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22/01/2013

Deka acquires 15,000 square metres in Frankfurt

Deka Immobilian has acquired the office and retail property Alte Hauptpost in Erfurt, a 15,000 suqre metres property, for its institutional real estate fund Deka S-Property Fund N°2. The vendor is Aberdeen Immobilien KAG, and the sale price has not been disclosed.
22/01/2013

Caceis expands its range of services for AIFM managers

Caceis on 21 January announced an extension to its range of services to help fund managers comply with and take full advantage of the AIFM (Alternative Investment Fund Managers) Directive, under which they will soon be regulated. Caceis is already helping some fund managers to evaluate the implications of the AIFM Directive by providing operational support for adapting their organisation and internal procedures, in particular concerning the delegation of functions, risk management and the new regulatory reporting format. These fund managers can also use the services of Luxcellence, a Luxembourg subsidiary of Caceis, to manage their risks, structuring and the domiciliation of their funds. Caceis has initiated discussions within its network with several local fund managers to help them consider the implications of the Directive, while keeping the characteristics of their market in mind. Conference debates have been organised for early this year in Germany, the UK, France and Asia to study the challenges posed by the Directive with AIFMs.
22/01/2013

ESMA seeks better information on goodwill

The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) has on January 21 published a review of 2011 IFRS financial statements related to impairment testing of goodwill - the value of intangible assets which has a quantifiable value - and other intangible assets. The review, which looked into the accounting practices of a sample of 235 European issuers from 23 countries, found EUR800bn (EUR790bn in 2010) worth of goodwill balances in the 2011 financial statements of issuers, with 5% (c. EUR40bn) of that amount recognised as impairment losses in 2011.The report shows that significant impairment losses of goodwill were limited to a handful of issuers, mostly in the financial services (EUR19.2bn) and telecommunication industry (EUR9.7bn). This therefore raises the question as to whether the level of impairment disclosed in 2011 financial reports appropriately reflects the difficult economic operating environment for companies. Although the major disclosures related to goodwill impairment testing were generally provided, in many cases these were of the boilerplate variety and not entity-specific. In order to improve the overall disclosure provided by issuers, ESMA recommends that issuers: • Better specify the key assumptions used in the impairment test;• Include sensitivity analyses with sufficient detail and transparency, especially in situations when indicators are present that impairment might have occurred;• Determine the growth rates used to extrapolate cash flows projections based on budgets and forecasts; and • Disclose specific discount rates for each material cash-generating unit rather than average discount.
22/01/2013

Petercam prepares an emerging markets sustainable bond fund

The Belgian asst management firm Petercam is expecting to receive a license from the CSSF for a new sub-fund of its Luxembourg Sicav, a fund of “sustainable” emerging market government bonds denominated in local currencies (at least one third in ‘hard’ currencies).Ophélie Mortier, SRI coordinator at Petercam, and Thierry Larose, portfolio manager, have explained to Newsmanagers that the universe for the new Emerging Markets Sustainable product includes 72 countries, yo which a normative filter is applied for democratic values, followed by a best-in-class allocation. By crossing data from the NGO Freedom House for liberty and the Economist democracy index, the asset management firm currently excludes 16 “not-free” and “authoritarian” countries from the initial universe, including China, the United Arab Emirates, and China.Initially, the two fund managers (Bernard Lalière is the co-manager) will retain a minimum of 40% securities issued by countries in the top quartile of the rankings produced by the filtering in the portfolio, which complicates the task of the managers, who may nonetheless also invest in securities from supranational entities to position themselves on difficult-to-access currencies (such as BIRD bonds for Colombia).The preliminary portfolio includes six countries in the top quartile, including Poland and Chile, ten issuers in the second and third quartiles (including Brazil and Turkey, and also Serbia, Ukraina, Ghana and Venezuela), and four from the bottom quartile (Indonesia, Zambia, Iraq, and Nigeria).
22/01/2013

db-X funds preparing an energies and metals fund

With the DB Platinum Energy & Metals (ISIN code: LU0820952413), db-X funds (Deutsche Bank group) has released an energy and industral metals fund whose benchmark index is the DB Platinum Energy & Metals, which reproduces the prices of underlying commodities via futures contracts. The index is 60% compose of industrial metals (aluminium, copper, zinc, nickel and lead), while the remaining 40% are distributed between Brent crude oil, petrol, diesel and natural gas. The weightings are updated on a monthly basis.The subscription period will remain open until 28 January. According to the prospectus dated September 2012, the management commission will be 1.20% per year, and the front-end fee is a maximum of 5%.db-X funds states that it already has eleven commodity funds under management, with total assets of EUR1.4bn.
22/01/2013

30% of UCITS-compliant hedge funds posted losses in 2012

According to an Absolute Report study relayed by the Börsen-Zeitung, assets in 933 UCITS-compliant hedge funds as of the end of 2012 totalled EUR148bn, compared with EUR124bn one year previously. 11 funds were created and 160 funds were liquidated or merged, and funds in the top quartile posted average returns of 12.4%, with gains of 14.7% for the best equity products. But 30% of funds posted losses, which average 5.3%.The best fund was the Antecedo CIS Strategic Invest, with returns of 76%, while the worse fund was Salus Alpha Managed Futures, with losses of 48%.
22/01/2013

Deka makes new acquisition in Paris

Deka Immobilien has acquired a commercial real estate property under construction located in the avenue de France in Pars from Nexity. The property (7,200 square metres), which is slated for completion in September 2013, will be added to the portfolio of an institutional real estate fund.
22/01/2013

db x-trackers: 4 sectoral A-class Chinese equity ETFs in Frankfurt

On 21 January, the listings on the XTF segment of the Xetra electronic platform reached 1,014, with the admission to trading of the first five sectoral ETFs in Europe of A-class Chinese equities, from db x-trackers (Deutsche Bank), Deutsche Börse reports. They are all Luxembourg-registered products, which charge 0.50%, and replicate sub-indices of the Shanghai CSI 300.db x-trackers has previously launched an ETF for the CSI 300, whose assets have increased from EUR272m at the end of June to EUR620m as of 14 January.The five new products are as follows:db X-trackers CSI300 Banks Index ETF (LU0781021877),db X-trackers CSI300 Consumer Discretionary Index ETF (LU0781021950),db X-trackers CSI300 Energy Index ETF (LU0781022172),db X-trackers CSI300 Health Care Index ETF (LU0781022339) anddb X-trackers CSI300 Real Estate Index ETF (LU0781022099)
22/01/2013

IOSCO presents recommendations for distribution of complex products

The International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) on January 21 published a final report on Suitability Requirements with respect to the distribution of complex financial products, which sets out principles relating to the distribution by intermediaries of complex financial products to retail and non-retail customers.The report, which forms part of IOSCO’s ongoing drive to promote customer protection, introduces nine principles that cover the following areas related to the distribution of complex financial products by intermediaries: classification of customers, general duties irrespective of customer classification, disclosure requirements, protection of customers for non-advisory services, suitability protections for advisory services (including portfolio management), compliance function and internal suitability policies and procedures, incentives and enforcement."Although complex financial products may not be necessarily more risky than standard financial instruments, they typically have terms, features and potential investment risks that may make it difficult for many customers, even non-retail customers, to appreciate fully. The financial crisis that began in 2008 raised serious concerns that the growing complexity of financial products made the associated investment risks less apparent to customers,» IOSCO says in a statement.
22/01/2013

Top ETF "SPY" turns 20

The SPDR S&P 500 ETF, launched on 22 January 1993 by State Street, which goes by the NyseArca ticker SPY, on Tuesday, 22 January celebrated its 20th birthday. Celebration is justified, according to IndexUniverse, since the product was the first ETF listed in the United States, and it is now the larget ETF in the world, with assets of USD125bn.SPY accounts for about 9% of the USD1.403trn now invested in ETFs, It is among the least costly ETFs on the market, with total TER of 0.0945%, while the TER of its direct competitors, the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF and iShares Core S&P 500 ETF are 0.05% and 0.07%, respectively.
22/01/2013

Assets in individual pension funds rose in 2012

As of the end of December, assets under management by Spanish individual pension funds totalled EUR51.75bn, compared with EUR49.9bn one year previously. They underwent net outflows of EUR824.75m, but market effects were positive by more than EUR2.67bn, meaning that the increase in assets, at nearly EUR1.85bn, represented 3.71% for 2012 as a whole, according to statistics from VDOS Stochastics.As for investment funds, the top three asset management firms by assets are BBVA, with EUR9.14bn (+8.6% for the year), Santander, with EUR7.33bn (+5.1%), and Caixa, with nearly EUR7.13bn (-3.6%).However, BBVA shows net inflows of EUR309.3m, Santander has seen net outflows of EUR57m, and inflows at Caixa totalled EUR664.3m.VDOS reports that two products from BBVA lead, one for assets, the BBVA Proteccion 2015 (EUR1.71bn), and one for net subscriptions, the BBVA Tranquilidad 16V, with EUR110.2m. However, BBVA Proteccion 2014 is also the fund which has seen the heaviest net outflows (EUR192.9m).
22/01/2013

Crèdit Andorrà registers Luxembourg funds in Spain

En vue de les faire commercialiser en Espagne par sa filiale locale de banque privée, le Banco Alcalá, l’andorran Crèdit Andorrà a fait enregistrer par la CNMV les neuf compartiments de sa sicav luxembourgeoise Crediinvest, rapporte Funds People. Il s’agit des fonds Money Market Euro, Money Market Dollar, Fixed Income Euro, Fixed Income Dollar, Big Cap Value, Spanish Value, International Value, US American Value et Sustainability.
22/01/2013

Strong dispersion in the performance of hedge funds for 2012

Edhec on 18 January published its estimate of the performance of hedge funds and funds of hedge funds in December and 2012 as a whole. Last year, only funds specialised in short-selling showed losses, of 3.94%. For 2012 as a whole, that strategy has lost 19.3%, while CTA has lost 2.3%. The S&P 500 index posted gains of 16% last year.However, the other categories all show gains, both for December and for the year as a whole, with the best results for 2012 as a whole for distressed securities and emerging markets, with respective perforamnce of 13.2% and 9.9%, followed by event-driven (+9.6%) and relative value (+9.2%).Overall, maximal return discrepancy last year totalled 32.5 percentage points. Edhec also states that since January 2001, distressed securities and emerging markets have posted average annual gains of 10.4% and 10.1%, while only dedicated short bias showed losses (of an average of 0.8%).The only strategy which shows a Sharpe ratio of higher than 1 is distressed securities (1.03), while two categories have a negative ratio: dedicated short bias (-0.35) and funds of funds (-0.09).
22/01/2013

Hedge fund assets up by USD60bn in fourth quarter

Assets in hedge funds rose by USD60bn in fourth quarter to a record USD2.25trn, according to the most recent statistics from the HFR Global Hedge Fund Industry Report.Net inflows totalled USD3.4bn in fourth quarter, bringing inflows for the year as a whole to USD34.4bn.The HFRI Fund Weighted Composite Index gained 1.3% in fourth quarter, and 8.2% for the year as a whole.HFR also states that it has launched the HFRU indices, which track the performance of UCITS-compliant hedge funds. The HFRU Hedge Fund Composite Index gained 4.9% in 2012.
22/01/2013

EFG to launch multi-asset fund in the UK

Investment Week reports that as a part of its development in the United Kingdom, EFG Asset Management, an affiliate of the Swiss firm EFG International, is planning to launch a multi-asset class fund in April (government and corporate bonds, hybrid debt, equities, hedge funds, real estate, infrastructure and cash), with OEIC status, which will be managed by Hilary Wakefield, head of UK portfolio management.The fund will aim for returns of 8%, and volatility of 4-7%, with the Libor + 300 basis points as its hurdle rate.
22/01/2013

Odey at work on a UCITS variant of its European L/S strategy

Odey Asset Management is planning to offer a UCITS-compliant version of its European long/short hedge fund strategy, launched ten years ago, which will be domiciled in Dublin, Investment Week reports.According to Bloomberg statistics, the Odey European fund, whose assets under management total about USD1.8bn, posted returns of 24% in 2012. Since its launch, the fund shows gross annual returns of 13.4%.Odey is planning to launch other UCITS-comlpiant funds in the next few weeks, including a long/short equity fund.
22/01/2013

Ignis veteran joins Henderson

James Senior, former head of marketing at Ignis, has joined Henderson Global Investors as consultant on marketing issues, Fundweb reports. Senior left Ignis in September 2012.
22/01/2013

SEI adds to its distribution team

SEI Investments has announced the appointment of Kevin Bull as director in charge of development of strategic alliances, and Simon Pinner as director of sales, and the distribution team of the UK Asset Management unit.Bull previously worked at Hearthstone Investments, while Pinner was previously at Scottish Widows Investment Partnership (SWIP).Pinner will be responsible for about 50 British consulting firms, and will also assist with the team’s expansion in Europe.
22/01/2013

Everyone wants a single market for ETFs in Europe, according to UBS

“Everyone would like a single market to trade ETFs in Europe. But we are not the United States,” said Clemens Reuter, global head of UBS ETF, in an interview with Plus, the supplement of Il Sole – 24 Ore. UBS ETF has launched 61 ETFs on the Milan stock exchange. The firm has also created a support team dedicated to Italian clients.
22/01/2013

Assets in Swiss funds up by 13% yoy in December

Assets in Swiss investment funds as of the end of Dcember 2012 totalled CHF711.9bn, down by CHF6.1bn compared with the previous month, according to statistics from the Swiss Funds Association (SFA). Year on year, however, Swiss funds were up by 13%, or slightly over USD80bn.In December 2012, inflows to bond funds totalled CHF1.5bn, while equity funds were up by CHF344.7m, but at the same time, money market funds saw outflows of CHF1.9bn.In 2012, UBS (market share of 22.74%) and Credit Suisse (16.25%) remained the largest fund providers on the Swiss market, followed by Pictet (6.99%), Swisscanto (5.83%), and the Cantonal Bank of Zurich (5.11%).
22/01/2013

L'Ecofin donne son feu vert à la taxe sur les transactions financières

La majorité des ministres des Finances de l’Union européenne ont donné mardi leur accord à l’Allemagne, la France et neuf autres Etats membres pour préparer la mise en place d’une taxe sur les transactions financières dans le cadre d’une coopération renforcée. Ces 11 pays (Allemagne, France, Italie, Espagne, Autriche, Portugal, Belgique, Estonie, Grèce, Slovaquie et Slovénie) peuvent désormais lancer le projet sans la participation des 16 autres, comme le prévoient les règles de fonctionnement de l’UE.
22/01/2013

Le Royaume-Uni a emprunté plus que prévu en décembre

Selon l’Office national des statistiques, les emprunts publics de l’Etat britannique, hors interventions dans le secteur financier, ont atteint 15,4 milliards de livres (18,4 milliards d’euros) le mois dernier, contre 14,8 milliards en décembre 2011 et 15,2 milliards de livres attendu en moyenne par les économistes.
22/01/2013

Le futur directeur général du Takeover Panel vient de Citigroup

Philip Robert-Tissot, responsable chez Citigroup des fusions-acquisitions pour la région Europe-moyen-Orient et Afrique, sera le futur directeur général du Takeover Panel, l’autorité indépendante chargée du contrôle des offres publiques en Grande-Bretagne. Il prendra ses fonctions le 1er avril. Il remplacera Robert Gillespie, en place depuis septembre 2010.
22/01/2013

L'Espagne continue de profiter de la baisse des tensions

Afin d’allonger la maturité de sa dette, le Trésor espagnol a lancé son premier nouvel emprunt à 10 ans depuis plus d’un an mardi, profitant d’un apaisement des tensions sur le marché obligataire des pays périphériques européens. Madrid a fixé à 365 points de base au-dessus de la courbe des swaps le spread définitif de son emprunt syndiqué à 10 ans, indique Reuters de source de marché. Le Trésor souhaiterait lever entre 3 et 4 milliards d’euros, voire davantage en fonction de la demande. Sur le marché secondaire, le rendement des obligations souveraines à 10 ans reculait en fin de matinée de deux points de base, à 5,144%. Barclays, BBVA, Citi, Goldman Sachs et Société générale devraient fixer dans la journée les conditions d'émission définitives. Lors de sa dernière opération comparable, en février 2012, Madrid a mis sur le marché un emprunt à 10 ans assorti d’un coupon de 5,85%.
Photo: PHB
22/01/2013

L'indice allemand Zew remonte en flèche à ses niveaux de mai 2010

L’indice ZEW, qui mesure le sentiment des investisseurs en Allemagne, a progressé bien plus qu’attendu en janvier à 31,5, un niveau qu’il n’avait plus touché depuis mai 2010, après 6,9 en décembre. Les économistes interrogés par Reuters anticipaient en moyenne une amélioration nettement plus modeste, à 12,0. Selon l’institut l’optimisme des entrepreneurs pourrait très vite se traduire par une reprise de l’investissement.
22/01/2013

Horizon incertain pour le capital-investissement

Le quotidien cite les prévisions des analystes de Xerfi qui misent sur des montants investis en France en 2013 en chute de quelque 25%. Ils avaient déjà plongé de 47% l’an passé à 5 milliards d’euros. «Beaucoup de fonds qui étaient en levée en 2012 n’ont pas encore réussi à boucler ces opérations», souligne ainsi Guillaume Kuperfils, avocat associé au cabinet Mayer & Brown.
22/01/2013

Défection dans la gestion d’actifs de BNY Mellon

Le quotidien rapporte que Jonathan Baum, le directeur général du gestionnaire Dreyfus, entité de gestion collective de Bank of New York Mellon et septième plus important gestionnaire de fonds monétaires outre-Atlantique, a démissionné afin de poursuivre d’autres opportunités. Le président de Dreyfus Charles Cardona assure l’intérim.

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