The US regulatory authorities on Friday closed down the California-based bank Affinity, which had USD1bn in assets and USD922m in deposits, La Tribune reports. This is the 84th bank closure this year.
Janus Capital Group has announced that Dominic Martellaro, executive vice president and managing director of Janus Global Advisors, will step down from his position effective October 31, 2009. To help ensure smooth succession and continuity in service to clients, Martellaro will remain as a consultant until February 2010. Martellaro, who oversees distribution of the firm’s products sold through financial intermediaries and international sales through subsidiary Janus Capital International Limited, will transition his responsibilities to fellow distribution executives Robin Beery and Dan Charles. Robin Beery, executive vice president and chief marketing officer, will assume responsibility for Janus’ US intermediary business. Dan Charles, executive vice president and managing director of Janus’ US institutional business, will assume responsibility for Janus Capital Group International, the firm’s non-US distribution channel.
Les Echos reports that French president Sarkozy and German chancellor Merkel will meet this afternoon in Berlin to harmonise their positions ahead of the G20 conference in Pittsburgh at the end of the month. They will both call for stricter regulation of the international financial system, and will put pressure on their partners to limite variable pay scales in the banking sector. The German government supports the French proposal for an international initiative to oversee pay scales in the banking sector and the Chancellor has called it “infuriating that, at some banks, nearly everyhing is the same as before.”
Lehamn Brothers’ European subsidiaries plan to demand up to USD100bn from their former holding company in the coming weeks, the Financial Times reports. the filings have been repared by PwC and should be sent before Septembre 22nd, which is the deadline the US bankruptcy court has set.
Despite the recent falls on the Chinese market, emerging markets have posted spectacular growth of 52% since their previous lows. It may be time to ask whether it is time to “catch the Emerging Express,” as Axa IM states in a recent commentary. The scale of the performance on these markets may “become problematic,” the management firm estimates, noting that valuations are high on these markets. “The historic tracking errors for the MSCI GEM compared with the MSCI Europe and World indexes are at their lowest long-term average levels since 1995. As a result, emerging markets may be considered expensive compared to developed markets.” However, these shares “are appreciating at exceptional rates as investors seek increasingly high-risk investments in a context of global recovery,” the management firm notes in a commentary. To play emerging markets, AXA IM bets on European shares with high exposure to emerging markets, a “good compromise to profit from economic recovery while retaining a defensive profile (a lower exposure to commodities),” the management firm says.
The portfolio management team at Bellevue Asset Mangement (CHF2.6bn in assets under mangement) has added to its teams, for a total of 24 specialists, up from 16 previously. The Swiss boutique, which is specialised in health sector securities, strengthened its staff in emerging markets in particular. Recruitments made it possible to increase the range of products on offer from Bellevue Asset Management, as the range gains a venture capital product, a hedge fund, and five Luxembourg-registered equities funds compliant with the UCITS III directive, all sub-funds of the Sicav Bellevue Funds (Lux). This platform will allow Bellevue Group to extend its client base throughout Europe. It includes the stock-picking product BB Selection, two emerging markets funds (BB Silk Road Opportunities and BB African Opportunities, a Luxembourg version of the BB Biotech fund (whose assets total CHF1.5bn), and a niche product entitled BB Entrepreneur Europe. From September, a Luxembourg version of the BB Medtech will also be available. As of 30 June, assets under management at Bellevue Group totalled CHF5.57bn, compared with CHF5.43bn as of the end of December. Net inflows in first half totalled CHF95m.
The chairman of the British management association IMA, Richard Saunders, has welcomed the proposals of Lord Turner for improved regulatory framework for financial activities. “Lord Turner has very correctly identified the need for banks to do a better job of managing risks and to maintain higher levels of owners’ equity when they engage in higher-risk activities,” said the chairman of the association. “We welcome the debate. However, taxes on transactions also carry risk that, as for stamp taxes, the savings investor will ultimately pay the price. In the debate to come, this factor must also be taken into account,” Richard Saunders continues.
With USD580bn from USD350bn total assets at the 100 biggest Islamic banks worldwide have grown 66% yoy in 2008, despite the global financial crisis, La Tribune reports, citing an article by The Asian Banker from Friday.
Norges Bank Investment Management (NBIM), the affiliate of the Bank of Norway which manages the Government Pension Fund - Global (formerly known as the Petroleum Fund), announced on Friday that it is adding to its executive board, which will continue to be chaired by Yngve Slyngstad, who was appointed as CEO in January, and by Stephen A. Hirsch, deputy CEO. Bengt O. Erne, who has been an employee of NBIM for 13 years, has been promoted to chief investment officer (CIO), while Trond Grande, who has been head of risk management since 2007, becomes chief risk officer. Age Bekker becomes chief operating officer. Jessica Irschick, who was previously chief of staff at UBS in London, becomes chief treasurer, while Mark Clemens, global chief administrative officer at Citigroup, becomes chief administrative officer. Dag Dyrdal, for his part, becomes chief strategic relations officer. Slyngstad points out that the international dimensions of the board at NBIM is coherent with the fact that the portfolio includes investments in more than 8,000 businesses. The staff of 230 people is composed of 20 nationalities, and the management firm has offices in Oslo, London, New York and Shanghai, which requires the firm to recruit managers with wide international experience.
Les Echos reports that a study by three researchers at the University of Zurich has found that there are unusual trading volumes on options markets ahead of mergers and acquisitiosn or publications of results. The researchers found 37 transactions in the United States whose characteristics may be associated with possible insider trading. In particular, they found trades ahead of 4 merger-acquisitions, 14 before announcements of results, and 13 ahead of the terrorist attacks in 2001.
Nyse Euronext announced on 27 August that it has acquired Nyfix, a specialist in management systems and transactions, for a total price of USD144m. The stock market business offered to pay USD1.675 per ordinary share in Nyfix, a premium of 95% over its closing price on Wednesday on the Nasdaq. The transaction, already approved by general shareholders’ meetings at Nyse Euronext, Nyse Technologies, the wholly owned affiliate of Nyse Euronext which will make the transaction, and by Nyfix, must still be approved by shareholders in Nyfix and the authorities concerned. The transaction is expected to be concluded during fourth quarter 2009.
A study of 234 asset management professionals (managers, analysts, client service representatives) this July, undertaken by eFinancialCareers.fr, a website specialised in job offers and career management, has found that further layoffs for economic reasons are expected in the second half of 2009 in the UK, La Tribune reports. The most pessimistic respondents (61%) are employed at the asset management affiliates of banks or insurers, while only 27% of those working at mono- or multi-management firms are fearful that there will be a new wave of layoffs to come. On the subject of bonuses, 39% of businesses surveyed say they have bonus structures in place. The periods of evaluation for performance are longer (up to five years), and it is possible to receive bonuses even at times when the business is running a loss. Lastly, the exodus of hedge fund management talent due to taxation policies, and opposition to the European directive on alternative management, are issues that worry that management industry in the United Kingdom.
Jupiter Investment Management Holdings has appointed Philip Johnson to the newly-created role of Chief Financial Officer - a board-level position created to reflect the growth of Jupiter’s business. Philip Johnson will join Jupiter in October from Marshall Wace LLP, where he worked as Finance Director. He also worked at M&G.
Wages and salaries at BlueCrest rose from GBP17.5m in 2007 to GBP32m in 2008, while the number of employees rose only marginally to 260, up from 224 the year previously, says the Financial Times. 2008 was a successful year for most of the company’s hedge funds.
On Friday, a historic agreement was signed to inject GBP800m into Songbird, the firm that owns Canary Wharf, The Sunday Times reports. The sovereign funds Qatar Holding (which already is a shareholder in the firm) and China Investment Corporation (CIC) will buy stakes of nearly 30% and 19% in the capital fo the firm, respectively. Simon Glick will control 27%, and Morgan Stanley Real Estate Funds (MSREF) will hold about 10%. In addition, Qatar Holding and CIC will subscribe for GBP275m in non-convertible preferential shares without voting rights.
Michael Johnson, currently finance director at Marshall Wace LLP, has been appointed to the newly-created position of CFO at Jupiter Investment Management Holdings, fondsprofessionell reports. He will join his new employer in October.The CEO of Jupiter Asset Management, Edward Bonham Carter, says the creation of the position for a CFO on the board was rendered necessary by developing international and institutional activities, though the British retail market remains primary for the business.
Investors are continuing to avoid Europe. According to the most recent statistics from the British management association IMA, for funds domiciled in the United Kingdom, the continental European management sector has seen outflows of EUR36.6m, the largest outflows observed in the month under review. However, interest in corporate bonds remains high, with inflows in July of GBP466.6m, following GBP533.3m in June. “Corporate bonds are continuing to attract investors, but more recently, equity fund creations have also increase, and are now at nearly the same level as bond funds,” says Jane Lowe, director of markets at the association, in a statement. Net sales of funds domiciled in the United Kingdom totalled GBP2.3bn last month (of which GBP829m were in bond funds, and GBP711m in equities funds) light compared with the previous month (GBP2.5bn), but strongly up compared with July 2008, which saw total net outflows of GBP552.8m. Assets under management totalled GBP412.6bn in July, compared with GBP389bn the previous month, and GBP415.1bn one year previously. For funds domiciled abroad, the month saw net sales of GBP280m, compared with GBP44.2m the previous month, and outflows of GBP91.3m in July 2008. Assets in these funds totalled GBP21.1bn in July of this year, up 6% compared with the previous month.
In July, Luxembourg-registered collective investment organisms and specialised investment funds posted net subscriptions of EUR22.48bn, according to the most recent statistics from the financial sector supervisory commission (CSSF). With positive market effects of EUR52.326bn, net assets for the sector rose by 4.58% for the month, to EUR1.706trn. However, in the past twelve months, net assets are down 10.04%/ The number of collective investment organisms monitored is 3,438, compared with 3,435 the previous month, the CSSF reports. 2,063 entities have adopted a structure with multiple sub-funds, which represents 10,789 sub-funds. With the addition of the 1,375 traditionally-strucured funds, the total number of funds on the market is 12,164.
La société d’investissement a annoncé ce matin avoir enregistré une perte nette de 120,9 millions d’euros au premier semestre 2009. Elle assure toutefois que l’ensemble des sociétés que le groupe détient en portefeuille ont respecté leurs covenants bancaires. «Les résultats du premier semestre 2009 ont été marqués par l’absence de plus-values, la perte de valeur sur le patrimoine immobilier lié à la hausse des taux de capitalisation, l’impact négatif de la conjoncture économique sur l’activité d’Europcar et la baisse des résultats de Rexel et Accor», explique le groupe d’investissement.
Le capital-investisseur CVC et la famille asturienne Cosmen ont présenté une offre de 560 millions de livres (450 pence par action) en numéraire pour les 81,4 % de National Express que les Cosmen ne possèdent pas encore, rapporte Cinco Días. Cette offre est plus avantageuse que celle de 500 millions de livres primitivement attendue. Parmi les autres actionnaires importants de National Express figurent Barclays (8 %) et Prudential (6,58 %).National Express intéresserait aussi Stagecoach et Arriva.
La crise financière et les très mauvaises performances des hedge funds entraînent une baisse des commissions de gestion encaissées par ceux-ci auprès de leurs clients, note Le Temps. Ainsi, Gottex a été contraint d’abaisser cet été les frais de gestion du Market Neutral Trust à 0,75 % contre 1 % auparavant.La diminution des commissions est générale. En six mois, celles-ci ont reculé de 34 points de base, selon le consultant Preqin, à Londres.
A fin juillet, l’encours mondial de iShares (Barclays Global Investors ou BGI) ressortait à 414,4 milliards de dollars (soit une part de marché de 48,1 %) contre 380,23 milliards (48,2 %) un mois plus tôt et 324,84 milliards (45,7 %) fin décembre. Le gestionnaire d’ETF indique avoir affiché dans le monde des souscriptions nettes de quelque 32 milliards de dollars, ce qui laisse supposer que l’effet de marché est ressorti à 55,39 milliards d’euros, soit plus de 1,7 fois le montant des rentrées nettes. iShares, qui alignait fin juillet 391 ETF contre 361 en fin d’année dernière, est très largement le premier promoteur mondial de ce type de produits, devant State Street (15,2 % de part de marché fin juillet avec 104 fonds), Vanguard (7,8 % avec 40 fonds) et Lyxor Asset Management (Société Générale, 4,5 % avec 105 fonds).En Europe, iShares est également le numéro un avec un encours de 72,26 milliards de dollars pour 158 produits, ce qui représente 39,6 % de part de marché avec les gammes irlandaise et allemande. Les deux dauphins sont Lyxor avec 103 fonds, 37,37 milliards de dollars d’actifs sous gestion et une part de marché de 20,5 %, et db x-trackers (Deutsche Bank) avec 105 fonds, 29,79 milliards d’euros et 16,3 % de part de marché. A fin juin, le leader iShares arrivait à 64,40 milliards de dollars et 158 produits, soit 38,8 % de part de marché, après avoir terminé 2008 avec 55,89 milliards de dollars d’encours, 145 fonds et une part de marché de 39,1 %. La collecte nette en Europe est estimée à 4,3 milliards d’euros.
J.P. Morgan Asset Management annonce le recrutement de Pierre-Yves Bareau au poste de responsable de l’équipe de gestion spécialisée sur la dette émergente. Il sera en charge de la coordination des équipes internationales de gestion de dette émergente situées dans les différentes zones géographiques.Pierre-Yves Bareau gère des portefeuilles de dette émergente depuis près de vingt ans. Il rejoindra J.P. Morgan Asset Asset Management après avoir été directeur de la gestion de dette émergente chez Fortis Investments durant plus de dix ans. Pierre-Yves Bareau sera basé à Londres, et reportera directement à Bob Michele, Directeur mondial de la gestion obligataire de J.P. Morgan Asset Management.
Les hedge funds investis dans les marchés émergents ont dégagé des performances supérieures à la moyenne au deuxième trimestre. Selon Hedge Week, l’indice HFRI des marchés émergents a progressé de 18,92 % durant le trimestre alors que l’indice composite affiche un gain de 9,17 %.Sur les six premiers mois de l’année, les hedge funds spécialisés sur les marchés émergents ont dégagé un gain de 20,18 %, le meilleur résultat sur six mois depuis un bond de 27,4 % en 1999. Malgré ces performances flatteuses, la décollecte sur les marchés émergents s’est poursuivie, pour un montant de 2,5 milliards de dollars au deuxième trimestre. Un mouvement largement compensé par l’effet marchés pour un montant de 12,9 milliards de dollars. L’encours des actifs dédiés aux marchés émergents s'élève désormais à 77 milliards de dollars.
Désormais, l’avance de BBVA Asset Management sur Santander Asset Management atteint deux points de part de marché, à 20,61 %, constate Expansión en rappelant que BBVA AM n’a dépassé Santander AM de justesse que depuis la fin de 2008.Parmi les autres gestionnaires ayant gagné du terrain ces derniers mois figure La Caixa qui, selon VDOS Stochastics, a drainé plus de 2 milliards d’euros entre le début de l’année et le 21 août, essentiellement grâce à des campagnes de promotion pour ses fonds garantis. La caisse catalane a ainsi augmenté sa part de marché à 7,42 % contre 5,6 % fin décembre.