p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } Asian Investor reports that the US group AMG (USD250bn in assets under management) is planning to open a Hong Kong office by the end of the year. The head of AMG, Sean Healey, was recently in Hong Kong, where he announced that he has already recruited a head for Asia. AMG has only 30% of its assets invested in US equities, while 35% of its portfolio is dedicated to global equities, and at least 10% of assets under management are emerging markets equities.

p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } State Street Global Advisors (SSgA) announced on 21 September that it has appointed Lochiel Crafter as chief investment officer for Asia-Pacific. “The newly-created position illustrates the importance of the Asia-Pacific region in SSgA’s growth straetgy,” a statement from the firm says. Crafter will be head of investment teams in Sydney, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Singapore. Before joining SSgA, where he had already worked in the past, Crafter was CEO of the Australian pension fund Australian Reward Investment Alliance (Sydney). He will continue to be based in Sydney.

p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } Pay scales for risk professionals in asset management rebounded last year, following declines in 2007 and 2008, according to the most recent edition of the annual study by Risk Talent Associates. Total pay increased 4%, with a stagnation or slight decrease in salaries, but a 7% increase in bonuses. The study finds that last year, 90% of alternative management professionals earned bonuses, compared with 86% in traditional asset management and 81% in insurance.

p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } Westwood Holdings Group (USD9.7bn in assets as of 30 June) has acquired the investment advisory firm McCarthy Group Advisors (MGA) which advises the no-load funds McCarthy Multi-Cap Stock Fund (USD62.4m) and has about USD1bn under management for high net worth and institutional clients, for an undisclosed amount. Westwood announced on 22 September that MGA, whose 11 employees will be transferred to the group, will in the future operate as the Omaha, Nebraska, branch of Westwood Trust, an affiliate of Westwood Holdings with USD1.8bn in assets under management.

p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } Bank of America Global Wealth and Investment Management (GWIM) on 21 September announced the retirement next month of Brian Sepe, head of Latin American activities, and his replacement by Sonia Dula, currently head of Bank of America Merrill Lynch Corporate and Investment Banking for Latin America. In her new position, Dula, who will report to Sallie Krawcheck, chair of BofA GWIM, and Andrea Orcel, executive chairman of Global Banking and Markets, and president of emerging markets ex Asia, will be in charge of all onshore and offshore financial advisers in Latin America.

A recent analysis by Unctad (“Investment and Enterprise Responsibility Review”) of the 100 largest pension funds in the world, with total assets under management of USD8.6trn, or about EUR6.5trn, reveals that nearly half of the major pension funds publish one or several indicators based on the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment (UN PRI). But the analysis finds no reference to responsible investment by 51 pension funds in the sample, representing 39% of total assets under management. Only 27 funds, with assets representing only 42% of all assets under management, publish four or more indicators.The authors of the study conclude that although the increasing spread of responsible investment is a reality, the fact is that many pension funds still have a long way to go. For this reason, they recommend that all institutional investors should be invited to formulate their position in regards to responsible investment to all parties. “Transparency of practices in terms of responsible investment is essential, not only to reduce imblances between contractual parties, but also to ensure the sustainable development of international markets,” the authors point out.p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }

p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }a:link { } The German federal government on 22 September passed a bill to improve investor protection and the functioning of the financial markets (Anlegerschutz- und Funktionsverbesserungsgesetz). The text of the law may be consulted at the following address: http://www.bundesfinanzministerium.de/nn_82/DE/BMF__Startseite/Aktuelle…. The law introduces a minimal investment duration for open-ended real estate funds of 2 years, and exit penalties of 10% in the third year and 5% in the fourth year, but authorised redemptions of up to EUR5,000 per month, per subscriber. It also relaxes the requirements for asset sales, when liquidation is inevitable, and authorises managers to sell properties at an increasing markdown from their book value (up to 20% in the first half of the third year). The BVI association of asset management firms has welcomed the passage of the law, which sanctions the segmentation which has set in in practice between retail investors on the one hand, and institutional and large-scale investors on the other. The BVI hopes that some improvements to the text will come as it is examined by Parliament. Open-ended real estate funds in January-July posted net subscriptions of EUR2.7bn.

p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }a:link { } In an analysis of the German fund market in January-July 2010, the Kommalpha agency finds that often a small number of promoters, or funds, are enough to influence the evolution of inflows or outflows in their segment. For example, Pimco Europe has raised about EUR8.6bn, while bond funds as a whole attracted only EUR7.5bn. In the open-ended real estate fund segment, the four largest actors account for 50% of total assets, while among 2,500 equities funds, it recently occurred that only two large ETF funds between them managed to generate positive overall net inflows for the sector as a whole, which otherwise showed outflows. The trend towards large funds determining the direction of their sectors also applies to bond funds, diversified funds and money market funds (see the table on page 3, at the following address: http://www.kommalpha.com/cms_sources/dateien/fondsmarkt/Kommalpha_Fonds…)

UCITS III is the most rapidly developing sector in the global hedge fund industry, with the number of funds estimated to be 775 and assets under management exceeding USD130 billion, according to Eurekahedge. Currently, the Eurekahedge UCITS III Hedge Fund Database lists 775 UCITS III products, with another 500 to be added in the coming months.Total assets under management grew by USD13.4 billion in August, bringing the size of the global hedge fund industry to USD1.54 trillion. Net positive asset flows accounted for USD7.1 billion of the total growth.

p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } The Jersey-based management firm Dreman Value Management announced on 21 September that the fixture of value asset management, David Dreman, will be leaving his position as co-chief investment officer. Clifton Hoover, previously co-CIO alongside Dreman, who will now take over as CIO. Hoover will also become CEO. Dreman, who launched his business in 1977, will remain in control of the firm, as he retains his position as chairman and member of the investment board. He will also continue to manage the Dreman High Opportunity Fund and the Dreman Market Overreaction Fund.

p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } Charter Group has launched Charter Group Fund Administration. The firm will be based in London, and will provide administration services to hedge funds, primarily offshore hedge funds managed by alternative management boutiques on the London market. The activity will be led by Brian Taitz, who previously managed a similar firm in Australia, a statement from Charter Group Fund Administration says.

p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } Fund Strategy reports that Mark Krombas, who managed the Ocean Equities Mena Opportunities, SGAM Fund Equities Mena and SGAM Oasis funds at GLG and SGAM (UK), is joining Charlemagne Capital, where he will manage a Middle East and North Africa (MENA) sub-fund of the UCITS-compliant Sicav Magna.

p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } For the period from 30 June to 31 August, assets under administration at GlobeOp Financial Services increased from USD120bn to USD139bn, due to USD15bn in investments from new clients (including a USD14.6bn mandate from European Credit Management Ltd). Client subscriptions totalled USD8bn, which partially offset redemptions of USD5bn. The performance of funds increased assets by USD1.5bn, while existing clients launching new funds added up to USD0.5bn. GlobeOp is an Anglo-American independent provider of administration services, specialised in middle and back office and integrated risk reporting aimed primarily at hedge funds and asset management firms, as well as pension funds, corporate treasuries, insurers, and banks.

p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } From 1 September, Invesco PowerShares is licensed by the FMA to sell 14 PowerShares funds in Austria. The products replicate Intelligent indices (Intelligent Index, Intelligent Exposure, Intelligent Access).

p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } With the Pimco Build America Bond Strategy Fund (BABZ), an actively-managed ETF, and the Pimco Investment Grade Corporate Bond Index Fund (CORP), a passively-managed fund, Pimco (Allianz Global Investors group) has added two products to its range, one with a management commission of 0.45%, and the other with fees of 0.20%. BABZ offers access to the taxable municipal bond markets, and aims to capture the performance of the best securities, while avoiding issues from municipalities which Pimco considers to have deteriorating credit quality. The fund is managed by John Cummings, executive vice president and head of the municipal bond desk. COPR invests in investment grade corporate bonds, most of which belong to the BofA ML US Corporate index, with careful balancing of the duration curve and the credit characteristics of the index.

p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } On 22 September, NYSE Euronext announced that it has admitted five Asia ex Japan ETFs from Lyxor Asset Management (Société Générale), all of them registered in France, all with fees of 0.65%, to trading. The funds are the Lyxor ETF MSCI AC Asia Ex Japan Financials TR, Lyxor ETF MSCI AC Asia EX Japan Consumer Staples TR, Lyxor ETF MSCI AC Asia Ex Japan Materials TR, Lyxor ETF MSCI AC Asia ex Japan Information Technology TR and Lyxor ETF MSCI AC Asia Ex Japan Infrastructure Capped TR.

BlackRock on 21 September announced the appointment of Luiz felipe Andrade as managing director and country head for Brazil, and will aim to develop the group’s activities in Brazil.Andrade will oversee a team of 16 professionals at BlackRock’s offices in Sao Paulo. He previously worked for 13 years at Itaù-Unibanco, where he was most recently director of markets and liquidity risk.p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }

p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } Garikoitz Olabera, director of private banking at Guipuzcoano, has joined Banco Espirito Santo (BES) in Portugal as head of private banking, and the private wealth management arm of BES as head for the central Spanish region, Funds People reports. Eva Quintero, who was previously head of the private bank at Guipuzcoano for the Madrid region, will lead a new private banking centre which BES will open in Madrid. Guipuzcoano has been acquired by Banco Sabadell. Its private banking team manages 19 Sicavs with total assets of EUR181m. To replace Olabera, Guipuzcoano has appointed Ana Euba Aldape, head of the group’s management firm (EUR1bn). Quintero’s position is a newly-created one.

p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } On 10 September, the CNMV registered the UCITS-compliant, Luxembourg-domiciled Vitruvius fund, and its eleven sub-funds. The multi-portfolio, multi-adviser rage specialises in alternative strategies, with the London-based Belgrave Capital Management (BCM), an affiliate of Banca del Ceresio, as its promoter. Vitruvius is already licensed for sale in Germany, Austria, France, Italy, Luxembourg, Sweden, and Switzerland.

Pictet Funds, the fund distribution arm of the Swiss private bank Pictet & Cie, has launched the Pictet Total Return-Mandarin fund, an Asian equities long/short fund domiciled in Luxembourg, and compliant with the UCITS III directive.The fund, managed by Lan Wang Simond, invests in China, with diversification in Hong Kong, Taiwan, or other Asian countries outside Greater China. The Pictet Total Return-Mandarin fund replicates the management of the Cayman Islands-registered fund Asia Focus. The management team hopes to benefit from the “secular growth” of China, while minimising risk of losses in turbulent periods, and maximising outperformance through specific concepts in stock-picking.Management strategy aims to reduce market correlation and to generate “asymetric, less volatile, positive returns,” Pictet Funds says. The fund is currently licensed for sale in France, Germany, Luxembourg, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }

p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } According to sources familiar with the matter cited by the Wall Street Journal, Vision Capital Advisors, a hedge fund management firm (USD700m) specialised in financing small publicly-traded businesses on the basis of privately negotiated transactions (PIPEs), has received a subpoena from the SEC requiring it to explain its activities. The firm was launched in 2005 by Adam Benowitz, who helped pay bills in college by playing poker, and Randall Cohen, who has taught at Harvard and MIT.

p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } Anima Sgr, the asset management firm founded on 31 December last year from the merger of Anima and Bipiemme Gestioni, is reorganizing its Italian-registered fund range, effective from 17 December 2010. The idea is to simplify the current product range, composed of two families of funds, through mergers of products. The number of funds will be reduced from 41 to 30.

Avec la reprise de l’indice, les gérant d'actifs classiquement acheteurs en ont profité pour couvrir leurs portefeuilles

La société de gestion alternative basée à New York Sandell Asset Management envisage de lancer début octobre un fonds d’arbitrage sur les fusions/acquisitions au format Ucits, selon Citywire.Le fonds Castlerigg Merger Arbitrage sera géré par le Suédois Tom Sandell, fondateur en 1998 de la société éponyme. Le fonds domicilié en Irlande va mettre en œuvre une stratégie que Sandell met en œuvre depuis une douzaine d’années dans le cadre de son hedge fund phare, Castlerigg International. Le fonds, qui investira dans les transactions de fusions/acquisitions annoncées, vise un rendement annualisé de 10 à 12% à long terme. Les actifs sous gestion de Sandell s'élèvent à environ 1 milliard de dollars.

En 2009, les encours des fonds investis dans les obligations des marchés émergents en Europe ont bondi de 42 %, pour atteindre 63,2 milliards d’euros. Mais cette croissance fait pâle figure par rapport à celle enregistrée sur les sept premiers mois de cette année, indique Lipper dans une récente étude. En effet, sur cette période, les actifs ont encore augmenté de 53 % pour s’établir à 96,4 milliards à fin juillet. Ce gonflement s’explique avant tout par la performance séduisante de la classe d’actifs dette émergente ces derniers temps. Cela a entraîné des souscriptions nettes de 25,2 milliards d’euros de la part des investisseurs européens, qui ont représenté un quart de la croissance des actifs en 2010. Le fonds dette émergente qui s’est le mieux vendu depuis le début de l’année, sur les 560 qui existent en Europe, est le Pictet – Emerging Local Currency Debt géré par Pictet. La société suisse est d’ailleurs au premier rang des groupes gérant le plus d’encours sur les obligations émergentes à fin juillet 2010, avec 7,7 milliards d’euros, alors qu’elle ne gérait que 736,7 millions un an plus tôt, s’étant arrogée 19 % des ventes depuis le début de l’année. Elle est ainsi passée devant Schroders (6,5 milliards), Ashmore (5,7 milliards, Franklin Templeton (3,9 milliards), GAM Holding (3,3 milliards) qui ont connu des progressions d’encours moins spectaculaires. Lipper s’interroge sur la pérennité des flux investis sur ces fonds. Mais ces trois derniers mois, les souscriptions se sont accélérées...

Les sociétés de gestion européennes doivent ranimer l’intérêt des investisseurs pour les produits de gestion active, estime FitchRatings dans une étude publiée mardi 21 septembre sur les enjeux du secteur*. En 2009, plus de 50 % des souscriptions aux fonds se sont portées sur les obligations d’entreprises, les marchés émergents et les matières premières, relève l’agence de notation. Selon elle, cela reflète des décisions opportunistes d’allocation visant à s’exposer à des classes d’actifs performantes, plutôt qu’une allocation active à des produits gérés activement. Autrement dit, les investisseurs ont cherché à capturer le beta de certaines classes d’actifs plutôt que l’alpha dégagé par le gérant. Vu que ces capitaux ont été investis de manière opportuniste, ils ont de bonnes chances d’être volatils et facilement substituables par des ETF, estime Fitch. Pour reconquérir les investisseurs sur les produits gérés activement, l’agence de notation propose plusieurs pistes. La première est d’améliorer la transparence des produits. «La transparence implique de plus en plus un meilleur accès aux décisionnaires, et non pas uniquement aux spécialistes produits ou marketing, pour discuter des positions, de la stratégie d’investissement et des prix», détaille Fitch.L’agence encourage les sociétés de gestion à proposer des produits adaptés aux nouveaux besoins des investisseurs, et qui intègrent notamment la capacité d’absorber les marchés baissiers. Fitch suggère aussi de personnaliser les frais des produits, et de mieux les aligner avec les intérêts des clients. Enfin, l’étude conseille de travailler sur la relation clients et notamment de passer davantage de temps à éduquer les investisseurs sans biais commercial.Dans son étude, Fitch estime par ailleurs que les sociétés de gestion européennes doivent améliorer la résilience de leur modèle, en créant des structures de frais variables, abaissant ainsi le point mort de leurs structures, et en augmentant leur taille critique sur leurs marchés cœur de cible. Les gammes de fonds devront aussi être réduites. Côté revenus, les gestionnaires sont appelés à diversifier leur clientèle et développer des produits pour tous les types de marchés. * European Asset Management: an industry under pressure

Pour les marchés, le départ d’Alessandro Profumo de la direction d’UniCredit va probablement se traduire à terme par un repli de la banque sur l’Italie, rapporte Il Sole – 24 Ore. Par ailleurs, le journal doute aujourd’hui que la cession de Pioneer soit confirmée, étant donné que cela reviendrait à se priver d’un flux garanti de commissions alors que la vente rapporterait 1,2 milliard d’euros dont l’établissement n’a plus vraiment besoin vu que ses ratios prudentiels sont déjà supérieurs aujourd’hui à ce qu’ils devraient être sous le régime Bâle III.

Asesores y Gestores Financieros, filiale d’EFG International, recrute trois seniors, rapporte Fund People. Il s’agit de Pablo Nuñez (ex Merrill Lynch Private Banking), de Javier Irondo, directeur d’une agence de Popular Banca Privada, et de Rubén Ayuso (AllfundsBank) qui rejoint le département gestion d’actifs.

La crise a occasionné de fortes douleurs au portefeuille de certaines grandes fortunes espagnoles, et l’effondrement de l’immobilier a plombé certains family offices, dont au moins quatre se sont vus obligés de solliciter le concours de créanciers pour faire face à la pénurie de liquidités, rapporte Cinco Días. A l’association EAFI des conseillers financiers, on souligne que cette situation de faillite technique de certaines grandes fortunes est liée à un effet de levier trop fort et à des investissements opérés sans contrôle du risque.

La CNMV a enregistré le Credit Suisse Solutions (Lux) Prima Multi-Strategy pour l’Espagne. Il s’agit d’un fonds de fonds alternatifs coordonné multistratégies qui réplique un produit non-conforme à la directive OPCVM III. L’encours de ce produit lancé en juillet se situe à 121 millions d’euros.