Le fonds de pension des enseignants de Californie (CalSTRS), dont les actifs sous gestion s'élèvent à plus de 180 milliards de dollars, a définitivement adopté une nouvelle organisation de son comité d’investissement qui sera désormais assisté de deux consultants pour améliorer ses travaux de recherche et fournir une base plus large d’opinions pour appuyer ses principales décisions d’investissement.Après avoir sélectionné fin 2013 les deux sociétés de conseil Pension Consulting Alliance (PCA) et Meketa, CalSTRS a en précisé les différentes missions, indique un communiqué publié le 4 avril.PCA aura une mission de conseil globale et participera à l'étude d’allocation d’actifs qui sera réalisée trois fois par an à compter de 2015. L’autre société de conseil, Meketa, assurera chaque année la recherche et l’analyse de deux grands projets sélectionnés par le comité d’investissement, surveillera et commentera l’allocation stratégique du fonds et participera également à l'étude d’allocation d’actifs.

Jean-Pierre Jouyet a annoncé samedi sur France Inter qu’il quittera au 1er mai son siège de président du conseil d’administration de la banque publique d’investissement bpifrance, rapporte L’Agefi. Ségolène Royal, qui en était vice-présidente, va également quitter l’organisme après avoir été nommée ministre de l’Ecologie du nouveau gouvernement de Manuel Valls, et Louis Gallois (nommé en tant que commissaire général à l’investissement) a démissionné en vue de son arrivée comme président de PSA Peugeot Citroën.Le président en exercice n’a pas souhaité évoquer de nom pour le remplacer. Le Figaro croit savoir que le choix des actionnaires pourrait se porter sur Odile Renaud-Basso, directrice générale adjointe de la CDC, Franck Silvent, directeur du pôle finances de la Caisse des dépôts, ou Dominique Marcel, PDG de la Compagnie des Alpes et membre du comité de direction de Caisse. Quant au poste de vice-présidente de Ségolène Royal, il semble promis à Marie-Guite Dufay, présidente de la région Franche-Comté, afin de respecter les règles de parité prévues par les statuts de bpifrance, note l’Agefi.

Le Crédit Mutuel a cédé la totalité de sa participation de 6,87 % qu’il détenait depuis 2004 dans la banque coopérative italienne Banca Popolare di Milano (BPM), rapporte Les Echos. Le groupe bancaire coopératif français, qui souhaite par ailleurs réduire son endettement, a déclaré le 3 avril que son holding, la Caisse fédérale de Crédit Mutuel, avait vendu sur le marché sa participation dans la banque milanaise. Au cours de clôture du 3 avril, celle-ci valait environ 160 millions d’euros.

M&G Investments vient de faire enregistrer 13 fonds supplémentaires en Suède, doublant pratiquement son offre de fonds proposés en Suède à 28, rapporte Fondbranschen. « Les clients suédois manifestent un grand intérêt pour les actions européennes et les fonds diversifiés et nous voyons un intérêt grandissant pour le haut rendement et les fonds obligataires », indique Volker Buschmann, responsable des ventes retail en Europe du Nord pour la société britannique. La liste des fonds enregistrés en Suède • M&G Corporate Bond Fund • M&G Dynamic Allocation Fund • M&G Episode Macro Fund • M&G European Fund (ex UK) • M&G European High Yield Bond Fund • M&G European Index Tracker Fund (ex UK) • M&G European Inflation Linked Corporate Bond Fund • M&G European Smaller Companies Fund • M&G High Yield Corporate Bond Fund • M&G Japan Fund • M&G North American Value Fund • M&G Recovery Fund • M&G UK Growth Fund

Le groupe espagnol Bankia vient de nommer Pablo Hernandez en tant que nouveau directeur commercial de sa branche de gestion d’actifs, rapporte Funds People. L’intéressé remplace ainsi Begoña Hernandez qui va toutefois poursuivre sa carrière au sein du groupe bancaire avec d’autres responsabilités dans le réseau.Pablo Hernandez sera désormais le responsable commercial de l’activité des fonds commun de placement et des fonds de pension du groupe Bankia et, dans ce cadre, il sera rattaché à Rocio Eguiraun, directeur de la gestion d’actifs. Pablo Hernandez a effectué l’essentiel de sa carrière professionnelle chez Bankia où il est entré en 1998.

Crédit Agricole Private Banking a récemment recruté Alberto Ibañez en qualité de responsable de l’activité auprès des clients institutionnels en Espagne, rapporte Funds People. L’intéressé, qui peut se prévaloir de 12 ans d’expérience dans le secteur de la finance, travaillait précédemment chez UBS Wealth Management en qualité de directeur du département des relations avec les intermédiaires financiers.

Les gestionnaires d’actifs DoubleDividend B.V. et Activinvestor Management B.V. ont annoncé le 4 avril qu’ils avaient décidé de fusionner. Les deux entités qui ont fusionné le 1er avril affichent un total d’actifs sous gestion de 50 millions d’euros.

Goldman Sachs Asset Management (GSAM)a lancé le 4 avril le CPSE ETF sur deux bourses indiennes, la National Stock Exchange et le Bombay Stock Exchange, rapporte Asian Investor.Cet ETF comprend dix valeurs, toutes des entreprises étatiques dans les secteur de l'énergie, des services aux collectivités et des services financiers, dont le capital a été à des degrés divers ouvert au public des investisseurs.GSAM, qui a racheté le fournisseur d’ETF indien Benchmark Mutual Fund en 2011, a levé près de 500 millions de dollars pour le CPSE ETF, ce qui en fait le plus gros ETF actions du pays depuis le lancement du Reliance Natural Resources Fund en 2008.Avant le lancement du CPSE ETF, les actifs sous gestion des 24 ETF disponibles sur le marché indien totalisaient 114 millions de dollars.

Millenium Management poursuit ses efforts pour étoffer ses équipes. Le hedge fund d’Izzy Englander, qui gère 21,8 milliards de dollars d’actifs, a recruté Owain Self, ancien responsable mondial des services d’exécution chez UBS, révèle eFinancial News qui citent trois sources proches du dossier. Owain Self, qui a quitté UBS il y a 15 jours après y avoir passé près de 15 ans, devrait rejoindre Millenium Management dans le courant de l’année et sera basé aux Etats-Unis.

Metropole Gestion vient de recruter Tanja Bender en qualité de responsable de la distribution en Allemagne, rapporte Das Investment. Tanja Bender, qui travaillait précédemment chez Oppenheim Asset Management Services au Luxembourg, sera en charge des banques, des family offices et des gestionnaires indépendants. Elle est rattachée au patron de l’Allemagne, Markus Hampel.

Robert Howell, responsable des matières premières et gérant du fonds Schroders Alternative Solutions Commodity, quitte la société et sera remplacé par Geoff Blanning, rapporte Investment Week. L’intéressé, qui a rejoint la société en 1998, a décidé de quitter Schroders et le secteur des services financiers.

P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } A representative of the French Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF) on Friday, 4 April called for a record fine of EUR40m against the investment fund Elliott, for fraud and manipulation of the share price of APRR, Agefi reports. The case dates from 2010, and concerns the Eiffarie consortium, formed by the Eiffage group and the Australian Macquarie, which then controlled 81.48% of capital in the Autoroutes Paris Rhin Rhône, which had been privatised four years earlier. Representatives of the AMF accuse the British fund arm of the fund,Elliott Advisors UK, of sending US partners of Elliott management Corp insider information concerning the prospects of a sale of APRR shares to Eiffage, at a price higher than the market. Representatives of the fund, which has firmly denied any wrongdoing, have found a heavyweight supporter in the reporter to the sanctions commission, who feels that there was no price manipulation.

P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } M&G Investmetns has registered a further 13 funds in Sweden, almost doubling its range of funds on offer in Sweden to 28, Fondbranschen reports. Swedish clients are showing a large interest in European equities and balanced funds, and we see a growing interest in high yield and bond funds,” says Volker Buschmann, head of retail sales for Northern Europe at the British firm. The list of funds registered in Sweden: • M&G Corporate Bond Fund • M&G Dynamic Allocation Fund • M&G Episode Macro Fund • M&G European Fund (ex UK) • M&G European High Yield Bond Fund • M&G European Index Tracker Fund (ex UK) • M&G European Inflation Linked Corporate Bond Fund • M&G European Smaller Companies Fund • M&G High Yield Corporate Bond Fund • M&G Japan Fund • M&G North American Value Fund • M&G Recovery Fund • M&G UK Growth Fund

P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } According to Asia Asset Management, BlackRock on 7 april announced that it has appointed Ryan Stork as head of the asset management firm for the Asia-Pacific region, effective from 1 June 2014. Stork, who will move from New York to Hong Kong, has worked at BlackRock for 13 years, and has served in several leadership positions, which have allowed him to participate actively in the development of the US firm. The appointment comes as part of a profound reorganization at BlackRock (see elsewhere). Mark McCombe, current head for Asia-Pacific, will move to New York to take up a position as global head of the activity dedicated to institutional clients and chairman of BlackRock Alternative Investors. However, McCombe will temporarily retain his position as president for Asia-Pacific until the end of 2014, in order to ensure a smooth transition.

P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } Threatened with being presented as a systemic risk, large asset management firms are fighting against measures worldwide, the Financial Times reports. In a letter to the Financial Stability Board, BlackRock argues that a leverage “screen” should be the primary tool used to identify which global giants should be subject to tougher regulation.

P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } Large asset management firms may represent a risk to the stability of the financial system, Andrew Haldane, executive director for financial stability at the Bank of England, announced, as cited in the Wall Street Journal. At an asset management conference at the London Business School, he said that several asset manaement firms are so large that “difficulties at an asset management firm may aggravate frictions on the financial markets.” Amond these major risks, he cites the case of a fund in difficulty required to sell assets, which would drive down prices on the market. That could trigger another wave of massive sales, which would amplify the fall.

P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } BNP Paribas Investment Partners (BNP Paribas IP) is adding to its product range. The asset management firm, an affiliate of the eponymous banking group, has launched a new short duration bond fund denominated in renminbi, Citywire global reports. The BNP Paribas Flexi I RMB Short Duration Bond fund is an UCITS vehicle which will be managed by Adeline Ng, head of fixed income for Asia, and her team based in Singapore. At its launch, the fund has received seed capital from BNP Paribas totalling USD100m. It has 30 to 60 investment grade corporate bond positions in its porttfolio, which a high yield of 25%. It will invest both in Chinese domestic and in international companies operating in China. The product, with a three-year duration, aims to offer annual investment of about 4.5%.

EFG International has nominated two new directors for approval at its annual general meeting, scheduled for 25 April 2014. The proposed new directors are Robert Chiu, non-executive chairman of EFG Bank Asia, and Daniel Zuberbühler, formerly senior financial consultant, at KPMG in Zurich. After more than eight years as a member of the board of EFG International, Hans Niederer is not putting himself forward for re-election at the annual general meeting. The shareholders will individually elect the members of the board of directors, the chairman of the board of directors and the members of the remuneration committee for a one-year term of office.

P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } Goldman Sachs Asset Management (GSAM) on 4 April launched the PCSE ETF on two Indian stock markets, the National Stock Exchange and the Bombay Stock Exchange, Asian Investor reports. The ETF includes ten stocks, all of them state companies in the energy, utility and financial services industries, with capital which has been opened to investors to varying extents. GSAM, which acquired the Indian ETF provider Benchmark Mutual Fund in 2011, has raised nearly USD500m for the CPSE ETF, which makes it the largest equity ETF since the launch of the Reliance Natural Resources Fund in 2008. With the launch of the CPS ETF, assets under management in the 24 ETFs available on the Indian market total USD114m.

P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } Millennium Management is continuing its efforts to add to its teams. The hedge fund from Izzy Englander, which has USD21.8bn in assets under management, has recruited Owain Self, former global head of execution services at UBS, eFinancial news reports, citing sources familiar with the matter. Self, who left UBS 15 days ago after nearly 15 years there, will join Millenium Management during the year, and will be based in the United States.

P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } Robert Howell, head of commodigies and manager of the Schroders Alternative Solutions Commodity fund, is leaving the firm, and will be replaced by Geoff Blanning, Investment Week reports. Howell, who joined the firm in 1998 has decided to leave Schroders and the financial services sector.

P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } The Japanese Government Pension Investment Fund (GPIF), which has USD1.2trn in assets under management, is resetting its equity investment policy on its domestic market. The pension fund has decided to put in place a wide range of indices in its dedicated strategy (“Indexing Strategy”) both for passive and active investments, the firm announced in a statement on 4 April. Concerning passive investments, in addition to the TOPIX index, three new indices will now be used: JPX-Nikkei 400, MSCI Japan and Russell Nomura Prime. Meanwhile, in the area of active investments, in the «Traditional Active Management» category, GPIF is introducing a new Smart Beta active management category, “an investment approach which aims to capture returns over the mid- and long-term through an indexing strategy,” the pension fund says. Due to the introduction of these new induces, GPIF will start to perform passive and active investments in local real estate via Japanese real estate investment trusts (REIT). As part of the reorganisation, GPIF has selected 14 active and 10 passive managers. In the area of traditional active management, the pension fund will work with the following managers: Eastsping Investments Limited, Invesco AM, Capital International K.K., Seiruy AM, Natixis AM Japan, Nikko AM, FIL Investments (Japan), Mizuho AM, Russell Investments Japan, JP Morgan AM and DIAM (the last two of which already work with GPIF). For active smart beta management, the pension fund has selected three managers: Goldman Sachs AM, Nomura Funds Research and Technologies, and Nomura AM, with whom it had already been working. Lastly, for passive investments, GPIF has selected 5 new managers. DIAM, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank and Mitsubishi UFJ Trust and Banking Corporation will operate for strategies related to the JPX-Nikei 400 index. Meanwhile, BlackRock Japan has been selected to oversee investments related to the MSCI Japan index, and Mizuho Trust & Banking has been selected for investments related to the Russell Nomura Prime.

P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } Pressure is rising in Spain on funds with performance objectives. The local regulator, the CNMV, has announced plans to classify these vehicles into the complex product category, Funds People reports. “We are going to classify structured investment products as complex products. This group includes funds which have an objective concerning returns,” Elvira Rodriguez, chairwoman of the CNMV, announced at an award ceremony. This is a blow to the fund, which since the beginning of the year have been doing well, and are at the centre of sales campaigns from several operators. “Until now, these funds were not considered complex products. But with this change, opportunity tests will have to be applied to them for clients who have access to these products,” Rodriguez explains, adding that “the replacement of guaranteed funds with products with return objectives represents a risk, and that is the reason that the Commission wanted to work on this point.”

P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } Investcorp, via its hedge fund activity based in the United States, and Eyck Capital Management, an asset management firm based in London, on 3 April announced that they had signed a strategic alliance which will aim to allow Eyck Capital Management to increase its capital and accelerate its activities, while offering Investcorp and its investors access to event-driven and distressed credit strategies throughout Europe. Eyck Capital, founded in 2013, is the most recent asset management firm to have received the support of Investocorp, which has USD11.3bn in assets under management as of 31 December. Historically, Investcorp has provided seed capital or new money totalling USD50m to USD100m.

P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } The asset management firms DoubleDividend B.V. and Activinvestor Management B.V. on 4 April announced that they had decided to merge. The two entities officially merged on 1 April, with total assets under management of EUR50m.

P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } Crédit Agricole Private Banking has recently recruited Alberto Ibañez as head of the activity serving institutional clients in Spain, Funds People reports. Ibañez, who has 12 years of experience in the finance sector, previously worked at UBS Wealth Management as director of the financial intermediary relationships department.

P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } The Spanish Bankia group has appointed Pablo Hernandez as its new head of sales for its asset management arm, Funds People reports. Hernandez replaces Begoña Hernandez, who will continue her career in the banking group with other responsibilities on the network. Hernandez will now be head of sales for mutual fund and pension funds activities at the Bankia group, and in this role will report directly to Rocio Eguiraun, director of asset management. Hernandez spent most of his professional career at Bankia, where he began in 1998.

The board of directors at BlackRock is preparing a reshuffle which would be the first step in a long-term succession plan for Larry Fink, the founder and CEO of the group, the Financial Times reports today. Fink has been been working to hand off more responsibility to a younger generation of directors below the three top men, being himself, Rob Kapito, chairman, and Charlie Hallac, COO. Rob Goldstein, global head of institutional client activity and BlackRock Solutions, becomes COO, while Richard Kushel, deputy to Hallac, is promoted to chief product officer. The reshuffle was put in place in order to allow Hallac to take time off as he receives treatment for colon cancer.Hallac becomes co-chairman, with responsibility for strategy, talent development and future technologies. Other young directors are promoted, including Mark McCome, Mark Wiedman, Quintin Price and Gary Shedlin, adds the FT.

bfinance has hired Emily Porter-Lynch, as a director, investment advisory. Prior to joining bfinance, Porter-Lynch was a senior investment manager at Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS), where she developed the hedge fund capabilities of the UK’s second largest pension scheme and helped oversee a multi-billion dollar allocation to hedge fund strategies. At USS Porter-Lynch was also a member of the Alternative Investment Committee. Prior to joining USS, she was an Investment Director at Key Asset Management, where she worked closely with Dr Chris Jones and Dr Toby Goodworth, now respectively Head of Public Markets & Alternatives and Head of Risk Management at bfinance. Porter-Lynch has 13 years’ experience in hedge funds and has served on numerous industry panels and committees as a thought leader on institutional investing in Alternatives.

Neuberger Berman has announced that Erik Knutzen will join the firm as Multi-Asset Class chief investment officer. He joins from NEPC, LLC where he has served as chief investment officer since 2008.In this new role, Erik Knutzen will drive the asset allocation process on a firm-wide level and create related client content for strategic partnerships and multi-asset class solutions while joining in portfolio management on a number of mandates.