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21/06/2011

High yield bond funds deserted by investors

Troubles related to Greek debt have exacerbated the risk aversion of investors, who in mid-June pulled out of the high yield bond sector, in favour of funds dedicated to US equities.In the week to 15 June, high yield bond funds suffered a record net outflow of USD2.09bn, according to the most recent weekly statistics from EPFR Global. Bond funds overall still showed a net inflow of USD679m in the week under review.Equities funds attracted over USD6bn, while inflows to a group of US ETF funds, stimulated by a series of options which matured on 17 June, more than compensated for redemptions from the major groups of equities funds. Funds dedicated to European equities finished the week with outflows of USD741m.Money market funds also saw their largest outflows in over four months.In terms of sectors, funds dedicated to health and biotechnologies continued to post subscriptions, putting inflows since the beginning of the year at over USD3bn.
21/06/2011

Collateral: a new challenge for hedge funds

According to a survey undertaken by service provider Algorithmics and consultant Chromozome, covering 80 buy-side companies (asset management firms, hedge funds, and pension funds), entitled “Collateral Management for the Buy Side: Emerging Challenges and Best Practices in a Changing Regulatory Environment,” rising costs for collateral management related to settlement requirements for over-the-counter derivative trades on both sides of the Atlantic could drive hedge funds to make less use of, or no longer to trade, OTC products.The study, published on 20 June, finds that 54% of respondents currently make margin calls only on a weekly basis. Where new regulations are in place, central counterparty clearing houses (CCP) may make daily margin calls, and even intra-day calls. In other words, hedge funds need to adapt their infrastructure to these new requirements, which also imply an increase in collateral levels.Andrew Aziz, executive vice president of the Risk Solutions unit at Algorithmics, says that buy-side professionals are facing an interesting evolution. “For the first time, they are subject to the same risk and operational requirements as their sell-side counterparts, due to regulatory requirements.”
21/06/2011

Concentration expected in wealth management, according to PwC

According to the Wealth Management Report 2011 from PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), cited by the Börsen-Zeitung, 30% of 275 directors of banks and financial sector groups in 67 countries are expecting a major concentration movement in the wealth management sector in the next two years. The movement will be a delayed result of the financial crisis, particularly of toughening regulations with financial implications for businesses in the sector. However, the profitability of wealth management operations is expected to increase.
21/06/2011

Frankfurt Trust launches an emerging markets consumer sector fund

The asset management arm of BHF-Bank, Frankfurt Trust, on 20 June announced the launch of the Luxembourg-registered fund FT Emerging ConsumerDemand, which is available in P (retail) and I (institutional) shares, and is managed by Thierry Misamer at Frankfurt Trust, and Tillo Wannow of BHF-Bank.In order to profit from growth in emerging markets, the fund will invest in companies in the consumer goods sector. Initially, the 40-position portfolio will be divided into two halves, one for consumer staples, and the other for discretionary consumer goods. The shares will be selected from among emerging markets companies as well as companies from developed countries which make more than 30% of their earnings in emerging countries.CharacteristicsName: FT Emerging ConsumerDemandISIN codes:P class: LU0632979331I class: LU0632979174Front-end fee:P class: 5%I class: no front-end fee at presentManagement commission:P class: 1.50%I class: 0.74%Depository banking commission: 0.04% (P and I classes)Minimal initial subscriptionP class: EUR2,500I class: EUR250,000
21/06/2011

London & Regional acquires FCC headquarters

Cotizalia reports that the British asset management firm London & Regional (EUR9bn in assets) has obtained an exclusive right to acquire the headquarters of Spain’s FCC in Madrid and Barcelona. The sale would total EUR60-70m, and FCC would receive a 20-year lease as a part of the sale and leaseback operation. The acquisition would be London & Regional’s first investment in the currently depressed Spanish market.
21/06/2011

Aletti Gestielle appoints a new CIO

Aletti Gestielle Sgr, an Italian asset management firm of the Banco Popolare group, has appointed Fabrizio Fiorini as its new chief investment officer. Fiorini, who arrived at the group in 1997, has served in several positions, including head of fixed income, and since 2010, head of asset allocation.
21/06/2011

Ignis registers Argonaut European Alpha Fund in Spain

The CNMV on 10 June issued a sales license for Spain for shares in euros in the British-registered fund Ignis Argonaut Alpha Fund (EUR416m), which is managed by Barry Norris and Oliver Russ of Argonaut Capital Partners. The share classes, GB00B42LLR21 (A) and GB00B44P9H80 (I), will be available from RBC Dexia Investor Services España, and have received sales licenses for Germany and Austria. Ignis is also planning to register the fund shares for sale in France, Italy (only to institutional investors) and Switzerland.
21/06/2011

Less than half of managers invest in the funds they manage

According to statistics from Morningstar compiled by InvestmentNews, only 40% of managers invest in their own funds, and of that 40%, 60% are equities managers.Morningstar has established that the more a manager invests in his own fund, the better the fund performs. For funds in which the manager has over USD1m invested, the average rating is 3.5 stars and the average tenure for the manager in charge of the fund is over 12 years.At the other end of the spectrum, funds in which the manager does not invest or invests a small amount have an average rating of 2.9 stars, and the average tenure for managers in charge of the funds is 4.6 years.Most asset management firms have no formal rules about whether managers are required to invest in their own funds. But Royce & Associates (Legg Mason group) requires that its lead managers invest at least USD1m in their funds, while co-managers are required to invest at least USD500,000.However, at Vanguard, the manager is not at all invested in 84 out of 114 funds.
21/06/2011

AllianceBernstein loses two contracts to JP Morgan

JP Morgan has taken over the management of two advising mandates which were previously held by AllianceBernstein, Mutual Fund Wire reports. The two mandates in question are the MassMutual Select Diversified International Fund (USD146.1m), and the MassMutual Select Overseas Fund (USD572.6m).
21/06/2011

BNY Mellon AS to administer nine ETFs from Direxion

On 20 June, BNY Mellon Asset Servicing announced that it has been selected to provide custody, accounting and administration services to eight leveraged ETFs (leverage of 3) and one bear ETF recently released by Direxion Shares.The funds are the following:Direxion Daily Agribusiness Bull 3x Shares DAXglobal Agribusiness IndexDirexion Daily Agribusiness Bear 3x Shares DAXglobal Agribusiness IndexDirexion Daily Russia Bull 3x DAXglobal Russia+ Index Direxion Daily Russia Bear 3x Shares DAXglobal Russia+ IndexDirexion Daily Basic Materials Bull 3X Shares Russell 1000® Materials & Processing IndexDirexion Daily Basic Materials Bear 3X Shares Russell 1000® Materials & Processing IndexDirexion Daily Healthcare Bull 3X Shares Russell 1000® Healthcare IndexDirexion Daily Healthcare Bear 3X Shares Russell 1000® Healthcare Index and Direxion Daily Total Market Bear 1X Shares Russell 3000® Index.
21/06/2011

Paulson makes a loss on Sino Forest

Paulson & Co has lost more than USD500m after selling its entire stake in Sino Forest, the Chinese forestry company, which is suspected of fraud, the Financial Times reports. Paulson & Co was the largest shareholder in the firm, with a 14% stake as of the end of April. In May, Paulson & Co already saw a 6% fall in the value of its flagship fund, Paulson & Co Advantage Plus, bringing losses since the beginning of the year to 7.6%.
21/06/2011

Investec proposes an emerging markets debt fund

Investment Week reports that Investec Asset Management has launched an investment grade emerging markets debt fund. The offshore fund, Investec GSF Emerging Markets Investment Grade Debt fund, will invest as its top priority in government bonds rated investment grade and denominated in local currencies, with a particular interest in developed emerging markets (Brazil, Mexico, Hungary, South Africa). The fund will include 10 to 20 long and short positions, selected from among the best-rated bonds, in order to profit from returns as well as appreciation of local currencies.
21/06/2011

Altarius AM launches an investment platform based in Malta

Altarius Asset Management Limited, the asset management affiliate of the Altarius Group, based in Malta, at the end of last week announced that it has launched its investment platform, Paragon Sicav plc (Paragon), which is one of the first independent investment platforms in Malta created exclusively for third-party managers and family offices. Paragon, which is registered as a P.I.F. (professional investment fund), is described as extremely flexible in terms of investment strategy, liquidity, reporting, and debt. One of the major advantages of Paragon is that it is exempt from income and capital gains taxes. Among its other strong points, Paragon has an open architecture, which allows clients to name their own service provider. As a collective investment organism, it is also highly profitable, as creation and maintenance costs are distributed between all the sub-funds on the platform. Paragon does not impose a minimal portfolio, nor a lock-up period.
21/06/2011

Prudential funds integrated into M&G fund range

The Corporate Bond trust from Prudential, with assets of GBP783m, was merged on 20 June with the M&G Corporate Bond fund, whose assets total GBP4.1bn, Investment Week reports. The fund, managed by Richard Woolnough, now has over USD5bn in assets. Another Prudential fund, the North American Trust (GBP60m) will be merged into the M&G American fund (GBP2.3bn). The Managed trust (GBP278m) will merge with the M&G Managed fund (GBP717m), while the European Trust (GBP90m) will be absorbed into the M&G Pan European fund (GBP175m).
21/06/2011

Skandia bets on two French managers for European Best Ideas

Skandia Investment Group’s (SIG) portfolio manager Lee Freeman-Shor has brought in Marc Renaud of Mandarine Gestion and Cedric De Fonclare from Jupiter to manage mandates within the Skandia European Best Ideas Fund (EBI).The move sees the two Frenchmen join their countryman Damien Lanternier of Financiere de l’Echiquier bringing the EBI team up to ten managers following the removal of Tobias Klien of First Private from the line-up.Freeman-Shor says that ten managers represents the maximum level of diversification for the fund while ensuring high active share is maintained in order to continue to generate excess returns.
21/06/2011

NYSE Euronext bond platform gets AMF approval

NYSE Euronext on 20 June announced that the launch of the first multilateral trading facility (MTF) for corporate bonds in Europe is slated for 11 July, as the project has received approval from the French financial market regulator, the Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF). The platform, which will be known as NYSE BondMatch, and will be based in Paris, was promoted in 2010 by the Comité Cassiopée, which led the French initiative for a platform of this type, to improve the liquidity and transparency of the secondary credit market, in which 90% of transactions are made in opaque over-the-counter trades. NYSE BondMatch will allow professional investors to trade over 1,800 corporate, financial and real estate sector bonds, via a transparent order book, which will accept only firm orders. The new European trading platform will charge competitive prices, and will improve not only the transparency and liquidity of the market by being open to all buy-side and sell-side participants, but will also offer required post-market services through LCH.Clearnet SA, a clearing-house that has ties to the largest European central securities depositories (CSD), and international central securities depositories (ICSD) for settlement and clearance.
21/06/2011
Gestion d'actifs

La Banque Populaire du Sud Ouest privilégie les produits à capital garanti du Groupe BPCE

A l’instar des autres Banques Populaires, BPSO est consolidée, ce qui signifie qu’elle n’a pas de portefeuille titre pour compte propre et ses investissements sont notamment des titres de participation qu’elle possède dans les structures du groupe BPCE. Pourtant, ce ne sont pas des investissements de portefeuille car la problématique fonds propres et ressources de la banque régionale est liée exclusivement ou quasi exclusivement aux crédits distribués à ses clients et son portefeuille de placement pour fonds propres est extrêmement limité. Ainsi, la banque a très peu de ligne d’investissement dans les produits financiers qui sont de plus en plus des produits du groupe à capital garanti. Par ailleurs, elle ne prend pas de nouvelles participations. Pourtant, la banque régionale va devoir se conformer aux nouveaux aspects fonds propres et liquidités introduits par la nouvelle règlementation de Bâle III. Aujourd’hui, la banque admet que son ratio de solvabilité est correct mais elle va devoir, au fur et à mesure des prochaines années, consolider ses fonds propres pour se conformer à Bâle III et tendre vers un ratio de solvabilité qui lui permette de continuer à financer ses clients. Pour ce qui est de la liquidité, la BPSO fait depuis plusieurs années, davantage de crédits à ses clients que ceux ci ne font de dépôts. De ce fait, la banque emprunte en permanence sur les marchés de façon significative. Pourtant, la nouvelle règlementation va l’obliger à mettre des ressources monétaires d’option plus longues en face de ses crédits. Mais plus les ressources monétaires sont longues, plus elles sont chères et pour ne pas augmenter le taux de ses crédits et continuer à en accorder, la BPSO va devoir être plus performante vis-à-vis de la collecte, notamment bilancielle.
Gestion d'actifs
21/06/2011

La Chine diversifie ses réserves de change

Au cours des quatre premiers mois de 2011, la Chine a boudé la dette gouvernementale américaine au profit de la dette européenne, selon le journal qui cite une étude de Standard Chartered. Les réserves de change du pays ont ainsi augmenté d’environ 200 millions de dollars (140 millions d’euros) sur cette période, les trois quarts de cette somme ayant été investis à l’étranger dans des actifs non libellés en dollars, précise la banque britannique.
21/06/2011

Nyse Euronext lance sa plate-forme obligataire

BondMatch, le système créé par l’opérateur boursier transatlantique, sera opérationnel le 11 juillet prochain. Au démarrage, une dizaine de membres seront actifs sur la plate-forme qui proposera à la négociation quelque 1.800 obligations émanant d’environ 400 émetteurs.
21/06/2011

La Grèce au pied du mur

L’Eurogroupe se réunira à nouveau le 3 juillet pour valider le versement de la nouvelle tranche d’aide, sous réserve de nouvelles mesures d’austérité par Athènes.
21/06/2011

Un sérieux revers pour Paulson & Co

Le quotidien avance que la société de gestion alternative fondée par John Paulson a essuyé une perte supérieure à 500 millions de dollars en cédant la totalité de sa participation au capital de Sino Forest, la société forestière chinoise suspectée de fraude. Paulson & Co, qui a reconnu avoir cédé ses titres, était le principal actionnaire de Sino Forest.
21/06/2011

Le rachat de Chi-X Europe par BATS se complique

L’Office of Fair Trading (OFT) a décidé de renvoyer le projet d’acquisition de Chi-X Europe par BATS devant l’Autorité de la concurrence britannique. « Bien que nous soyons déçus de la décision de l’OFT, nous nous concerterons avec notre conseil et les actionnaires pour déterminer les prochaines étapes », a déclaré Alasdair Haynes, directeur général de Chi-X Europe.
20/06/2011

Nyse Euronext lancera le 11 juillet sa plateforme de dette corporate

Nyse Euronext a annoncé le lancement effectif le 11 juillet de la première plate-forme de négociation d’obligations d’entreprises en Europe, le projet ayant obtenu le feu vert de l’AMF. La plate-forme sera une MTF (Multilateral Trading Facility) et donc soumise à la législation européenne sur les abus de marché. Elle sera dotée d’une chambre de compensation, qui sera aussi contre-partie centrale, ce qui éliminera le risque de contrepartie lié au gré à gré.
20/06/2011

Le déficit des comptes courants s'est creusé en avril dans la zone euro

Les comptes courants de la zone euro ont été déficitaires de 5,1 milliards d’euros en avril, en données corrigées des variations saisonnières, selon les chiffres publiés lundi par la BCE. La balance du mois de mars, initialement calculée à 4,7 milliards d’euros de déficit, a été révisée à -3,0 milliards d’euros.
20/06/2011

Le déficit commercial japonais se creuse encore en mai

Les exportations japonaises ont diminué davantage que prévu au mois de mai par rapport à l’année dernière, témoignage d’une demande plus faible à l'étranger qui pourrait pénaliser la reprise dans l’Archipel. Sur un an, les exportations sont en baisse de 10,3%, indiquent les chiffres publiés lundi par le ministère des Finances. Les économistes attendaient en moyenne un recul de 8,4%. C’est le deuxième mois consécutif que les exportations sont en baisse au Japon. En avril, elles avaient diminué de 12,4%.
20/06/2011

Hausse ralentie des prix à la production en Allemagne

Les prix à la production ont augmenté un peu moins que prévu par rapport à l’année précédente, rapporte lundi le Bureau fédéral des statistiques. Le rythme de croissance des prix s’est établi à 6,1% en rythme annuel. En rythme mensuel, les prix sont restés parfaitement stables.

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