Old Mutual Asset Managers (OMAM) has announced that it plans to launch a UK Opportunities Fund in the fourth quarter of this year.

The new fund will be domiciled in Ireland and managed by Simon Murphy, who is head of OMAM’s UK large cap team and manager of the UK Select Equity Fund.

OMAM said its long/short UCITS fund would aim to deliver returns over a three to five year period by investing across the market cap spectrum through a combination of top down market views and bottom up analysis.

The UK Opportunities Fund will seek to achieve a more consistent return profile than an equivalent long only fund in order to achieve a lower level of volatility, the company said.

Murphy added, ‘I believe the UK equity market currently offers investors attractive opportunities, albeit with high degrees of volatility given the uncertain economic background.

‘Many stocks are significantly undervalued at current levels and the Old Mutual UK Opportunities Fund, being a long/short UCITS fund, will aim to maximise the upside potential while also mitigating volatility risk.’

OMAM confirmed the fund would have a minimum investment of £1,000, an annual management charge of 1.5 per cent and a performance fee of 15 per cent, based on performance relative to six month Libor (London Interbank Offered Rate) interest rates.