Le capital-investisseur Arques Industrie, qui souhaite désormais se transformer en groupe de télécommunications autour de sa participation dans Gigaset, fait état d’une stabilisation de son résultat au troisième trimestre. De fait, son ebitda est ressorti à 39,2 millions d’euros contre une perte de 6,1 millions. Mais sa perte nette s’est creusée à 14,44 millions d’euros contre 9,86 millions.Pour les neuf premiers mois de l’année, la perte nette a certes été réduite à 21,4 millions d’euros contre 125,1 millions, mais sur un chiffre d’affaires dégonflé à 764,2 millions d’euros contre 3,19 milliards.
Désormais Amundi a officiellement démarré ses activités en Allemagne. Compte tenu de la volatilité élevée des marchés, le gestionnaire français va surtout promouvoir ses produits de performance absolue.Selon Hubert Dänner, directeur pour l’Allemagne, l’objectif est de doubler en cinq ans à 7 milliards d’euros les actifs sous gestion en Allemagne et en Autriche, rapporte la Börsen-Zeitung. La croissance sera organique.
Selon une étude du cabinet de consultants Towers Watson, le marché allemand de la prévoyance-vieillesse d’entreprise représente déjà plus de 400 milliards d’euros, mais seuls 14,5 milliards d’euros sont confiés à des fonds de pension, rapporte la Börsen-Zeitung. Cependant, Towers Watson table sur des taux de croissance compris entre 20 et 30 % par an sur le moyen terme, de sorte que le seuil des 20 milliards d’euros pourrait être rapidement atteint.Pour l’instant, l’essentiel des contributions se concentre sur sept fonds de pension et sur quatre à cinq promoteurs de tels fonds, comme Allianz et d’autres assureurs.
La campagne de fin d’année du catalan Sabadell consiste à offrir un dépôt rémunéré à 5 % aux clients qui adhéreront à un de ses fonds de pension ou qui effectueront un versement d’au moins 600 euros sur leur fonds existant. Le dépôt rémunéré à 5 % sera du même montant que l’apport au fonds de pension, rapporte Expansión.De plus, le Sabadell a ajouté à son offre de fonds de pension un produit garanti, le BS Plan Futuro, qui offre un rendement technique garanti de 2,20 % par an jusqu’au 26 janvier 2017.
Plusieurs ETF de la gamme db x-trackers (Deutsche Bank) seront introduits en Bourse de Madrid la semaine prochaine, annonce Funds People.Actuellement, seuls deux promoteurs ont des ETF figurant à la cote de Bolsas y Mercados Españoles (BME), à savoir le BVVA (8 produits) et Lyxor Asset Management (35 fonds).
Le fonds coordonné long/short Credit Suisse SICAV One (Lux) Small and Mid Cap Alpha Long/Short a été enregistré auprès de la CNMV. Le portefeuille de 70 lignes, 55 longues et 15 courtes, est géré selon une approche de sélection de valeurs par Felix Meier. Le fonds investit en actions européennes de petite et moyenne capitalisations, comme son nom l’indique.
p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } Tomás Murillo has been appointed as director of sales for the development of Petercam’s institutional activities in Spain. He was previously head of institutional clients at Bank Degroof, and head of the Brussels office of Merrill Lynch Wealth Management. The Belgian management firm is currently adding to its sales staff in Europe, and will soon confirm the appointment of Bernard Jans as head of sales for Germany. Petercam is also engaged in an effort to reinforce its personnel in France, with a recruitment for a support person in Brussels, to cater for Ives Hup, senior sales manager, and Thierry Minet, sales & account manager. Extending this reinforcement process to the French market, Petercam doesn’t rule out a local recruitment in Italy, in light of the specificities of this market, which is also covered by Ives Hup.
p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } An end-of-year campaign by the Catalan bank Sabadell offers a savings account paying 5% interest to clients who sign up for one of the pension funds from the group, or make a payment of at least EUR600 into their existing fund. The 5% savings deposit will be for the same amount as the contribution into the pension fund, Expansión reports. In addition, Sabadell has added a guaranteed product to its pension fund range, the BS Plan Futuro, which offers guaranteed technical returns of 2.20% per year until 26 January 2017.
Societe Generale has launched a UCITS Fund Solution for fund managers setting up or redomiciling funds under UCITS regulations. The new service provides an easily accessible, one-stop solution combining the custody, trustee, administration, execution and finance tools required to set up UCITS compliant funds, along with the core services required to operate them. This new solution has been developed by teams from Societe Generale Securities Services and Societe Generale Corporate & Investment Banking and offers asset managers the following benefits: − A competitively-priced alternative to using a UCITS platform; − Access to independent assistance on corporate and operational infrastructure; − Societe Generale Securities Services’ comprehensive global custody, trustee and administration services, including liquidity management, collateral management and OTC derivative pricing; − Synthetic shorting via Societe Generale Corporate & Investment Banking’s Dynamic Portfolio Swap Platform; − Extensive execution solutions from the Corporate & Investment Bank, with one of the largest liquidity pools in Global Equities, providing access to 70 equity cash and derivatives markets; − Access to the Corporate & Investment Bank’s ranked research services. P {MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0.08in}
p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } William Ricks resigned on Monday from his position as chief investment officer at AxaRosenberg Investment Management, Pensions & Investment reports, relayed by Mutual Fund Wire. It is not yet known whether the management firm has already appointed a successor.Mutual Fund Wire reports that the departure of Ricks is the most recent in a series of changes to the management at AxaRosenberg, in the wake of the coding glitch introduced into their systems in June 2009, and discovered in April 2010.
Franklin Resources has announced that its subsidiary Franklin Templeton Global Investors Limited (UK) has entered into a conditional agreement to acquire Rensburg Fund Management, a subsidiary of Investec, in an all cash transaction for GBP 45 million (approximately USD 72 million). The agreement is subject to regulatory approval and is expected to be completed in early 2011. Based in Leeds, UK, Rensburg Fund Management is a specialist UK Equity manager with a track record of managing unit trusts dating back to 1985. The team of six investment professionals has a combined tenure of 43 years managing six distinctive strategies: UK Equity Income; UK Blue Chip Growth; UK Midcap Growth; UK Select Growth; UK Smaller Companies and UK Managers’ focus. The group manages approximately GBP 880 million (as of 01 November 2010) in UK equities. Jamie Hammond, Managing Director Europe, Franklin Templeton Investments said: “We are best known in the UK for our global and specialist funds, and we are looking to develop core UK equity products, which are an important asset class for UK investors”. Franklin Resources has also entered into a strategic relationship with Pelagos Capital Management, LLC, acquiring a 20 percent equity stake in the firm. Pelagos, an independent investment advisor, was founded in 2005 and is based in Boston, Massachusetts. The firm’s mission is to create alternative investment solutions that enhance overall returns and lower portfolio volatility. Pelagos manages three distinct alternative investment capabilities including a commodity strategy, a managed futures strategy, and a hedge fund replication strategy.
p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } According to a study by the consulting firm Towers Watson, the German corporate retirement planning market already represents over EUR400bn, but only EUR14.5bn will be placed in pension funds, the Börsen-Zeitung reports. Towers Watson predicts that growth rates will total 20% to 30% in the mid-term, while the EUR20bn threshold may soon be reached. So far, most contributions are concentrated on seven pension funds and four or five providers of such funds, such as Allianz and other insurers.
In a period in which the troubles of the DEGI-branded open-ended real estate funds is a focus of attention for German professionals, Aberdeen Asset Management has announced that it has acquired a portfolio of commercial properties with a total area of 7,000 square metres, all located in Flensburg, for its institutional Aberdeen European Shopping Property Fund.The acquisition price has not been revealed, but a statement says that the German affiliate Aberdeen Immobilien Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH (which also manages the DEGI funds) was actively involved at every phase.The Aberdeen European Shopping Property Fund, managed by Nico tates, has assets of about EUR115m, and will soon be opened to new investors. Its portfolio includes commercial properties in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany, with a market value of EUR198m.
p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } The UCITS-compliant long/short fund Credit Suisse SICAV One (Lux) Small and Mid Cap Alpha Long/Short has been registered with the CNMV. The portfolio, with 70 positions, 55 long and 15 short, is managed with a bottom-up approach by Felix Meier. As its name indicates, the fund invests in European small and midcaps.
p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } Several ETFs from the db x-trackers range (Deutsche Bank) will be released on the Madrid stock exchange next week, Funds People has announced. Currently, only two promoters are offering ETFs on the Bolsas y Mercados Españoles (BME): BBVA, with 8 products, and Lyxor Asset Management, with 35 funds.
HSBC launched, on November 18, six Irish based ETFs on Euronext Paris. These funds are:- HSBC MSCI EUROPE ETF/ IF00B5BD5K76- HSBC S&P 500 ETF/IE00B5KQNG97- HSBC MSCI USA ETF/IE00B5WFQ436- HSBC MSCI Brazil ETF/ IE00B5W34K94- HSBC MSCI Pacific ex Japan ETF /IEB00B5SG8Z57- HSBC MSCI EM Far East ETF/IE00B5LP3W10
p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } Century Capital Management has launched the Century Growth Opportunities Fund, specialised in small and midcaps. The fund, managed by Donald Bisson and David Borah, will largely invest in the United States, but, according to Mutual Fund Wire, up to 20% of the portfolio may be placed in foreign countries, including emerging markets.
p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } In January 2011, the management firm founded by Nicolas Walewski, Alken Asset management, is planning to launch the UCITS-compliant long/short fund Alken Absolute Return Europe, which will invest in European equities, Funds People reports (see Newsmanagers of 18 November). The new product will replicate the long/short strategy of the Alken Capital One fund, launched in July 2008, which has so far generated returns of about 60%, in a UCITS III-compliant environment. The Alken Absolute Return Europe may have a gross total exposure to the market of 50% to 150%, with market risks dynamically hedged with futures. Minimal subscription will be EUR100. Alken is planning to charge a management commission of 1.5% for institutionals and 2.25% for retail investors, while performance commission is set at 20%.
p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } Citywire reports that Cantab Capital Partners, a firm based in Cambridge, will create a UCITS III version of its star hedge fund CCP Quantitative Fund. The Cantab Quantitative UCITS Fund will be launched in January 2011.
p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } To respond to demand from clients for products with lower sensitivity to changing interest rates, Axa Investment Managers UK on 12 November launched the AXA Sterling Credit Short Duration Bond Fund, which is managed by Julie Lamirel. The new product, available on the British market, is a sub-fund of the Axa Fixed Interest OEIC. It will invest primarily in investment grade corporate bonds, denominated in pounds sterling, with a remaining duration to maturity of less than 5 years. It cannot allocate more than 10% to high yield bonds. Axa IM offers retail and institutional shares in the fund, with minimal subscription set at GBP1,000 for retail shares.
p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } Assets in the 37 British retail funds from BlackRock are being used for securities lending to generate commissions which will be fed back into the fund as an added source of returns, Fund Strategy reports.60% of revenues will go to the funds, while the remaining 40% will go to BlackRock Advisor, the securities lending agent. Funds which were already being used for securities lending will receive 70% of revenues, in keeping with agreements which had been concluded previously.
p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } Agefi Switzerland reports that South Korea will be reintroducing a tax on acquisitions of government bonds by foreign investors, in order to protect its economy from sudden and massive movements of capital, the Korean finance minister announced on Thursday. The quantitative easing measures adopted by the US Federal Exchange have led to further falls for the US dollar, and further accentuated the flows of capital towards emerging markets, which offer investors higher yields. Hence the appreciation of currencies in these emerging markets, which works against their exports.
p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } Two former employees of Bernard Madoff’s company were arrested on Thursday, Reuters reports, citing the FBI. They are Jo Ann Crumpi and Annette Bongiorno, who worked for 25 and 40 years, respectively, for the fraudster currently serving a prison sentence. The two «back office» employees are accused of playing key roles in deceiving investors and regulators and propping up the investment fraud, according to the WSJ.
p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } Access Capital Partners Group, a provider of private equity funds of funds which manages EUR2.9bn in assets, has acquired Pohjola Private Equity Funds, a private equity firm with EUR1.6bn in assets under management, part of the Finnish financial services group Pohjola Group. In addition, it has signed a distribution partnership with the asset management firm of the group, Pohjola Asset Management, with assets of EUR3.5bn, covering the Scandinavian countries.
p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } The British hedge fund manager Cheyne Capital Management (USD6bn) announced on 17 November that it has recruited John Hyman, who becomes a partner at the firm. He will help Cheyne Capital to develop its equities activities, launch new products, and to come up with investment ideas. Hyman was previously at Morgan Stanley, where he served in positions of responsibility in the area of equities.
p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } The Italian Treasury is considering lowering the minimal amount required to invest in a hedge fund in Italy to EUR250,000, Bluerating reports, citing Alessandro Rivera, general director of the ministry of the Economy, speaking at a press conference held by MondoHedge. The minimal amount is currently EUR500,000.
p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } Amundi has now officially launched its activities in Germany. Due to the high level of volatility on these markets, the French manager will promote its absolute return products in particular. Hubert Dänner, director for Germany, says the objective is to double assets under management in Germany and Austria to EUR7bn in five years, the Börsen-Zeitung reports. Growth will be organic.
Réunis en commission mixte paritaire sur le projet de loi de financement de la Sécurité sociale, les parlementaires ont rétabli hier la surtaxe sur les actions gratuites, votée en première lecture par les députés mais supprimée par le Sénat. Le prélèvement passera de 10% à 14% pour l’employeur et de 2,5% à 8% pour le salarié, mais uniquement pour les montants supérieurs à la moitié du plafond annuel de la Sécurité sociale, soit 17.670 euros. Une manière d’aligner le régime sur celui des stock-options et de ne pas pénaliser les groupes où la distribution est généralisée à l’ensemble du personnel pour de faibles montants, comme à la Société Générale. Du côté des retraites chapeaux, les rentes seront taxées à 14% si elles dépassent 600 euros par mois, à 7% si elles se situent dans une fourchette de 400 à 600 euros, et seront exonérées en-deçà. Le texte commun sera soumis le 24 novembre aux députés et le lendemain aux sénateurs pour son adoption définitive.
Le Conference Board, organisation patronale qui calcule l’indice des indicateurs avancés, une préfiguration de la tendance générale de l’économie américaine, a annoncé que son indice avait augmenté de 0,5% le mois dernier, contre une hausse identique en septembre après révision et une progression de 0,1% en août.