p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } Some major asset management firms have shown that an investment in their own shares brings better performance than the funds they offer, Expansión reports. Shares in Schroders and Aberdeen have gained 48% and 75% in value in the past twelve months. Shares in F&C have gained 33%, and T. Rowe Price is up 21%, while shares in Henderson gained 20.7%. Shares in Invesco were in line with the market, rising 11.5%, while BlackRock shares lost 16%.
p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } On Friday, Pimco (Allianz Global Investors group) announced on its website that the allocation of the Pimco Total Return Bond Fund, managed by Bill Gross, to Treasuries, Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS), agency bonds and futures and options based on Treasuries as of the end of December totalled 22%, its lowest level since February 2009, though the level stood at 30% in November, the Wall Street Journal reports.Assets in the fund fell to USD240.7bn, from USD250.2bn as of the end of December, and USD255.9bn as of the end of October. This compared with USD115.9bn in assets at the end of 2009, with the increase due to significant net subscriptions during most of last year.
p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } Anne-Laure Frischlander, CEO of BNY Mellon Asset Management for France, has told Newsmanagers that net subscriptions in France last year totalled USD415m, out of USD700-800m in gross inflows, and that assets totalled USD1.9bn in France as of the end of the year. Very strong subscriptions have continued in the first weeks of 2011.Inflows totalled 50% for an emerging markets local currency debt fund, the BNY Emerging Markets Debt Local Currency Fund (which now has over USD4bn in total assets), from the firm’s affiliate Standish. The asset allocation bond fund BNY Mellon Euroland Bond (also from Standish) has also attracted significant subscriptions.In 2011, BNY Mellon is planning to put the emphasis on the new BNY Mellon Latin America Infrastructure fund (see Newsmanagers of 11 January). The manager is also planning to offer real and absolute return products, as well as some Luxembourg-registered absolute return newcits from its affiliate Insight.Frischlander also says that her team at the Paris office now includes 7 people, counting herself.
p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } As of the end of December, assets under management by Invesco totalled USD616bn, compared with USD604.5bn one year earlier, while assets in equities funds totalled Usd294.1bn, compared with USD294.4bn. Assets in ETFs contracted, to USD80.3bn, compared with USD89.9bn.In December, Invesco completed its acquisition of the Asian asset management activities of AIG Global Real Estate, including USD5.4bn in alternative assets (out of a total of USD78.1bn as of the end of December), of which USD0.2bn are in passive management (out of USD60.3bn).
p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } The US management firm Principal Global Investors, which has about Usd227.4bn in assets, or about EUR170bn, on 13 January announced that it has signed up to the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment (UN PRI).
p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } Agefi reports, citing financial industry sources, that the French asset management firm LFP-UFG will finalise its investment in Cholet-Dupont by the end of February. UFG-LFP will replace Crédit Agricole Indosuez BP Holding, and will control a 33.4% stake in the business, specialised in management of financial portfolios and wealth organisation advising. The CMNE affiliate is also buying a 51% stake in the Cholet-Dupont Partenaires platform (see Newsmanagers of 19/10/2010), which was previously 100% controlled by the holding company, the same sources cited by the newspaper say. UFG-LFP has also made its agreement with Siparex in venture capital official. It owns 66% of UFG-Siparex, the newspaper notes.
p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } The college of managing partners at Rothschild & Cie Gestion is now planning to take on two new members. They are Denis Faller, head of multi-management, and Philippe Chaumel, co-head of asset allocation, and equities and diversified portfolio management, La Tribune reports. According to the newspaper, at the same time, Daniel Fighiera and Sébastien Barbe, head of midcaps management and head of fixed income management, respectively, have been promoted as managers at the management firm, along with Arnaud Perrier, director of sales development and marketing.
p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } Sonal Desai has been appointed as Michael Hasenstab’s back-up for the management of three funds from the Franklin Templeton Fixed Income Group: Templeton Global Bond Fund, Templeton Global Bond (Euro) Fund, and Templeton Global Total Return Fund. She will assist the manager in the management of these products. Dr. Desai joined Franklin Templeton in October 2009 as head of research for the international bonds department of the Franklin Templeton Fixed Income Group, in charge of providing all macroeconomic analysis for the bond team.
p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } The asset management unit of JPMorgan earned net profits in fourth quarter 2010 of USD507m, an increase of 20% compared with the corresponding quarter in 2009. This largely reflects a 19% increase in net revenues year on year, to USD2.6bn. For the quarter, JP Morgan has seen net redemptions of USD2bn. For the year, the firm also shows a negative bottom line, of USD20bn. Assets nonetheless increased 4% in the last quarter, to USD1.3trn, due to positive market effects.
L’Autorité des marchés financiers a accordé le 6 janvier la certification à l’agence japonaise Japan Credit Rating Agency (JCRA). Les notations délivrées par JCRA peuvent donc être utilisées à des fins règlementaires dans l’Union européenne, sans que l’agence ait une présence physique en Europe.
Le conseil d’administration de l’Association Française des Investisseurs en Capital (AFIC) a annoncé vendredi la nomination de Paul Perpère au poste de délégué général. Ce dernier était jusqu’alors sous-directeur en charge de la fiscalité directe des entreprises à la direction de la législation fiscale (DLF), rattachée à Bercy.
De sources concordantes, le distributeur textile américain n’a reçu durant la période de «go shop» terminée samedi 15 janvier aucune offre de rachat. TPG et Leonard Green & Partners, qui ont proposé 43,50 dollars par action le 23 novembre, soit au total 2,86 milliards de dollars, restent donc seuls en lice. Sears et Urban Outfitters auraient examiné les comptes avant de renoncer.
Le quotidien indique de sources anonymes que PAI Partners a entamé la cession, pour 800 millions à un milliard d’euros, de la Compagnie Européenne de Prévoyance. Nombre de sociétés de private equity étudient l’opportunité de formuler une offre, dont Apax Partners, Montagu, Cinven et Charterhouse. Rothschild est chargée de l’organisation du bal des prétendants, avec un premier tour d’enchères attendu le mois prochain. La transaction devrait ainsi se traduire par le gain de cinq fois sa mise initiale par PAI. La société de private equity française a acquis la CEP auprès de la famille Bessé en 2005. La société reste détenue à plus de 30% par ses dirigeants.
La filiale de gestion du Crédit Mutuel Nord Europe devrait racheter d’ici à fin février la part de 33,4% détenue par le Crédit Agricole au capital de la société, a appris L’Agefi. Cholet-Dupont gère 2,4 milliards d’euros. L’UFG prendra aussi 51% de la plate-forme dédiée aux CGPI.
L’année 2010 s’achève sur un déficit budgétaire de 148,8 milliards d’euros, soit une amélioration d’un milliard par rapport à la loi de finances rectificative votée en décembre, a annoncé François Baroin. Le ministre du Budget a ajouté que la prévision de déficit public de 7,7% du PIB en 2010, dont le montant sera connu fin mars, «se trouve ainsi confortée».
Selon le Bureau national britannique des statistiques, les prix à la production outre-manche ont progressé de 4,2% en décembre contre des estimations à +3,9%. Cette augmentation des prix à l’entrée des usines, la plus importante depuis avril 2010, est due à une forte hausse des prix du brut et de l’alimentation. Sur le mois, la hausse enregistrée a été de 0,5% contre +0,4% attendu.
Selon les chiffres définitifs publiés par Eurostat, les prix à la consommation dans la zone euro ont augmenté de 0,6% sur un mois en décembre et de 2,2% en rythme annuel. Ils ont ainsi dépassé pour la première fois en deux ans l’objectif de 2% de la BCE. En novembre, la hausse sur un an avait été de 1,9%.
L’Autorité des marchés financiers a accordé, le 6 janvier 2011, sa certification à l’agence de notation japonaise. Les notations délivrées par Japan Credit Rating Agency peuvent donc être utilisées à des fins règlementaires dans l’Union européenne, sans que l’agence ait une présence physique en Europe.