A survey carried out in the UK on behalf of F&C Investments revealed that 77 per cent of the British public approve of the plans of the Financial Services Authority (FSA), the UK's financial regulator, to extend access to hedge fund products to retail investors. However, Irish investment professionals believe that a similar appetite amongst retail investors does not yet exist in Ireland.
Speaking to FINANCE, Frank O'Dwyer, chief executive of the Irish Association of Investment Managers (IAIM), said, 'While there has certainly been a great deal of growth in awareness and popularity in the public sector, our members would not have experienced such interest as the British survey revealed'.
Eugene Kiernan, head of multi manager investments at AIB Investment Management, is in agreement with O'Dwyer. 'There is an education agenda at play here, the public would need to know what is involved in a hedge fund, but my gut reaction would be that this figure is quite high,' he said. |
