In the first nine months of 2011, net profits for investment funds from the Santander group fell 58.6% compared with January-September, to EUR23m, while pension fund profits fell by 14.3% to EUR7m. Total assets as of the end of September were EUR114bn, 8% less than in June, and 4% less than one year previously. This contraction is largely due to falling markets and a recent depreciation of Latin American currencies. Assets under traditional management totalled EUR111bn (-2% year on year). Of this total, 90% came from the four major markets of Brazil, the United Kingdom, Spain and Mexico. The Santander group overall in January-September earned net profits down 12.8% to slightly over EUR5.3bn. This amount includes EUR620m in a fund created in second quarter to cover potential claims related to sales of payment protection insurance in the United Kingdom. In the first nine months of the year, the cost/income ratio deteriorated to 44.3% from 42.9%.
Funds People relays Expansión’s article according which Banco Popular has outsourced its custody and settlement activities for Spanish and international securities with a market value of over EUR50bn to BNP Paribas Securities Services (BNPP SS). The Spanish bank had previously used the services of RBC Dexia.Although the merger process between the two Spanish banks has not yet been completed, it appears that BNPP SS will also receive a custody and settlement contract from Banco Pastor, which will represent an additional volume of EUR5bn.
Prudential Financial has announced that it has signed an agreement to sell its stakes in Afore XXI, S.A. de C.V., a private manager of pension funds, to Banorte, a Mexican bank. The sale will bring in about USD200m, and will be finalised by the end of the year.
On October 27, NYSE Euronext has announced that RBS Market Access has listed 5 new ETFs on NYSE Euronext’s Amsterdam market. So far this year, there have been a total of 150 new listings on the NYSE Euronext European markets, including 122 new primary listings and 28 cross-listings.The products are all domicilied in Luxembourg and track MSCI indices. RBS MA FRONTIER LU0667622202 MSCI Frontier Markets TER : 0,90 %RBS MA AFRICA exZALU0667622384MSCI EFM Africa ex South Africa0.85%RBS MA GCC exSaudiLU0667622111MSCI GCC Countries ex Saudi Arabia Top 50 Capped0,70 %RBS MA BRZ EUR HdgLU0667622541MSCI Brazil (ADR) EUR Hedged0,60 %RBS MA LTM EUR HdgLU0667622467MSCI EM Latin America (Brazil ADR) EUR Hedged0,65 %.
On the basis of statistics from 21 foreign asset management firms, the Spanish Inverco association of asset management firms estimates that assets under management by all foreign actors as of the end of September totalled roughtly EUR47bn, which represents about 36.3% of total assets in Spanish funds of USD129.48bn (see Newsmanagers of 3 October).The 21 asset management firms which disclosed information as of 30 September had slightly over EUR32.46bn in assets under management, of which USD5.22bn were at JPMorgan AM, EUR3.34bn at BlackRock, EUR3.17bn at Amundi Iberia, EUR2.6bn at Franklin Templeton, and EUR2.1bn at BNP Paribas.Of the leaders, BlackRock alone shows a net inflow (EUR25.3m) in third quarter. JPMAM has seen net outflows of EUR540.2m, Amundi Iberia has lost USD251.5m, Franklin Templeton has seen net redemptions of USD158.8m, and BNP Paribas has posted redemptions of EUR182.2m.
On 29 September, the CNMV registered three share classes (A, P and I) for a fund of international shares in the real estate sector created by GVC Gaesco on 29 July, entitled GVC Gaesco Oportunidad Empresas Inmobiliarias.The product, managed by Josep Monsó, may invest either directly in equities, or in shares in REITs, and the recommended investment duration is 7 years. Exposure to emerging countries of the OECD region is limited to 33%, while forex risks are limited to 30%.The benchmark index is the STOXX Global 1800 Real Estate Eur (price) index, while the portfolio will be at least 85% exposed to equities, which means that it may contain up to 15% high quality bonds.CharacteristicsName: GVC Gaesco Oportunidad Empresas InmobiliariasISIN codes: ES0143628008 (A class)ES0143628016 (P class)ES0143628024 (I class)Management fees:class A (retail) : 2.25 %class P (from EUR0,5m): 1.5 %class I (mre than EUR1m): 0.75 %
Sovereign funds which no longer depend on earnings from commodities are gaining ground on more traditional sovereign funds which depend on one or several commodities, such as the Norwegian sovereign fund, according to a study recently published by PwC, entitled “The Impact of Sovereign Wealth Funds on Economic Success.”Assets in these sovereign funds “excluding commodities” now represent about 40% of all assets in sovereign funds, according to PwC, which estimates that these funds will continue to grow, largely financed by sales or budgetary surpluses. The study also finds that the types of commodities that fund these sovereign funds has diversified, to include lithium, for example.
Lyxor has announced that it is “considering variuos strategies” for its Hong Kong-listed ETFs, including withdrawing them from trading, the firm announced in a statement to Asian markets on Thursday. A spokesperson contacted by the Financial Times had no comment on the reasons for the decision. Lyxor has 12 ETFs listed in Hong Kong, representing total assets of USD7.1bn as of the end of August, according to Deutsche Bank.
The European fund and asset management association (EFAMA) on 27 October announced the publication of the ninth annual edition of its “Fact Book,” which described current trends in the asset management sector. The document provides analyses of issues that will determine the future of the sector, and reports on asset management markets in each of the 26 member countries of the professional association.
The Hamburg-based Andreas Brandt, who has been chairman of the managing board at Credit Suisse Deutschland in Frankfurt since 2006, in early November joined Bank Sarasin AG, an affiliate of the Basel-based Banque Sarasin & Cie, as head of its operation in northern Germany. He will also be in charge of developing private equity activities of rhte bank.Brandt has also been made head of the two new Sarasin branch offices in the region, one in Hamburg, which opens in November, and one in Hanover, which will be opened in Spring 2012.
The US asset management firm Goldman Sachs has decided to take in the consequences of the UCITS IV directive, and discontinue its licensed Spanish asset management arm, Goldman Sachs Gestión, a Spanish-registered SGIIC which focused on the management of a locally-registered Sicav for its private banking activity, Funds People reports. The decision will affect neither services to clients of the Private Wealth Management division, nor sales activities in Spain of Goldman Sachs Asset Management (GSAM) products.
Geir Tjetland joins Skagen as a portfolio manager. He will be a part of the team managing the equity fund Skagen Vekst, together with Beate Bredesen and Ole Søeberg. Geir Tjetland worked as a stockbroker between 1996 and 2010, first at Handelsbanken Markets and later as a partner at ABG Sundal Collier in Oslo. He will start in January 2012.
The number of jobs in the City of London is expected to fall by 27,000 in 2011, to 288,225 jobs in total, returning to their 1998 levels, according to projections from the Center for Economics and Business Research (CEBR), Les Echos reports. The figures echo the recent pessimism expressed by many investment banks, which have announced cuts to their workforce. The cause of this development is outlooks of toughening regulations and crisis in the euro zone. The CEBR is pessimistic for the future: in 2012 and 2013, it predicts, the industry will stagnate, and in 2014,2015 and 2016, the number of jobs will increase by 3,000 to 4,000 per year.
Le présent appel à projet porte sur la sélection du gestionnaire du fonds pour le financement de l’amorçage pour les jeunes entreprises innovantes issues des territoires sur lesquels opère la Chambre de commerce et d’industrie de Paris (CCIP) ou en relation avec les institutions d’enseignement de la CCIP. Cette sélection via l’appel à projet vise à s’assurer que le gestionnaire du fonds s’appuie sur une équipe professionnelle dûment agréée, expérimentée en amorçage, pérenne, dont les pratiques sont conformes aux standards du marché et qui respectent les normes professionnelles, notamment celles édictées par l’AFIC. Le Centre d’entrepreneuriat et d’innovation d’HEC Paris souhaite favoriser la création d’un fonds d’amorçage (au sens de premier investissement) pour de jeunes entreprises issues de la communauté CCIP. Ce fonds sera créé en partenariat avec une société de gestion expérimentée en matière de capital risque et d’accompagnement des jeunes entreprises innovantes. D’une durée de 10 ans, ce fonds devrait totaliser au minimum 6 Meuro(S). La philosophie du fonds devra investir pour des tours de table en amorçage nécessitant des tickets modérés ou de co-investir avec d’autres fonds d’amorçage, des business angels et/ou des sociétés de capital-risque. Pour lire l’avis complet: cliquez ici
Un mandat de manager fiduciaire en ce qui concerne des décisions relatives à la gestion des actifs financiers de l’ASBL: Lot nº: 1 Services de base Description succincte: cf cahier des charges Lot nº: 2 Services complémentaires Description succincte: cf cahier des charges Pour lire l’avis complet: cliquez ici
Pour donner satisfaction à l’Allemagne et éviter à la BCE de faire purement et simplement marcher la planche à billets en intervenant ad libitum sur le marché de la dette souveraine, avec le risque inflationniste que cela implique, l’Europe a été contrainte de construire une énorme usine à gaz doté d’un levier de l’ordre de 4 à 5, le Fonds européen de stabilité financière. Mais comme elle n’a pas assez de moyens pour soutenir tout l’édifice, c’est-à-dire pour garantir les futures émissions des Etats en difficulté, elle se voit contrainte de le coupler à un véhicule nouveau, un SPV, dans lequel l’EFSF sera associé à d’autres investisseurs, notamment souverains. Passons sur l’ironie de l’Histoire qui voit les leaders européens réhabiliter certains fleurons de l’ingénierie financière comme le levier, le SPV, voire le CDO auquel cet échafaudage ressemble beaucoup. Or si ces techniques semblaient bannies depuis la crise financière, c’est en raison des effets démultiplicateurs, bons ou mauvais, sur ceux qui y ont recours. Le couple EFSF/SPV, outre qu’il s’annonce très difficile à monter et à gouverner, ne fera pas exception. Il est donc à souhaiter que les pays censés en bénéficier, comme l’Italie ou l’Espagne, prendront, et sans tarder, la bonne route budgétaire, faute de quoi les piliers du système, la France et l’Allemagne seraient en grand danger, et sans autre recours cette fois que l’intervention de la BCE… s’il en est temps encore !
La rémunération des administrateurs de l’indice des 100 premières capitalisations de la Bourse de Londres a augmenté de 49% sur un an, indique le journal qui se réfère à des statistiques publiques. La moyenne annuelle de leur rémunération s’élève à 2,7 millions de livres (3,1 millions d’euros).
Selon Olivier Blanchard, chef économiste du FMI cite par le journal, le gouvernement irlandais n’aura pas besoin de coupes budgétaires supplémentaires pour atteindre l’objectif de déficit de 8,6% du PIB fixé par la Troïka. «L’Irlande est sensiblement différente des autres économies périphériques», estime-t-il. Ce qui devrait permettre au pays d’emprunter à un coût relativement bas.
Contrairement à ce qui était attendu après l’accident de TGV de juillet dernier, les projets de développement du réseau ferroviaire en Chine devraient subir des changements finalement limités, selon le quotidien. Si la vitesse des trains va être ralentie, le rythme des investissements sera maintenu grâce à des crédits publics compris entre 150 et 200 milliards de yuans (entre 16,7 et 22,2 milliards d’euros).
Le Conseil de Stabilité Financière a transmis sa feuille de route aux régulateurs. Elle vise surtout les acteurs de la finance de l’ombre et les banques.
La dégringolade de MF Global Holdings se poursuivait hier, son titre affichant une perte de plus de 16%, portant à près 60% la chute du cours de son titre depuis le début de la semaine en réaction à l’abaissement par Moody’s de sa note de crédit à un cran de la catégorie spéculative. Selon Reuters, le courtier aurait sollicité Evercore pour le conseiller sur ses options stratégiques.