van Eyk launches new SMA on iRate

The research house said information and performance data on around 80 SMA portfolios are now available on the tool, and over 20 SMA portfolios have been rated.

“As investors become more sophisticated, they want greater flexibility and control of their assets,” van Eyk chief executive and chief investment officer Mark Thomas said.

“With an SMA investment decisions are outsourced to professional managers, however, the investor retains beneficial ownership of the underlying investments.”

van Eyk said the inclusion of SMA research on iRate follows the release of new SMA products by the banks and a number of boutique investment management firms.

Mr Thomas said that the take up of SMAs by Australian investors has been relatively low compared to other markets.

However he pointed to favourable trends including a growing demand from the self-managed super fund (SMSF) sector and advisers increasingly holding investments “off platform.”

“SMAs may overcome some of the limitations of managed accounts however, they are not for everybody,” Mr Thomas said.

“Investors need to seek professional advice to ensure that an SMA is the right solution for them.”

Mr Thomas added that van Eyk have plans to expand research capabilities for SMAs in the next year.