Toronto-based asset manager RPIA is launching an actively managed liquid alternative mutual fund with a long/short credit strategy that aims to mitigate the risks often associated with fixed-income assets.
The RP Alternative Credit Opportunities Fund is slated to launch on Sept. 2. Its management fee will be 0.9%.
The fund seeks to generate attractive risk-adjusted returns by investing across the credit spectrum in developed markets, with a focus on high-yield bonds, investment-grade bonds, preferred shares and leveraged loans. Its target return is 7%–9%, net of fees.
“We actually take all of the risk factors in bonds, we slice them up and we decide which risk factor we want to take at which time,” Imran Dhanani, principal, head of retail distribution with RPIA, said in an interview.
For example, RPIA may invest in a corporate bond and then short a government bond to offset the interest rate risk in the fund’s portfolio. Or the asset manager will sometimes isolate the credit spread of a bond, “and that allows us to bring in a whole other set of factors that aren’t entirely related to interest rates, which is what most traditional bonds are doing,” Dhanani explained.
“It’s a different way of investing in bonds by choosing which factors we actually want to seek exposure from,” he said.
The RP Alternative Credit Opportunities Fund was born out of demand from advisors for an unconstrained bond strategy that focuses on high yield, Dhanani said.
The fund is suitable for investors who are looking to diversify the fixed-income portion of their portfolios without taking on too much interest rate risk, he said.
“It’s for advisors that now understand the need for diversification of their fixed-income fleet just as much as their equity fleet.”
Independent Advisor Solutions, Fiera launch corporate bond fund
Independent Advisor Solutions Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Wellington-Altus Financial Inc., has launched a new corporate bond offering as part of its partnership with Fiera Capital Corp.
Independent Advisor Solutions introduced the Canadian Corporate Bond Plus fund on Thursday. The new product builds on its partnership with Fiera that began in June, which also saw the launch of the Canadian High Conviction Equities MiBLOX fund.
The Canadian Corporate Bond Plus, which will invest primarily in Canadian corporate bonds, will be available for purchase exclusively to Wellington-Altus advisors beginning on or about Sept. 3, a release said.
It will also serve as a core allocation within select Wellington-Altus Platinum Private Portfolios, for which Independent Advisor Solutions acts as investment sub-advisor.
Desjardins slashes mutual fund fees
Desjardins Investments Inc. (DI) has announced upcoming fee changes for some of its mutual funds.
DI will reduce the management fees for certain classes of eight funds on or around Oct. 1.
“These changes reflect DI’s commitment to offering competitively priced actively managed investment funds,” the firm said in a release.
CIBC brings new ETFs, CDRs to market
CIBC Asset Management Inc. has launched four new ETFs, including three covered-call ETFs and one all-equity ETF, along with two new U.S. Canadian Depository Receipts (CDRs).
The new ETFs, which began trading on Monday, include:
- CIBC Canadian Banks Covered Call ETF (TSX: CCCB), which has a 0.35% management fee.
- CIBC U.S. High Dividend Covered Call ETF (TSX: CUDC) and a Canadian-dollar-hedged version of the fund (TSX: CUDC.F), which have a 0.5% management fee.
- CIBC Canadian High Dividend Covered Call ETF (TSX: CCDC), which has a 0.5% management fee.
- CIBC All-Equity ETF Portfolio (TSX: CEQY), which has a 0.15% management fee.
The covered-call ETFs have a “concentrated portfolio of high-quality, dividend-paying stocks with a disciplined, actively managed covered call strategy to help lower portfolio volatility and proactively adapt to changing market conditions,” a release said.
Meanwhile, the CIBC All-Equity ETF Portfolio aims to achieve long-term capital appreciation. It invests primarily in CIBC index ETFs, providing broad-based equity exposure across various geographic regions and market capitalizations. Its portfolio is rebalanced regularly, the release noted.
On a separate note, CIBC announced the launch of two new U.S. CDRs.
The new products, which are hedged to the Canadian dollar and began trading on Wednesday, include:
- Coinbase CDR (TSX: COIN)
- Lockheed Martin CDR (TSX: LMT)
CIBC now has a total of 103 CDRs spanning four countries.
CI GAM expands digital asset lineup
CI Global Asset Management (CI GAM) has expanded its lineup of digital asset investment funds.
The changes include:
- The launch of CI Galaxy Core Multi-Crypto ETF, which is trading on the TSX under the tickers CCCX for its Canadian-dollar hedged series, CCCX.B for its Canadian-dollar unhedged series and CCCX.U for its U.S.-dollar series. The fund provides exposure to several of the world’s largest cryptocurrencies including bitcoin, ether and solana (SOL) by investing in units of CI Galaxy Bitcoin ETF (TSX: BTCX.U), CI Galaxy Ethereum ETF (TSX: ETHX.U) and CI Galaxy Solana ETF (TSX: SOLX.U). Holdings are rebalanced quarterly. It’s managed by CI GAM and sub-advised by Galaxy Asset Management.
- The launch of CI Solana Fund, a mutual fund that provides exposure to SOL by investing in units of CI Galaxy Solana ETF (TSX: SOLX.U).
- The introduction of a Canadian-dollar hedged series on all ETFs and mutual funds in the CI GAM digital asset lineup.
- The implementation of a staking strategy for CI Galaxy Ethereum ETF (TSX: ETHX), in an effort to enhance the fund’s total return.
“Our lineup allows investors to target prominent digital currencies through the convenience of a mutual fund or ETF structure with multiple purchase options,” said Jennifer Sinopoli, executive vice-president and head of distribution for CI GAM, in a release.
Dynamic Funds unveils U.S. bond ETF
Dynamic Funds has introduced a U.S. bond ETF, offered exclusively in U.S. dollars, that seeks to provide investors with “attractive after-tax yield potential and moderate capital gains.”
The Dynamic Active U.S. Discount Bond ETF (TSX: DXDU.U) will invest in a diversified, actively managed portfolio of primarily U.S. dollar-denominated investment grade corporate bonds, the firm said in a release.
“As interest rate differentials in the U.S. continue to support investor demand, we are pleased to expand our discount bond approach to the U.S. market and offer investors a differentiated fixed-income strategy that balances income potential with disciplined risk management,” said Mark Brisley, head of Dynamic Funds, in the release.
The fund is managed by Dynamic Funds vice-president and senior portfolio manager Marc-André Gaudreau, as well as the firm’s specialized credit team, which manages more than $9 billion in credit-related asset classes as of August 2025.
Its management fee is 0.35%.
Capstone looks to launch ‘biblically informed’ funds
Capstone Asset Management Inc. says it has filed a preliminary prospectus to launch two new “biblically informed” investment funds.
The Langley, B.C.-based asset manager is looking to launch the Capstone Biblically Informed Canadian Equity Fund and Capstone Biblically Informed U.S. Equity Fund, each in both mutual fund series units and ETF series units.
In a release, the firm said the Capstone Biblically Informed Canadian Equity Fund would aim to generate long-term returns through capital gains and dividend income by investing primarily in common shares of Canadian companies listed on a Canadian stock exchange “that conduct their business, in Capstone’s view, in a manner, consistent with biblical values.”
The Capstone Biblically Informed U.S. Equity Fund would do the same with U.S. investment opportunities.
Each fund would offer series A-, D-, F-, I- and ETF-series units.
Subject to regulatory approval, Capstone would list the ETF-series units on the TSX.