Selon Lubomir Mitov, un économiste de l’Institute of International Finance (IIF), l’Ukraine discute avec ses créanciers d’une possible restructuration de sa dette en devises. «Les autorités ukrainiennes ont été très claires avec nous: elles n’envisagent cela que sous la forme d’une opération volontaire acceptée par les détenteurs d’obligations», a-t-il déclaré à la presse. «Un échange volontaire ou une prorogation des échéances pourraient être l’une des sources de financement», a-t-il ajouté.

Les règles budgétaires de l’Union européenne sont suffisamment souples pour accompagner les efforts de relance de la croissance et il n’y a donc pas lieu de les changer, ont estimé hier soir ministres des Finances et responsables européens réunis à Luxembourg dans le cadre de l’Eurogroupe. La question a été remise au centre du débat européen par le président du Conseil italien Matteo Renzi, dont le pays assurera à compter de juillet la présidence tournante de l’UE. «Les règles existantes apportent suffisamment de souplesse», a déclaré le ministre allemand des Finances, Wolfgang Schäuble, à son arrivée. De son côté, Olli Rehn, le commissaire européen aux Affaires économiques et monétaires, a soutenu le fait que les gouvernements européens concernés devraient d’abord lancer des réformes structurelles avant d’obtenir un éventuel délai pour ramener leurs déficits budgétaires dans les limites européennes.

Tout juste constitué, le nouveau gouvernement finlandais a détaillé hier des baisses d’impôts et des investissements publics, pour 1,1 milliard d’euros, afin de soutenir l'économie. Ces nouvelles mesures de relance se traduiront par une légère augmentation du ratio dette/PIB qui devrait dépasser le seuil de 50% en 2016.

Le groupe britannique s’empare du gestionnaire quantitatif de Boston pour un montant pouvant atteindre 495 millions de dollars

Défiant la justice américaine, l’Argentine tenterait de placer le prochain paiement sur sa dette restructurée sous les auspices de sa loi nationale.

Défiant la justice américaine, le gouvernement tenterait de placer le prochain paiement sur la dette restructurée sous les auspices de la loi argentine

Le multiple d'endettement de catégorie spéculative en Europe est passé au-dessus de sa moyenne pour la première fois depuis 2008, selon S&P

Malgré un discours équilibré de sa présidente Janet Yellen, l'écart se creuse entre les prévisions de taux directeurs de la Fed et celles des marchés

Le ton globalement équilibré de sa présidente Janet Yellen jeudi soir a favorisé les opérations de carry trade sur les devises émergentes. Les membres de la Fed voient néanmoins une hausse des taux Fed funds plus rapide qui pourrait s’accélérer si l’inflation rebondissait.

Le Mécanisme européen de stabilité (MES) n'a prêté que 50 milliards d'euros à ce jour. Il continuera à être actif sur les marchés, comme le FESF

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 mai 2014. 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.

Le graphique ci-contre montre la relation historique entre la volatilité implicite de l’indice S&P 500 (le VIX) et les rentabilités futures de l’indice S&P 500 à l’horizon de 6 mois.

Le PMU a lancé un appel d’offres en vue de sélectionner un gérant monétaire. Le véhicule d’investissement est un FCP dédié monétaire avec garantie du capital pour un montant de 20 millions d’euros.

Le prestataire en services d’investissement Arkeon Finance a publié une analyse sur les 3 premiers mois du PEA PME. Il fustige une «collecte anémique sur les comptes PEA PME, avec environ 250 millions d’euros en 3 mois». Mais surtout, «les fonds éligibles au PEA PME restreignent aujourd’hui leurs investissements aux sociétés éligibles dont la capitalisation est supérieure à 150 millions d’euros (Euronext A et B) auxquelles ils allouent 50 % de leurs encours, et pour le solde, investissent dans des sociétés européennes hors France, ce qui constitue un détournement des objectifs des promoteurs du PEA PME», affirme Arkeon Finance.

p { margin-bottom: 0.1in; line-height: 120%; } UCITS funds in April posted net inflwos of EUR62bn, compared with EUR34bn the previous month, according to the most recent statistics from the European fund and asset management association (EFAMA).This development is related to a rise in subscriptions to long-term funds, and a steep decline in outflows from money market funds. Long-term funds (meaning all funds excluding money markets) finished the month under review with net inflows of EUR63bn, comapred with EUR47bn in March. Bond funds attracted EUR27bn, compared with EUR25bn in March, while equity funds took in EUR14bn compared with EUR6bn, and diversified funds EUR20bn, compared with EUR16bn. Meanwhile, money market funds posted outflows of only EUR1bn, compared with EUR13bn in March. Inflows to non-UCITS funds fell to EUR15bn, compared with EUR18bn in March. Funds reserved for institutional investors attracted only EUR7bn, compared with EUR12bn in March. Assets in UCITS funds rose 1.1% in April, to EUR7.261trn, while non-UCITS funds rose 0.8%, to EUR2.930trn.

p { margin-bottom: 0.1in; line-height: 120%; } The private equity investment firm Ardian (formerly known as Axa Private Equity) on Wednesday, 18 June announced that it has acquired a minority stake in the capital of Noetys, a company specialised in performance testing software for web and mobile applications. “With this EUR2m round of fundraising, Neotys plans to accelerate its international development and its product strategy,” Ardian announced in a statement. Neotys, founded in 2005, now has over 1,500 clients, SMBs and key accounts in 62 countries. “With the entry of Ardian into our capital, we would like to accelerate our international expansion and confirm ourselves as an actor of reference in Europe and the United States,” says Thibaut Bussière, chairman of Neotys.

p { margin-bottom: 0.1in; line-height: 120%; } William Egan, who had previously directed the global financial institutions group at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, is reported to have resigned from his position to join Oaktree Capital Group LLC, a California-based asset management firm specialised in alternative investment strategies, Reuters reports, citing a source familiar with the matter.

p { margin-bottom: 0.1in; line-height: 120%; } Rothschild & Cie Gestion on 18 June announced that it has signed a partnership with Debory Eres, the leader in distribution of employee savings plans (PEE, PEI, PERCO and PERCOI) and retirement plans (article 83, article 39, PERP, and others), via networks of independent advisers and insurance brokers. The agreement comes as part of an increased presence of Rothschild & Cie Gestion serving independent financial advisers, with the objective of making the leading products from Rothschild & Cie Gestion available as part of employee and retirement savings. For the occasion, the FCPE ERES R Conviction Flexible has been created. The fund invests in equity, bond, convertible and flexible diversified funds managed by Rothschild & Cie Gestion. It is now primarily invested in the funds R Alizés (55%), R Club (20%) and R Euro Crédit (15%), and may be exposed to equities for 20% to 50%. The funds, which are already popular as part of life insurance for their returns, may now be used by independent financial advisers as part of their employee savings and retirement savings offerings. The FCPE ERES R Conviction Flexible thus finds a place in the product offering from Debory, with a balanced risk profile in line with the needs of clients and the long-term horizon of investments of this type. “Rothschild & Cie Gestion hopes to accompany independent financial advisers on these employee savings and retirement savings markets, two areas which are structurally lucrative and which are expected to occupy an increasingly large place in IFA activities, explains Arnaud Perrier, manager and director of sales at Rothschild & Cie Gestion.

p { margin-bottom: 0.1in; line-height: 120%; } The OFI group on 18 June announced that it has received AIFM licenses for six of its companies. In France, the Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF) has issued the valuable license to five entities: OFI Gestion Privée, effective from 1 April 2014; OFI Asset Management, with effect from 15 May 2014; OFI MGA, effective from 15 May 2014; Zencap Asset Management, from 27 May 2014, and OFI InfraVia from 27 May 2014. At the start of the year, in Luxembourg, the Financial Sector Surveillance Commission (CSSF) had previously issued AIFM licenses to OFI Lux on 20 February.

p { margin-bottom: 0.1in; line-height: 120%; } The world gold council on 18 June announced plans to reform the daily fixing of the price of gold, which may change over to a method of calculation based on trades completed. The fixings of gold and silver prices have been subject to increased surveillance by regulatory authorities in the United States and Europe since the Libor (London Interbank Offered Rate) interbank lending rate fixing scandal last year. The WGC says in a staement that it will hold an initial meeting in London on 7 July with the various parties concerned – banks, refiners, central banks and mining companies – and, as an observer, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the British regulatory authority. “The fixing process was introduced nearly a centry ago, and so it is not surprising that it would need to be modified to meet the increased requirements of markets in terms of regulation, transparency and technology,” says Natalie Dempster, responsible for relationships with central banks and public policymakers at the WGC, cired in a statement. Fixing is now done twice per day by a group of banks who consult by telephone in order to establish a reference price, on the basis of trades between their clients. The WGC is proposing that the new fixing be set on the basis of transactions actually completed, and that it be an actual trading price, not merely a guide value.

p { margin-bottom: 0.1in; line-height: 120%; } Allianz Global Investors has recently launched a UCITS format hedge fund strategy dedicated to equities from the Asia-Pacific region, acording to Absolut Report. The Allianz Discovery Asia Strategy (ISIN LU0901926393) offers the same strategy as the Allianz GI fund of the same name, via a swap. The fund charges 1.20% per year. The minimal investment is USD1m.

p { margin-bottom: 0.1in; line-height: 120%; } Trusteam Finance has announced the launch of Trusteam ROC Europe, a European equity fund investing in European leaders in customer satisfaction. The fund is eligible for PEA< and has over EUR100m in assets. It is the European arm of the global equity fund Tursteam ROC. The launch of Trusteam ROC Europe is being carried out in parallel with the opening of the product range to independent financial advisers, and listing on the major banking and insurance platforms, including Axa Théma, BNP Cardif, Vie Plus, Fortunéo, Nortia, Swiss Life and Aprep, a statement says. Trusteam Finance has EUR650m in assets under management.

For wealthy people, the world’s an oyster, no doubt. Improving economic and equity market performance helped add 1.76 million people to the global High Net Worth Individual (HNWI) population in 2013, while the investable wealth of HNWIs grew by nearly 14 percent to reach a record high of US$52.62 trillion, according to the World Wealth Report 2014 (WWR) released yesterday by Capgemini and RBC Wealth Management. The report notes that the 15 percent increase in HNWI population in 2013 is the second-largest since 2000, surpassed only by immediate post-crisis catch-up growth of 17 percent in 2009. Looking ahead, global HNWI wealth is forecast to reach a new high of US$64.3 trillion by 2016, representing 22 percent growth from 2013 levels and approximately US$12 trillion in new wealth. Robust growth is expected in most regions, with Asia-Pacific at the forefront with an anticipated 9.8 percent annual growth rate, positioning the region to be the largest HNWI market by population in 2014 and by wealth by 2015. In 2013, North America and Asia-Pacific remained in a close race for the world’s largest HNWI market by population, with growth in Asia-Pacific narrowing North America’s lead to less than 10,000 individuals. North America’s HNWI population expanded by 16 percent to 4.33 million, while Asia-Pacific’s grew by 17 percent to reach 4.32 million. North America maintained its position as the wealthiest region, increasing its HNWI wealth by 17 percent to reach US$14.88 trillion, though this growth was again outpaced by Asia-Pacific, where HNWI wealth expanded by 18 percent to reach US$14.20 trillion. Europe’s HNWI population grew by 12 percent to reach 3.83 million and its wealth at 14 percent to reach US$12.39 trillion, both significant increases from the previous two years. Latin America was again an exception to strong global HNWI growth, with increases of only four percent in population and two percent in wealth, due to slow GDP growth and challenged equity markets. «Overall, 2013 was another strong year for the High Net Worth market, with surging equity markets and improving economies contributing to double digit growth in both population and wealth levels,» said M. George Lewis, Group Head, RBC Wealth Management & RBC Insurance. «Looking at longer term growth trends, nearly 40 percent of the current level of High Net Worth wealth has been created in the past five years alone.» said M. George Lewis, Group Head, RBC Wealth Management & RBC Insurance. «Looking at longer term growth trends, nearly 40 percent of the current level of High Net Worth wealth has been created in the past five years alone.»

p { margin-bottom: 0.1in; line-height: 120%; } The British firm Threadneedle Investments, whose assets under mangement in bonds total about USD47bn as of the end fo March, on 18 June announced the launch of the Threadneedle (Lux) Global Corporate Bond Fund, which will be managed by Alasdair Ross. The strategy will invest mainly in diversified investment grade bonds, money market instruments and cash, directly or indirectly, via derivatives, over all markets in the world. The benchmark index for the strategy is the Barclays Capital Glboal Aggregate Corporates Index, and the performance objective is 150 to 175 basis points above the index (gross) over three years. The fund may invest up to one third of its assets in debt securities other than investment grade corporates, including government and high yield bonds. Initially registered in Luxembourg, the fund is expected to be sold in many other countries, including the United Kingdom, Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugaol, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden and Singapore.

p { margin-bottom: 0.1in; line-height: 120%; } The British asset management association is getting a fresh identity. On 18 June, the Association of British Insurers (ABI) and the Investment Management Association (IMA) announced that the IMA and the investment division of the ABI will merge by 30 June 2014. As part of the merger, the IMA will change names to become The Investment Association, with effect from the start of 2015. The «new look» association will be led from 30 June 2014 by Helena Morrisey, CEO of Newton Investment Management. She will replace the current IMA chairman, Douglas Ferrance, who is leaving the role after four years of good and loyal service.

p { margin-bottom: 0.1in; line-height: 120%; } Amundi is adding to its range of equity funds. The French asset management firm on 30 May this year launched the Amundi Funds Equity Europe Small Cap, a vehicle domiciled in Luxembourg, whose objective is to outperform its benchmark, the MSCI Europe Small Cap, over a minimal recommended investment duration of 5 years. The fund, managed by Patrice Piade, will concentrate on European businesses with attractive potential for growth or an underestimated profile, the information document states. To achieve its performance objective, the vehicle will invest at least 75% of its net assets in businesses in the European Union, with a minimum of 67% of its total assets invested in mid-sized businesses with a market capitalisation of less than EUR5bn when the shares are purchased.

Le gestionnaire d’actifs britannique City Financial vient de recruter Chris Coombe, ancien cadre du fonds souverain d’Abu Dhabi, au poste de directeur financier («chief financial officer»), révèle Fundweb. Selon le site d’information anglais, l’intéressé rejoindra City Financial le 23 juin prochain. Chris Coombe, actuellement «senior adviser» chez JDX Consulting, a passé sept années en tant que directeur des opérations chez Invest AD, une compagnie d’investissement détenue par Abu Dhabi. Auparavant, il avait travaillé comme directeur financier chez Fidelity International entre 2005 et 2008. Avant cela, il avait officié chez Schroders et Morgan Stanley.

JP Morgan Private Bank a recruté Edward Novis en tant que directeur exécutif et gérant senior au sein de sa division dotations et fondations, rapporte Citywire. Il arrive de JO Hambro Investment Management où il officiait jusqu’alors en tant que gérant actions européennes et gérants sous mandat pour les fondations. Dans ses nouvelles fonctions, Edward Novis sera basé à Londres sous la responsabilité de Kristoffer Jonsson, directeur de la division dotations et fondations de JP Morgan Private Bank pour l’Europe, le Moyen-Orient et l’Afrique. Edward Novis sera en charge de conseiller les organismes de bienfaisance en leur proposant des stratégies d’investissement. « Nous observons une forte croissance de la gestion dédiée aux organismes caritatifs et aux fondations au Royaume-Unis et dans le reste de l’Europe et nous continuons à nous développer sur ce segment, la nomination d’Edward Novis va encore améliorer notre offre dédiée aux institutions caritatives et éducatives au Royaume-Unis », a déclaré Kristoffer Jonsson

La société de gestion alternative Winton Capital Management, créé par le physicien David Harding, formé à Cambridge, et dont les actifs sous gestion s'élèvent à quelque 25,5 milliards de dollars, a annoncé pour l’exercice 2013 un bénéfice de 149,7 millions de livres contre 58,6 millions de livres l’année précédente, rapporte Bloomberg. Une évolution due pour beaucoup à la performance du Futures Fund (10,4 milliards de dollars d’actifs), qui se base sur des algorithmes pour repérer les possibilités de transactions intéressantes sur les matières premières, devises, obligations et actions, et qui a progressé l’an dernier de 9,4%. Les fonds similaires ont enregistré une hausse de 0,73% en moyenne, selon le Newedge CTA Index.

Centaurus, le hedge fund basé à Londres et racheté en début d’année par Fortress, a décidé d’ouvrir son nouveau fonds « event-driven » et activiste européen aux investisseurs externes alors que ses fondateurs cherchent à tirer profit de la croissance des fusions-acquisitions et des augmentations de capital en Europe, rapporte le Financial Times. La nouvelle entreprise, baptisée Fortress Centaurus qui gèrera un total de 62,5 milliards de dollars d’actifs, a d’ores et déjà commencé à faire du marketing auprès des investisseurs.Interrogé par le Financial Times, Randel Freeman, directeur des investissements du fonds « event-driven » de Fortress Centaurus, estime qu’il existe un certain nombre d’opportunités sous-exploitées en Europe pour des investissements activistes et « event-driven », en se concentrant sur des situations spécifiques dans la vie d’une entreprise, comme des fusions, des cessions ou des recapitalisations.