Christine Lagarde serait prête à lever le voile sur ses ambitions au FMI
Le ministre de l’économie doit tenir une conférence de presse « importante » à 11h45, alors que les BRIC pressent pour le camp des émergents
Michel Barnier fait le point devant les eurodéputés sur les grands chantiers de la régulation
Les exigences en capitaux des banques et la surveillance des marchés de matières premières mobilisent les services du commissaire européen
Le yuan bientôt monnaie d’échange de référence
Le renminbi chinois pourrait rejoindre le dollar et l’euro pour devenir une monnaie de référence utilisée dans les échanges internationaux, indique le quotidien qui cite des propos d’un des directeurs de l’université de la Banque populaire de Chine, Jiao Jinpu. Le yuan devrait également être la deuxième monnaie des règlements internationaux utilisée par les sociétés domestiques derrière le dollar.
George Soros bien implanté à Hong Kong
Le quotidien souligne que l’investisseur dispose de quelque 21 gérants au sein des bureaux de gestion alternative à Hong Kong. L’équipe locale comprend également James Chang, ancien haut responsable de Tiger Asia Management, ainsi que Dai Jixin, qui dispose de «liens étroits avec Pékin».
Les eurodéputés appuient la régulation des dérivés
La commission des Affaires économiques et monétaires du Parlement européen s’est prononcée hier pour qu’une obligation de «reporting» soit faite pour toute transaction de dérivés, qu’ils soient échangés sur une plate-forme de négociation ou non. Par ailleurs, les dérivés échangés de gré à gré devront être compensés de manière centralisée.
La CFTC à la poursuite de manipulateurs
L’autorité des marchés à terme outre-Atlantique a engagé hier des poursuites à l’encontre de deux traders et de leurs sociétés de courtage (James Dyer chez Parnon Energy et Nick Wildgoose d’Arcadia Energy) pour manipulation des prix du marché du pétrole en 2008. Ils auraient engrangé un bénéfice de 50 millions de dollars.
L'Europe lève des fonds pour l'Irlande et le Portugal
Le Mécanisme européen de stabilité financière (ESM ou EFSM) a placé mardi matin 4,75 milliards d’euros d’obligations à 10 ans, la troisième opération du genre pour cet émetteur. Annoncés à un rendement de 16 points de base au-dessus des swaps, les titres devraient finalement être placés à 14 pb, selon des banquiers. BNP Paribas, CA CIB, Credit Suisse, DZ Bank et JPMorgan mènent l’opération. L’ESM devrait procéder ensuite à une émission benchmark à 5 ans. Les fonds levés aujourd’hui serviront à financer les plans d’aide au Portugal et à l’Irlande.
Lisbonne et Dublin pourraient tomber en catégorie «junk» en cas de défaut grec
Le Portugal et l’Irlande seraient menacés d’un abaissement de plusieurs crans de leur note souveraine en cas de défaut de la Grèce, les plongeant en catégorie spéculative, a déclaré à Reuters le responsable crédit de Moody’s pour la zone Europe-Moyen-Orient-Afrique. Par ailleurs, le journal néerlandais Het Financieele Dagblad indique que les pays de la zone euro ont commencé à préparer en secret une extension de la maturité de la dette greque.
L'incertitude politique en Russie explique les fuites de capitaux
L’incertitude politique qui s’accentue en Russie à l’approche de la présidentielle de 2012 explique en partie la fuite des capitaux, a estimé le principal conseiller économique du Kremlin. Selon la banque centrale de Russie, les sorties nettes de capitaux ont atteint 50,6 milliards de dollars sur les sept derniers mois.
Palmer Square lance son premier mutual fund
Le gérant de fonds de hedge funds Palmer Square Capital Management vient d’annoncer le lancement du Palmer Square Absolute Return Fund, son premier mutual fund ouvert.Lancé en partenariat avec Montage Investments, l’objectif de ce fonds est l’appréciation du capital, l’accent étant mis sur la performance absolue et la faible corrélation avec les marchés actions et obligations. Le fonds a recours a sept gérants institutionnels qui utilisent une large gamme de stratégies dont les stratégies évenementielle, long/short, global macro, long/short international et domestic equity, ainsi que l’arbitrage de convertibles. Montage Investments gère actuellement quelque 9 milliards de dollars pour le compte d’investisseurs institutionnels et fortunés.
Russell lance une nouvelle gamme d'ETF de style
Le 19 mai, Russell Investment a lancé six produits de sa nouvelle gamme d’ETF «investment discipline» sur la plate-forme NYSE Arca. Se fondant sur son expérience de la sélection de gérants et de la construction d’indices, Russell ambitionne de proposer avec ces nouveaux produits des ETF de nouvelle génération pour permettre aux investisseurs de construire des portefeuilles et de gérer leur risque. D’après le gestionnaire, les ETF «investment discipline» constituent la première gamme d’ETF à fournir une exposition ciblée, transparente et cohérente aux grandes capitalisations américaines au travers de six politiques d’investissement les plus communément utilisées par les professionnels de la gestion d’actifs.La nouvelle équipe chargée de ces nouveaux produits est principalement basée à San Francisco, mais elle peut compter sur l’appui du réseau mondial d’experts du groupe.Les six premiers produits de la gamme sont les fonds Russell Aggressive Growth ETF (NYSE: AGRG), Russell Consistent Growth ETF (NYSE: CONG), Russell Growth at a Reasonable Price ETF (NYSE: GRPC), Russell Equity Income ETF (NYSE: EQIN), Russell Low P/E ETF (NYSE: LWPE) et Russell Contrarian ETF (NYSE: CNTR). Chacun réplique l’indice Russell Investment Discipline correspondant, et est constitué à partir de sociétés figurant dans l’indice Russell 1000.
24/05/2011
Les encours d'Eaton Vance ont atteint un record fin avril
Pour le deuxième trimestre de l’exercice en cours (au 30 avril), le bénéfice net part du groupe d’Eaton Vance Corp est ressorti à 62,48 millions de dollars contre 37,53 milliards pour le trimestre au 31 janvier et à 36 millions pour la période correspondante de l’an dernier. Sur le premier semestre, ce bénéfice s’inscrit donc à 100,01 millions de dollars contre 82,24 millions pour les six mois à fin avril 2010.Au 30 avril, les actifs gérés ont atteint un record de 203 milliards de dollars, soit 6 % de plus que fin janvier (191,7 milliards) et 15 % de plus qu’un an auparavant (176,2 milliards).Les souscriptions nettes enregistrées par les fonds de long terme et les mandats entre début février et fin avril ont porté sur 2,9 milliards de dollars, contre 1,8 milliard le trimestre précédent et 5,3 milliards pour le deuxième trimestre de l’exercice au 31 octobre 2010.
24/05/2011
Julius Baer's QFII quota set at USD100m
The State Administration of Foreign Exchange in China (SAFE) has awarded Julius Baer a USD100m quota under its Qualified Foreign Institutional Investor (QFII) license, which it received in December 2010. The Swiss firm remains the only private bank with QFII status.Julius Baer will use the quota to launch a China fund aimed at its clients worldwide. The product will invest in A shares (listed in continental China), and H shares (listed in Hong Kong). Management of the fund will be provided by Julius Ber, with the assistance of one or more specialist advisors.The Swiss asset management firm has also announced plans to open a representative office in Shanghai, and to create a Singapore Trust company by the end of this year.
24/05/2011
Permal recruits a head for UK institutionals
Paul Jeffries, former head of equity funds selection at Railpen Investments, the firm which manages the pension fund for British railway employees, will be joining Permal, an affiliate of Legg Mason, at the end of June, Financial News reports. He will be responsible for institutional activities in the United Kingdom.
24/05/2011
Russell launches a new range of style ETFs
On 19 May, Russell Investment launched six products in its new range of “investment discipline” ETFs on the NYSE Arca platform. With these new generation ETF products, Russell hopes to offer solutions that allow investors to construct portfolios and manage risks, on the basis of its expertise in manager selection and index construction. According to the management firm, the “investment discipline” ETF line represents the first range of ETFs to offer targeted, transparent and coherent exposure to US large caps, via six of the investment policies most commonly used by asset management professionals.The new team to manage the new products is mostly based in San Francisco, but may also rely on the support of the group’s global network of experts.The first six products in the range are the Russell Aggressive Growth ETF (NYSE: AGRG), Russell Consistent Growth ETF (NYSE: CONG), Russell Growth at a Reasonable Price ETF (NYSE: GRPC), Russell Equity Income ETF (NYSE: EQIN), Russell Low P/E ETF (NYSE: LWPE) and Russell Contrarian ETF (NYSE: CNTR). Each product replicates the corresponding Russell Investment Discipline index; the indices are composed of companies of the Russell 1000 index.
24/05/2011
HSBC lists a new ETF in Paris
NYSE Euronext on 23 May announced the admission to trading on its Paris platform of a new ETF from HSBC, based on China. It is the HSBC MSCI China ETF, whose benchmark index is the MSCI China. The Irish-registered fund (IE00B44T3H88) charges fees of 0.60%, and brings the number of funds listed on the European markets of NYSE Euronext to 558, of which 109 are new listings since the beginning of this year, of 83 new ETFs.
24/05/2011
Palmer Square launches its first mutual fund
The fund of hedge fund management firm Palmer Square Capital Management has announced the launch of the Palmer Square Absolute Return Fund, its first open-ended mutual fund. The objective for the fund, launched in partnership with Montage Investments, is capital appreciation, with the emphasis on absolute returns and low correlation with equities and bond markets. The fund will rely on seven institutional managers, who will use a wide range of strategies, including event-driven, long/short, global macro, long/short international, and domestic equity, as well as convertibles arbitrage. Montage Investments currently manages about USD9bn on behalf of institutional and high net worth investors.
24/05/2011
Pimco launches a banking sector debt fund
Pimco has launched a fund dedicated to banking sector debt, in partnership with the family office Fleming & Family Partners, with the objective of taking advantage of the new Basedl III regulations, Investment Week reports. The Pimco Capital Securities fund, domiciled in Dublin, will be managed by Philippe Bodereau, executive vice president and head of European credit. The fund will invest in high yield debt issued by banks, including cocos (contingent convertibles), as well as Tier One debt.
24/05/2011
Castlestone to offer a fund dedicated to frontier markets
Investment Week reports that the British management firm Castlestone Management is planning to launch a fund dedicated to frontier markets. The fund will invest in countries of the CIVETS group: Colombia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Egypt, Turkey, and South Africa; it may be launched this autumn. Castlestone is also planning to offer a UCITS-compliant version of its Next 11 fund, which also invests in some CIVETS countries – Indonesia, Vietnam, Egypt, and Turkey. The UCITS-compliant version of the Next 11 fund, currently domiciled in the Virgin Islands, will be launched later this year.
24/05/2011
Architas launches three multi-asset class funds
The multi-management firm of the Axa group, Architas, has launched three multi-asset class funds of funds, which will invest in passive strategies, Investment Week reports. The three funds, Dynamic, Growth, and Reserve Multi-Asset Passive, will have a total TER ratio of 1.3%. The weighting of the funds between bonds, equities and real estate will be determined by the financial modelling firm eValue FE.
24/05/2011
GLG launches a sustainable equities fund
GLG Partners is launching a fund of equities related to sustainable development, entitled GLG Global Sustainability equity fund, Investment Week reports. The UCITS-compliant fund will invest in companies or sectors which are well-positioned to benefit from the theme of sustainable development (in the health, education services, and water management sectors, among others). The manager will use environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria in its investment process, to create a concentrated portfolio of growth equities, guided by a responsible investment philosophy.
24/05/2011
Assets at Eaton Vance set a new record as of end of April
For the second quarter of its current fiscal year (ending on 30 April), net income attributable to Eaton Vance Corp shareholders totalled USD62.48bn, compared with USD37.53bn for the quarter ending on 31 January, and USD36bn in the corresponding period of last year. For the first half of the fiscal year, profits totalled USD100.01m, compared with USD82.24m in the six months to the end of April 2010.As of 30 April, assets under management totalled a record USD203bn, 6% higher than at the end of January (USD191.7bn), and 15% higher than one year previously (USD176.2bn).Net subscriptions to long-term funds and mandates between the end of February and the end of April totalled USD2.9bn, compared with USD1.8bn the previous quarter, and USD5.3bn in the second quarter of the fiscal year, to 31 October 2010.
24/05/2011
Jörg Westebbe joins board of directors at HSBC GAM Austria
Following the departure of Franz Bartmann, who has joined BCA Austria, Jörg Westebbe has been appointed as a member of the board of directors and head of asset management at HSBC Global Asset Management Austria. He will work in concert with Walter Gleissinger, head of coordination of banking activities for HSBC in Austria, to direct the firm.Westebbe joined the asset management activities at HSBC Germany more than ten years ago, and worked primarily to set up distribution of open-ended funds in Germany and Austria. He will also remain as head of wholesale distribution for HSBC GAM in Germany.
24/05/2011
Christophe Tardy becomes director of strategy at Morningstar France
Morningstar announced on Monday, 23 May, that it has appointed Christophe Tardy as director of strategy at Morningstar France. Tardy had previously been director of strategy at Morningstar. The newly-created position is part of the firm’s strategy on the French market, which has developed new product ranges including “Equity & Credit Research,” “Morningstar Indexes,” LIM Commodities,” “Variable Annuities,” and others, a statement says. Tardy joined Morningstar in 2006, and for 2 years was director of the group’s affiliate in South Africa.
24/05/2011
Sales team at Robeco Gestions under reconstruction
According to information received by Newsmanagers, by this summer, and perhaps as soon as next month, Robeco Gestion will have successfully reconstituted its sales teams, following the movements of last year, and restored normality, with the recruitment of a director of sales. Two other sales personnel will be joining the firm in the relatively near future.
24/05/2011
Liquidity for Axa Immoselect fund up 2 points
Axa Investment Managers Deutschland (Axa IM) has announced that it has sold off a real estate property (in Via Viola in Rome) from the portfolio of its open-ended real estate fund Axa Immoselect (DE0009846451). The sale was at a price higher than the market value of the property, and the price at which the property was acquired in 2003.Ian Gordine, manager of the fund, says that with the sale, the Axa Immoselect fund has increased its liquidity rate by nearly two percentage points, to 12.7%.Axa IM has frozen subscriptions to the fund, with over EUR2.6bn in assets, from which redemptions have been frozen since 17 November 2009 (see Newsmanagers of 28 April).
24/05/2011
WGF obtains a license to launch a real estate management firm
On 23 May, WGF Finanzgruppe announced that it has received permission from BaFin to operate WGF Immobilien Investment GmbH, an institutional real estate fund management firm. It will offer custom products for insturers, pension funds and religious organisations, among others.Investments will be decided on by a committee composed of clients and management at the firm.WGF Immobilien Investment GmbH is led by Hans-Dieter Martin (chairman of the board of directors), who was one of the heads of LB ImmoInvest GmbH, also an institutional real estate management firm, and by Walter J. Helbach, who was one of the directors of ECE Projektmanagement GmbH, after serving in senior positions at Deka Immobilien Investment GmbH.
24/05/2011
Universal to launch real estate funds
Bernd Vorbeck, CEO, has announced in an interview with the Börsen-Zeitung that Universal Investment is planning to add to its product range with the launch of institutional real estate funds from this autumn. Universal has recruited Alexander Tannenbaum from Aberdeen to manage the portfolios. The firm is aiming for a market share of 15% in the mid-term. The market currently measures EUR30bn.
24/05/2011
Pimco registers three funds in Spain
The US management firm Pimco (Allianz Global Investors group) has registered its Pimco GIS EMErging Multi-Asset fund, a sub-fund of its Irish Global Investor Series (41 sub-funds, GBP46bn in assets), the PIMCO GIS EqS Emerging Markets fund, an emerging markets equity fund managed in London (see Newsmanagers of 28 April), and the Pimco CIS Euro Income Fund, which aims for annual returns of 5% with monthly distribution, with the CNMV for sale in Spain.
24/05/2011
Carmignac registers Emerging Patrimoine in Spain
The French management firm Carmignac Gestion has registered its new diversified fund Emerging Patrimoine (see Newsmanagers of 25 January) with the CNMV, so that the fund may now be offered for sale in Spain.