are providing access to world-class strategies that combine systematic design, robust risk management, and proven performance,” she said.
She noted that the Constructor Series is intended to expand the range of investment tools available to advisers.
“We’ll continue to draw on the expertise of our investment professionals to select high quality fund managers and strategies that are typically only available to institutional investors,” Shelley said.
Dimensional Fund Advisors contributed two strategies to the series, utilising the firm’s evidence-based framework.
“For nearly a quarter of [a] century, Dimensional has offered our systematic investment approach in partnership with financial intermediaries in Australia,” said Bhanu Singh, the firm’s chief investment officer for Australia and senior investment director.
Singh described the firm’s methodology as blending elements of indexing with flexible implementation.
“Dimensional’s investment approach combines the benefits of indexing – such as low fees, low turnover, and broad diversification – with flexible implementation that supports a consistent focus on pursuing higher expected returns and managing risk,” Singh said.
He added that the partnership with AMP broadens how investors can access the firm’s strategies.
“By launching these two strategies in partnership with AMP, we are expanding investors’ choices in how they access our investment expertise. And we always start with client need,” Singh said.
SouthPeak Investment Management contributes a volatility-focused strategy designed to behave differently from traditional equity and bond exposures.
“At SouthPeak our focus has always been to deliver consistent, positive returns, especially in large equity falls,” said co-chief investment officer Mattias Soderberg.
Soderberg said shifts in market behaviour have challenged traditional diversification methods.
“With traditional diversification tools starting to struggle, we believe a different approach can help deliver both attractive returns and resilience,” he said.
He noted that the partnership marks the first time SouthPeak’s institutional strategies will be available through a retail platform.
“Our strategies have been used by large Australian investors since 2012, and we are very excited to partner with AMP to deliver our institutional offering to platform investors for the first time,” Soderberg said.
