Les Pays-Bas lâchent du lest dans leur rigueur budgétaire
Connu pour ses positions radicales au pic de la crise de l'euro, le ministre des Finances admet que le déficit dépassera la limite des 3% en 2014
La Turquie desserre l’étau monétaire pour endiguer la chute de la lire
La banque centrale a relevé la borne haute de son taux d'emprunt à court terme de 50 points de base en pleine phase de ralentissement économique
Ralentissement de la croissance norvégienne
Le PIB norvégien, hors secteur pétrolier et transport maritime, a progressé de 0,2% au deuxième trimestre, alors que le consensus Reuters prévoyait en moyenne une croissance de 0,7% après celle de 0,6% enregistrée entre janvier et mars. La couronne norvégienne cédait 1% face à l’euro suite à cette annonce. La banque centrale prévoyait aussi une croissance de 0,7% au deuxième trimestre et pourrait revoir à la baisse sa prévision de 2,5% sur l’ensemble de l’année.
Les BRICS relancent leur projet de banque commune
Des acteurs économiques des Brics se sont réunis hier à Johannesburg autour du thème du commerce avec l’Afrique, et ont insisté sur le fait que leur projet de banque de développement n'était pas abandonné. «Nos gouvernements sont toujours attachés à l’idée de cette banque, nous sommes convaincus qu’elle va se concrétiser», a ainsi dit Ma Zehua, représentant de la Chine. Et d’ajouter qu’elle permettra de «soutenir le commerce et les investissements entre Etats membres».
La Nouvelle-Zélande poursuit ses privatisations
Dans le cadre de son programme de privatisations destiné à redresser les comptes publics, le premier ministre néo-zélandais, John Key, a indiqué que le pays allait introduire en Bourse en novembre 49% de Meridian Energy, sa plus grande compagnie électrique, dont il conservera 51%, sur le modèle de l’IPO de Mighty River Power. Meridian Energy est valorisée à quelque 6,5 milliards de dollars locaux (4 milliards d’euros) par les analystes.
Crise politique en République tchèque
Les députés tchèques ont voté hier, à 140 voix sur 200, en faveur de l’autodissolution de la Chambre basse, ouvrant la voie à l’organisation à l’automne d'élections législatives anticipées censées mettre un terme à la crise politique provoquée par la chute en juin du gouvernement de centre droit de Petr Necas. Selon les sondages, les sociaux-démocrates du CSSD sont largement favoris du prochain scrutin.
La Pologne creuse son déficit budgétaire
Le gouvernement polonais a adopté hier un projet de collectif budgétaire qui augmente le déficit de 16 milliards de zlotys (3,76 milliards euros). Le projet fait en effet état de recettes fiscales inférieures de 23,7 milliards à ce qui était prévu dans la loi de finances pour 2013. En réponse, le gouvernement propose de procéder à des coupes dans ses dépenses de 7,7 milliards, pour limiter l’augmentation du déficit à 16 milliards de zlotys.
Nasdaq OMX est numéro deux de la compensation de taux en Europe
En atteignant un volume de compensation de swaps de taux d’intérêt en couronnes suédoises (SEK) de 100 milliards (12 milliards d’euros), Nasdaq OMX Clearing devient la deuxième plus importante chambre de compensation en matière de contrat d’échange de taux d’intérêt en Europe. Les swaps de taux d’intérêt en SEK ont été introduits en 2012 et les premiers échanges interbanques réalisés le 22 avril 2013.
Hausse des encours de crédit aux TPE
Selon les statistiques de la Banque de France, les encours de crédit aux micro-entreprises ont crû de 2,6% sur un an à fin juin 2013. L’encours s’élève à 227,1 milliards d’euros. Sur le seul deuxième trimestre, les établissements de crédit ont accordé 14,1 milliards de crédits nouveaux, contre 12,5 milliards au premier trimestre. Le taux d’intérêt moyen pour les crédits inférieurs à 250.000 euros atteint 3,02% fin juin, un taux inférieur à ceux pratiqués dans le reste de la zone euro.
Pierre Moscovici comprend la grogne fiscale
Le ministre des Finances s’est dit hier matin très sensible au «ras-le-bol fiscal» ressenti par les citoyens et les entreprises françaises, en confirmant l’objectif de stabilisation des prélèvements obligatoires en 2015. «Dans le redressement nécessaire, nous inverserons les proportions par rapport à 2013 entre les économies qui doivent être prioritaires et les prélèvements obligatoires qui doivent être aussi peu importants, aussi faibles que possible», a-t-il ajouté.
La Grèce n’est pas au bout de ses peines
Le ministre allemand des Finances a pour la première fois publiquement reconnu hier que la Grèce aura besoin d’un troisième plan d’aide international, conduisant même un responsable grec à réagir en précisant que les sommes nécessaires seraient beaucoup moins importantes que celles des deux précédents plans. De quoi faire bondir hier de 27 points de base le rendement des obligations à 10 ans de l’Etat grec qui a ainsi atteint un plus haut de trois semaines, se tendant à 10,066%. «La Grèce et ses créanciers passent en revue les différentes manières de boucher les éventuels trous dans les besoins de financement auxquels la Grèce pourrait être confrontée au cours des prochaines années», a indiqué à Reuters un responsable du ministère grec des Finances. Le mois dernier, le Fonds monétaire international (FMI) a estimé à quelque 10,9 milliards d’euros les trous dans le plan de financement de la Grèce sur 2014-2015.
La RBI injecte des liquidités
La banque centrale indienne a indiqué hier soir qu’elle comptait racheter vendredi pour 80 milliards de roupies (940 millions d’euros) d’obligations d’Etat. D’autres rachats éventuels pourront intervenir en fonction de l’évolution des marchés, a précisé la RBI. Une mesure qui vise à ce que les taux et les flux de crédits distribués dans les secteurs productifs de l'économie ne soient pas trop atteints par les dispositions prises ces derniers jours pour resserrer les conditions monétaires.
Erreur d'ordres sur les options américaines
Les opérateurs américains d’options sur actions (NYSE Amex, le Nasdaq et le CBOE) ont passé en revue toute une série d’erreurs d’ordres qui se seraient déroulées hier, juste après la clôture des marchés, dont une bonne partie aurait d’ailleurs été annulés, indique le Wall Street Journal. Une erreur de saisie dans les symboles des options traitées serait à l’origine de cet incident.
NYSE choisit ses banques pour l’IPO d’Euronext
NYSE Euronext, l’opérateur boursier racheté par IntercontinentalExchange (ICE) aurait choisi JPMorgan Chase et la Société Générale pour gérer l’introduction en Bourse de sa filiale européenne, indique Bloomberg. Une part d’Euronext pourrait être cédée dès cette année et rapporter environ 750 millions d’euros au groupe, même si sa taille n’a pas encore été fixée.
Les valeurs financières chahutées en Bourse
Le secteur, qui avait largement contribué à la progression de l’indice CAC 40 ces derniers mois, compte parmi les plus fortes baisses
20/08/2013
Le norvégien Skagen va vendre ses fonds en Belgique
La société de gestion norvégienne Skagen vient d’obtenir l’autorisation de commercialiser trois de ses fonds en Belgique auprès de l’autorité belge des services et marchés financiers (FSMA). Il s’agit des fonds de droit norvégien Skagen Global (actions monde), Skagen Kon-Tiki (actions marchés émergents) et Skagen Vekst (actions Europe du Nord et monde). La décision de faire agréer ses fonds en Belgique répond à un intérêt et une demande grandissants de la part des investisseurs belges, explique Skagen. Mais pour l’instant, les clients belges seront servis depuis Stavanger en Norvège, la société voulant se développer en Belgique « de manière maîtrisée et mesurée ».Outre les pays nordiques, Skagen propose ses fonds au Luxembourg, aux Pays-Bas, au Royaume-Uni et en Suisse.
20/08/2013
Investors less interested in emerging market equities
Investors’ interest in emerging market equities appears to be on the decline, although flows remain positive. The growth of assets dedicated to emerging market equities is much less rapid than in the years 2010, 2011 nd 2012, according to the eVestment database dedicated to institutional investment, IPE reports. In second quarter 2013, the growth rate for these assets still totalled 16%, or 1.8% less than in the first quarter of the year. But between fourth quarter 2008 and first quarter 2012, the growth rate for emerging market equities has always remained above 20%, peaking at 30.9% in first quarter 2009. Last year, the growth rates in second, third and fourth quarters came to 18%, 20% and 19.5%, respectively. The database also reveals that manager replacement activity began to increase in 2011, and remained high throughout 2012. This is a classic phenomenon when an asset class reaches a certain level of maturity, eVestment comments. In this environment, net inflows are increasingly modest, and have been overtaken by assets related to manager substitutions. In second quarter 2013, only 53.5% of the growth in emerging market equities was due to net inflows, comapred with 59.6% in second quarter 2012, and 65.8% in second quarter 2011.
20/08/2013
Vanguard ranks first for global sales
In first quarter, Vanguard has taken the top three places in the rankings for the best-selling funds in the world, according to Strategic Insight, cited by Financial Times Fund Management. The Total Stock Market Index fund has attracted a net USD13.2bn, while the Vanguard 500 Index fund has attracted USD4.2bn. USD12.4bn have been invested in the Vanguard Total Bond Market II Index fund, and USD11.7bn in the Vanguard Total International Stock Index fund.
20/08/2013
Sean Taylor leaves Pioneer to join Deutsche Asset & WM
Deutsche Asset & Wealth Management on 19 August announced the appointment of Sean Taylor as head of emerging market equities. Taylor, who had previously worked at Pioneer Investments as head of Global Emerging Markets (GEM) equities, will be responsible for all strategies, products and teams dedicated to emerging markets. Taylor, who will be based in London, will report to Randy Brown and Asoka Wöhrmann, co-chief investment officers at DeAWM.
20/08/2013
Nicolas Bouët leaves Invesco France as part of a management reshuffle
The recent announcement on the website H24 Finance of a possible departure of Nicolas Bouët from Invesco France, where he had been deputy CEO, was confirmed yesterday by the Paris-based asset management firm. Bouët has also told Newsmanagers that he is to become head of a newly-created organisation. The position previously held by Bouët will be divided into two. A part is dedicated entirely to commercial actiity at the firm, while another part includes all management of the business and the role of interlocutor with professional organisations such as the AFG. As a part of the changes, Invesco France has promoted Olivier Brouwers to the position of head of sales for France. In addition to this new responsibility, the insider, who joined the firm in 1998, already serves as head of sales and customer service for Benelux and the Scandinavian countries. Sergio Trezzis ie head of sales and customer service teams for continental Europe. Invesco has also appointed France Matthieu Grosclaude, who has recently joined the firm, as director of retail activities for continental Europe. Before joining Invesco, Grosclaude worked at McKinsey & Company, where he was a consultant specialised in asset management and asset servicing.
20/08/2013
Asset management net inflows lag over six months
Out of a total volume of assets of about CHF1.2trn in asset management at the five largest companies in the field (UBS AM, CS AM, GAM, Vontobel AM and Partners Group) listed n Zurich, net inflows in first half 2013 totalled about CHF12bn, Agefi Switzerland reports. Inflows totalled slightly under CHF20bn in 18 months. This is a sign of the effort which remains to be made to allow asset management to become a driver of growth for the Swiss financial sector. By comparison, the five largest groups in private or wealth management (UBS, CS, Julius Baer, EFG Int, Vontobel) attracted about CHF44bn in new funds in first quarter 2013, and nearly CHF100bn over 18 months.
20/08/2013
East Capital shuts Shanghai office
The Swedish asset management firm East Capital will be closing its Shanghai office, and concentrate its Asian operations in Hong Kong. Meanwhile, Gustav Rhenman, manager of the East Capital (Lux) China East Asia Fund and East Capital (Lux) China Fund, will be leaving the firm on 31 August “to pursue other interests,” a statement says. The Chinese office was founded in August 2010 by Karine Hirn, partner and co-founder at East Capital, when Asia Growth Investors, a small Swedish asset management firm specialised in Asia, founded in 2004 by Rhenman, was acquired. The objective for the director then was to study the Chinese market, and eventually to reinforce investment teams at AGI. “Establishing an initial base for the Asia team in Shanghai three years ago was a very important step for East Capital towards gaining an understanding of the reality of mainland China and to build a strong contact network that we will maintain and further develop,” Hirn explains in a statement today. The Asian teams at East Capital, a speicalist in emerging markets with EUR3.7bn in assets, will now be moved to Hong Kong, where the firm has had an office since 2006. This team will include three people (Dmitriy Vlasov and Adrian Pop, both senior advisers, and Hirn), while three other people will cover the Asian market from Stockholm (Peter Elam Håkansson, CIO, Kristina Sandklef, Asia macro economist, and Huizi Zeng, analyst).
20/08/2013
Calamos recruits two specialists from Aviva Investors
The asset management firm Calamos Investments, based in Chicago, has recruited two high yield bond specialists, Chris Langs and Jeremy Hughes, who had previously worked at Aviva Investors. The two new recruits come as additions to the team specialised in bonds and high yield, led by the eponymous CEO of Calamos.
20/08/2013
S&P Capital IQ plans to sell its research activities
The service provider S&P Capital IQ is planning to sell its research activity, and is studying all strategic alternatives, after a review of its product portfolio, FundWeb reports. The research activity, launched in 1990, covers retail and institutional funds, including hedge funds, absolute return funds, UCITS format funds, and funds of funds.
20/08/2013
Fidelity launches a fund dedicated to Asian dividends
Fidelity Worldwide Investment has launched a fund dedicated to Asian dividends, which will be managed by Polly Kwan, FundWeb reports. The Fidelity Asian Dividend fund will invest 60% to 80% of its assets in companies in the Pacific ex Japan region, with a preference for businesses which generate high cash flow and which have quality management teams. The fund will distribute quarterly dividends. Management fees total 1.5% for A class equities.
20/08/2013
Number of funds in Europe continues to decline
The total number of funds showed a decrease of 425 products for second quarter 2013, according to statistics from Lipper. For second quarter 2012 the net decrease had been slightly higher, with 458 products. 502 funds were liquidated between April and June, and 355 were merged. At the same time, only 432 funds were launched, while between 2009 and 2011, there were more than 700 new products (in the second quarters of each year). Bond funds were the only product segment that showed a growing number of products during Q2 2013. The high number of newly launched bond funds reflects the demand of investors for new products within this sector, mainly driven by the chase for yield. As of the end of June 2013, there were 31,877 mutual funds registered for sale in Europe. Luxembourg continued to dominate the fund market in Europe, hosting 8,515 funds, followed by France, where 5,035 funds were domiciled.
20/08/2013
Non-money market mutual fund assets down in June
In June 2013, assets in securities issued by non-money market mutual funds in the euro zone came to less than EUR78bn than they did one quarter previously, in March 2013, according to statistics from the European Central Bank. This development is partly due to a decline in the value of securities related to a market correction observed in June, partly compensated by net issues. Assets in shares issued by non-money market mutual funds in the euro zone were down to EUR6.812trn as of June 2013, compared with EUR6.890trn in March 2013. In the same period, assets in securities issued by money market mutual funds in the euro zone were down to EUR849bn, after EUR910bn. Net subscriptions to non-money market mutual funds in the euro zone totalled EUR92bn in second quarter 2013, while net redemptions from money market mutual funds totalled EUR55bn. In terms of ventilation by investment strategy, the annual rate of growth in securities issued by bond funds totalled 10.1% in June 2013, and net subscriptions totalled EUR38bn in second quarter 2013. In the case of equity funds, the growth rate came to 8.7%, and net subscriptions to EUR34bn.
20/08/2013
Managers expected to make a financial investment in management
Managers seeking better returns should invest their money alongside that of investors to improve performance, according to asset management firms, pension funds, and consultants surveyed by MHP Communications. Nearly 60% of them estimate that when managers “get their feet wet,” it leads to better performance, Financial Times fund management reports.
20/08/2013
US authorities launch further investigations of JP Morgan Chase
The US Attorney General is launching a new investigation to determine whether JPMorgan Chase bank manipulated energy prices, according to the Wall Street Journal. The Attorney general has decided to launch an investigation in the past few weeks, at a time when JPMorgan Chase was finalising an out-of-court settlement with another government agency, the energy regulator FERC, the financial newspaper explains, citing sources familiar with the matter. The US authorities also suspect the US bank of recruiting the children of influential Chinese leaders in order to win contracts in the country, the New York Times reports. An investigation has been initiated by the anti-corruption unit at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to verify the allegations, the newspaper states, citing a confidential US government document.
20/08/2013
Hedge fund manager admits wrongdoing
The hedge fund manager Philip Facone has admitted wrongdoing as part of a settlement with regulators, the Wall Street Journal reports. Falcone and his hedge fund firm, Harbinger Capital Partners, will pay over USD18m, and Falcone will no longer be permitted to operate in the securities industry for at least five years. This is the first time that an individual or company has admitted fault in a settlement with the SEC. The settlement puts an end to two SEC lawsuits claiming that Falcone and his company deceived investors on the subject of a personal loan of USD113m which Falcone issued himself from a fund in order to pay his own taxes, at a time when other investors were not allowed to withdraw their money.