Cohen & Steers Inc. is aiming to give defined contribution pension schemes, particularly those in the U.K., easy access to global real assets through its newly launched Société d'investissement à Capital Variable, or SICAV, Diversified Real Assets Fund, IPE Real Assets reported.

The new fund is a subfund of Cohen & Steers SICAV, a Luxembourg-based undertaking for collective investment in transferable securities. It will invest in listed securities tied to global real estate, natural resources, infrastructure and commodities.

The New York City-headquartered global investment manager told IPE that a mix of real assets offers inflation protection and portfolio diversification, as these assets drive distinct returns relative to stocks and bonds. These assets also deliver equity-like returns over full market cycles that reduce absolute volatility, while improving risk-adjusted return potential.

The fund, developed with input from the U.K. workplace defined contribution market, should help smooth the risks of stand-alone asset classes by combining multiple categories into one strategy, the publication noted, citing an executive at Cohen & Steers UK.