Tom Carter, executive vice president of ALPS Holdings, on 20 December announced that ALPS (DST Systems group) is launching four ETFs replicating indices from Goldman Sachs, three of which are based on GS Momentum Builder products, whose objective is to capture exposure to momentum to select asset classes or markets via a risk control mechanism. The ALPS/GS Momentum Builder Growth Markets Equities and U.S. Treasuries Index ETF (acronym on NYSE Arca: GSGO), charges fees of 1.29%, while the ALPS/GS Momentum Builder Multi-Asset Index ETF (GSMA), charges 1.14%, and the ALPS/GS Momentum Builder Asia ex-Japan Equities and U.S. Treasuries Index ETF (GSAX) has a TER of 1.22%. The fourth fund replicates a Goldman Sachs index which reflects a hypothetical portfolio of US equities which are intended to post the highest risk-adjusted returns on the basis of target prices adjusted according to volatility defined by a consensus of sectoral analysts covering equities of the Russell 1000 index. The product, with a TER of 0.55%, is the ALPS/GS Risk-Adjusted Return U.S. Large Cap Index ETF (GSRA).
Funds People reports that as of 5 December, the CNMV has awarded a sales license for Spain to the Dexia Diversified Futures fund, which is a UCITS-compliant version of the Dexia Systemat, a hedge fund which deploys a CTA strategy.
After only eight months on the job, Enrique Sánchez del Villar has left his position as head of Ahorro Corporación Gestión (EUR3.64bn in assets), to return to Analistas Financieros Internacionales (AFI), where he was a partner until 2008, Funds People reports.Financial sector sources point out that this is a voluntary departure, which is said not to be related to the fact that assets under management have fallen by 25% since the beginning of the year. Sánchez del Villar’s replacement has not yet been named.
The Norwegian Government Pension Fund Global will through a joint venture with Prologis buy 50 percent of a portfolio of logistic properties for 1.2 billion euros, or about 8.9 billion kroner.The seller is Prologis, which will retain the remaining 50 percent of the portfolio and manage the properties on behalf of the partnership. The purchase price includes existing bank debt of 0.1 billion euros.The portfolio consists of 195 properties in 11 European countries including France, the UK, Spain, Poland and Italy. The properties comprise 4.5 million square metres of lettable space and are used mainly as distribution facilities by about 300 tenants from a range of industries. The transaction, agreed on by the parties on Thursday, is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2013.The joint venture has an initial term of 15 years that may be extended. The venture intends to repay the existing bank debt by the first quarter of 2014. As part of the transaction, the fund will receive warrants to buy 6 million Prologis common shares for 35.64 dollars apiece.“The agreement marks the fund’s first investment in industrial real estate and is in line with our strategy to build a high-quality portfolio that’s spread over different countries and sectors,” says Karsten Kallevig, chief investment officer for real estate at Norges Bank Investment Management (NBIM), manager of the fund.
Paul Boyne and Doug McGrow, global equity managers from Invesco Perpetual, have left the firm, Fund Web reports. The two had managed the Invesco Global Equity Income fund, with GBP300m in assets. Nick Mustoe will take over the management of the fund, until a manager can be recruited in 2013.
JP Morgan is in the process of revising its definition of emerging markets, which will affect the calculation of emerging market bond indices, Asian Investor reports. The changes will be announced in early 2013. The bank’s motivation is said to be preventing the composition of indices from changing by keeping countries in the emerging markets category which would otherwise be promoted to the status of developed markets.
Lombard Odier has recruited Vincent Magnenat as the successor to Richard Wee as CEO of its firm in Singapore. He joins from Société Générale, where he had most recently been regional head of sales and marketing in Hong Kong. Magnenat succeeds Wee, who has recently been appointed as vice-chairman of the board of directors, to oversee regional strategy, a newly-created position. He will report to Vincent Duhamel, head of the Swiss bank for Asia.
The Swiss asset management firm Partners Group (EUR27bn in assets), a specialist in private equity investment, on 20 December announced that in fourth quarter 2012 it closed its Direct Real Estate 2011 and Asia-Pacific Real Estate 2011 programmes, after inflows of over USD500m.
Manulife Asset Management (Japan) recruited two sales staff in Tokyo in May and October, bringing the number of team members to five, Asian Investor reports. The firm is planning to increase its sales efforts in Japan. It plans to take advantage of a growing interest in new types of investment such as Asian bonds and alternative investments on the part of local pension funds.
The Swiss Valartis group on 20 December announced that it has sold its 40% stake in Eastern Property Holdings (EPH) for USD110m in cash to the Liechtenstein-based Aurora Value Fund, managed by CAIAC Fund Management AG. The Baar-based group will now continue the strategy it began in 2009 of concentrating its activities in private banking and institutional clients.EPH is a real estate development firm listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange, and focused on Russia. It has thus far belonged to the portfolio of the affiliate Valartis International.The sale price “largely” corresponds to the value at which the stake in EPH was on the books of Valartis at the end of 2011, a statement says.
DWS Investment has officially confirmed that from February 2013, André Köttner, who recently left Union Investment, where he had been manager of the UniGlobal fund, will take over management of the flagship funds from the Deutsche Bank affiliate, DWS Vermögensbildungsfonds I and DWS Akkumula, which had been managed by the star manager Klaus Kaldemorgen.Kaldemorgen, a statement says, will now be able to concentrate on his role as chief strategist equities for the multi-asset class product range. He will also continue to manage the DWS Concept Kaldemorgen fund.
The Spanish firm March Gestión is to begin to offer its funds in Latin America, Citywire reports. The firm is already working with several institutions in Chile and Colombia. March Gestión will also enter the United Kingdom, where it is in the process of registering funds, Citywire reports.
The fund selectors Jens Kummer and Damian Krzizok have confirmed that they have left SEB Asset Management in Frankfurt, Citywire Global reports, having viewed their departing email message. The two men had belonged to a three-member multi-management team also composed of Andreas Bichler. The two fund selectors did not say where they were going.
L'Agence France Trésor prévoit d'émettre 169 milliards d'euros de dette. Pour diminuer les remboursements, elle a déjà racheté pour 23,5 milliards de titres
Le quotidien a eu accès aux comptes annuels à fin septembre du négociant en matières premières et en métaux basé à Genève et Singapour. Le résultat net en repli de 11% à 991,9 millions de dollars démontre selon le quotidien la capacité de résistance des grands groupes du secteur (comme Glencore) en dépit d’un ralentissement de la croissance en Chine.
Les tableaux ci-contre présentent les meilleures et plus mauvaises performances en euros des fonds sur le marché des fonds actions américaines et le marché des fonds actions françaises au cours du mois de novembre 2012. Ces performances sont mises en perspective par le calcul de la volatilité, du ratio de Sharpe sur trois ans d’historique, ainsi que du rendement depuis un an. Aux Etats-Unis, environ un gérant sur deux en novembre a sous/sur-performé l’indice de référence (MSCI US). La sur-performance moyenne (0,8%) apparaît légèrement inférieure à la sous-performance moyenne en valeur absolue (0,9%). Au total, les gérants ont sous-performé de 6 points de base (pb) l’indice MSCI US. La variété des performances se resserre par ailleurs avec 80% des fonds qui affichent une performance comprise à l’intérieur d’une plage de 2,6% (3,0% en octobre).
Le graphique ci-contre montre l'évolution de l’appétit pour le risque, mesuré par la corrélation de rang entre les rendements des facteurs de risque et la volatilité qui leur est associée. Si la corrélation est positive, l’aversion pour le risque a baissé ; si la corrélation est négative, elle a augmenté.
Le programme de rachats d'actifs a été augmenté de 10.000 milliards de yens et l'autorité étudiera l'éventualité de relever l'objectif d'inflation à 2%
La conclusion d’un rapport du Comité des investissements étrangers aux Etats-Unis (Cfius) qui se prononce sur les offres de rachat de sociétés américaines, s’inquiète de l’utilisation de «comportements suspects» provenant notamment des gouvernements étrangers qui usent d’incitations fiscales ou financières pour acquérir des cibles américaines.
L’Etat portugais a décidé de reporter la privatisation de la compagnie aérienne car la seule offre d’achat, proposée par Synergy Aerospace - propriété de l’homme d’affaires German Efromovich - ne répond pas aux exigences. La cession de TAP, plombée par 1,2 milliard d’euros de dette, fait partie d’un dispositif de vente d’actifs publics dans le cadre du plan de sauvetage de 78 milliards.
Le président de la Chambre des représentants des Etats-Unis, le Républicain John Boehner, n’est pas parvenu hier à convaincre les propres membres de son parti de voter pour le plan B censé arracher des concessions à Barack Obama, à dix jours du «mur budgétaire». Selon un haut conseiller du parti cité par Reuters, la Chambre pourrait se réunir de nouveau le 27 décembre pour se prononcer sur un nouveau plan.
Le frère de Bernard Madoff a été condamné hier à dix ans de prison par la justice américaine pour son implication dans la vaste escroquerie financière mise au point par ce dernier. Peter Madoff avait plaidé coupable en juin de complot visant à commettre des fraudes en falsifiant les rapports de conformité lorsqu’il était comptable au sein de Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities.
Le régulateur chinois a publié de nouvelles dispositions concernant les demandes d’introduction sur des marchés étrangers par les sociétés chinoises. Pékin espère ainsi réduire le volume de candidats à une IPO en Chine. Les sociétés devront désormais avant tout respecter les standards du marché étranger qu’elles visent pour obtenir l’approbation du régulateur.
Le FRR a lancé le 15 décembre 2011 un appel d’offres restreint portant sur la sélection de mandats de gestion active - Actions ISR. A l’issue du processus de sélection portant sur le lot 2 de ce marché (Actions Europe : nouvelle croissance durable), le FRR a décidé de sélectionner les offres suivantes : AXA Investment Managers Paris Financière de l’Echiquier Kempen Capital Management Ltd Les mandats seront attribués pour une durée de trois ans. Le montant global indicatif des fonds confiés à ces gestions pourrait s'élever à 200 millions d’euros.