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28/10/2009

Fidelity closes one of its Europe funds to new subscriptions

Citywire reports that the management firm Fidelity has closed its FAST Europe fund to new investments, due to the volume of assets in the fund (USD2.5bn). The decision was taken in order to prevent deposits from new investors from having a negative impact on the fund’s strategy. The fund, managed by Anas Chakra, uses derivative products and leverage to improve performance. In the past three years, FAST Europe has posted gains of 7.2%, compared with losses of 21.1% for the MSCI Europe index.
28/10/2009

Vanguard to accelerate its development on retirement market

In reaction to the acquisition of Barclays Global Investors by BlackRock, Vanguard UK is seeking to accelerate its development in the UK defined-contribution retirement market, the Financial Times reports. Peter Robertson, retail director at Vanguard UK, says several pension institutions have expressed an interest in the management firm’s range of products and services.
28/10/2009

Two new funds from Jupiter

Citywire reports that Jupiter has been authorised to launch two investment funds managed by the star manager Philip Gibbs in the next three months. The two funds will give Gibbs – the only manager to have received a Citywire rating since the creation of the firm eight years ago - the necessary flexibility to manage as he prefers. In detail, the Jupiter “Absolute Return” fund, which complies with the UCITS III directive, will provide the manager with the ability to hold liquidity and to invest in instruments which may include derivatives, in order to maintain the necessary flexibility to react rapidly to changing market conditions. The fund is benchmarked against the Libor 3 month, and will be managed in a manner similar to that of Gibbs’ hedge fund, Hyde Park, but with lower volatility and less leverage. The second fund, Jupiter Financials, is also compliant with UCITS III, and will invest in international financial sector equities. Unlike the Jupiter Financial Opportunities fund, it will allow the manager to adopt short positions on shares or indexes. It will be benchmarked against the Footsie Global Financials index.
28/10/2009

Deutsche Bank to acquire 100% of Sal. Oppenheim holding company

According to reports in Die Welt, it will be announced on Wednesday afternoon that Detusche Bank will acquire all shares in the Luxembourg holding company of Sal. Oppenheim for about EUR1bn. Sal. Oppenheim will retain only slightly over 75% of a shareholder-governed (KGaA) company which oversees operational activities, while slightly less than 25% would remain in the hands of the current owners. This arrangement is the most tax-effective for all parties. Die Welt states that the former owners will earn bonuses in proportion to the number of clients who choose to remain loyal to the firm.
28/10/2009

Sal. Oppenheim sold for parts to Deutsche Bank

On Wednesday, the supervisory board at Deutsche Bank is expected to approve the acquisition of the wealth management operations of Sal. Oppenheim. It is expected that the investment banking activities, in which Deutsche Bank is not interested, will be acquired by Macquarie, while LGT is a candidate to take over BHF, which is well-positioned in private banking and asset management, Handelsblatt reports. BHF also has a sizeable custody activity, which may potentially interest BNP Paribas, as well as BNY Mellon.
28/10/2009

Impax AM joins Investor Network on Climate Risk

On Tuesday, the British asset management firm Impax Asset Management Group plc announced that it had accepted an invitation to join the Investor Network on Climate Risk (INCR), a network of US institutional investors engaged in addressing risks and dangers related to climate change. The INCR has its headquarters in Boston, and represents about 80 asset management firms with over USD8trn in assets under management, much of it in public and private sector pension funds, as well as foundations.
28/10/2009

Ex-Chief of AMD involved in the Galleon case

A criminal case filed earlier this month alleged that an unnamed Advanced Micro Devices Inc. executive shared confidential information about the chip maker with a defendant in the Galleon case. According to a person familiar with the matter, this executive would be Hector Ruiz, chairman and former CEO of the company, The Wall Street Journal reports.
28/10/2009

State Street extends range of services for wealth managers

With State Street Wealth Connect, unveiled on Tuesday, State Street Corporation is offering its wealth management clients a tool which will allow them to “focus on management and growth rather than on bank and middle office functions,” says Steve Nazarro, senior vice president of the wealth management service activities at State Street. Currently, the group provides custody and administration for more than 500 clients in this high net worth private client segment. In practice, State Street Wealth Connect allows direct access to State Street through a customizable online platform which is completely integrated into the range of State Street investment services, including global custody, accounting and monitoring of policy at businesses, and also with the document and delivery and messaging system, which will allow wealth managers to communicate directly with their clients through this secure portal.
28/10/2009

Commerzbank sells shares in Privatinvest Bank to BCZ

On Tuesday night, Commerzbank announced that it will be selling its 74% stake in the Austrian firm Privatinvest Bank of Salzburg for an undisclosed amount to the Cantonal Bank of Zurich (ZKB in German). The transaction is part of a move at Commerzbank to concentrate on a more limited number of locations for its wealth management activities. The sale of the stake is also a realization of a pledge made by Commerzbank in order to be granted permission by the European Union to receive German government assistance as part of the financial markets stabilisation (SoFFin) program. At the end of June, the Privatinvest Bank, which has 50 employees in Salzburg and Vienna, had assets of EUR600m. The activities of the Vienna branch of Commerzbank are not affected by the announced deal.
28/10/2009

North American companies still have a long way to catch up on climate change

According to the EIRIS 2009 Climate Change Tracker, US and Canadian companies are catching up on climate change, but they must do much more if they are to manage their carbon risks and play an active part in the transition to a low-carbon economy. The vast majority of North American companies operating in sectors with a high carbon footprint now have a corporate-wide policy on climate change (91% compared to 93% at the global level).However, when it comes to implementing, concrete measures to deliver on corporate climate change policies and commitments, businesses in North American still fall behind companies in other countries, with rising CO2 emissions, poor disclosure and a lack of implementation. For instance, only 16% of North American companies have made a commitment to link board remuneration to GHG emissions reductions compared to 28% at the global level. And product impacts ignored: only 9% have set targets to reduce indirect climate change impacts arising from their products, compared to 19% at the global level.
28/10/2009

Buffalo "hardens" the soft closure of its small cap fund

The Buffalo Small Cap fund with USD2.44bn in AUM, a product whose advisor is Kroznitzer Capital Management, has got «a bit more soft-closed» on October 5th, in accepting no new investors while it still welcomes subscription fron existing savers and from retirement plans, according to Mutual Fund Wire. A first soft-close had been put in place on May 27th by closing the fund to new subscriptions through 1-800 numbers and the main fund platforms (Schwab, Fidelity, TDAmeritrade, Pershing).
28/10/2009

New head for South Korea at Fidelity

Michael Reed has joined Fidelity International as head of its activities in South Korea, according to Asian Investor. Reed previously served three years as country head for South Korea at Franklin Templeton.
28/10/2009

Good results for Franklin Resources

Franklin Resources announced net income of USD367.4m, or USD1.60 per share diluted, on revenues of USD1,238.9m for the quarter ended September 30, 2009. For the quarter ended June 30, 2009, net income was USD297.7m, or USD1.29 per share diluted, on revenues of USD1,073.6m. For the quarter ended September 30, 2008, net income was USD300.5m, or $1.28 per share diluted, on revenues of USD1,321.5m.Total assets under management by the company’s subsidiaries were USD523.4bn at September 30, 2009, as compared to USD451.2bn at June 30, 2009 and USD507.3bn at September 30, 2008. Net new flows for the quarter ended September 30, 2009 were USD12.2bn, as compared to USD6.0bn for the prior quarter and net redemptions of USD8.6bn for the same quarter a year ago.
28/10/2009

Guy de Blonay gets back to Jupiter

Guy de Blonay, the manager of the Henderson New Star Global Financials fund at Henderson New Star, is to join Jupiter, eight years after having left the company, Citywire reports. He will be co-managing the Jupiter Financial Opportunities fund with Phillip Gibbs, but in a first stage will be restricted to an advisory role.Guy de Blonay’s fund at Henderson New Star is now managed by Emily Adderson, who acted up to now as deputy manager.
28/10/2009

Hilton debt load weighs on Blackstone

Private equity firm Blackstone Group LP has begun talks with lenders to cut up to USD5bn from the USD20bn debt load carried by Hilton Worldwide, according to people familiar with the matter, the Wall Street Journal reports.Blackstone is considering contributing USD800m of new equity to buy back debt at a discount. It also is seeking to extend debt maturing in 2013 to 2016, while converting some junior slices of debt into equity. The USD800 million in additional equity would come from funds managed by Blackstone that already have invested in the deal, the biggest equity investment ever made by the firm.Initially, Blackstone funds and co-investors put up USD5.6bn in equity in the deal, while assuming USD20bn in debt.
28/10/2009

Turquoise adds six ETCs

Turquoise, the pan-European equity trading services company, announced that it will extend its services to include six Exchange Traded Commodities (ETCs) to trade via its MTF platform. The series of six new ETCs, tracking the performance of physical gold and silver, as well as gold bullion indices, will be available to Turquoise members from 13 November, 2009.
28/10/2009

CESR launches a consultation on standardisation of financial reporting

The Committee of European securities regulators (CESR) on 27 October announced the launch of a public consultation on the use of a standardized reporting format for financial information. The consultation provides an occasion for the CESR to gather feedback from market actors on the use of XBRL markup language, already used by international and European regulatory bodies such as the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in the United States, the CEBS (Committee of European banking supervisors), and the French Commission Bancaire-Banque de France. The CESR states that the consultation will concentrate on the potential introduction of an IFRS reporting format in the mid- to long term. The consultation will be open until 30 November.
28/10/2009

Clients predict that BlackRock and Carmignac have best prospects for growth

The most recent survey by the Berlin-based agency Metronomics of Europeanclients of asset management firms has found that BlackRock and Carmignac Gestion are the two operators whom a majority of respondents feel have the best prospects of “very strong comparative growth.” The two management firms finish ahead of JP Morgan Asset Management, Fidelity, DWS, and Schroders, whom a majority of respondents predict will experience “strong growth,” while Pictet Funds is considered likely to grow by “many” clients. For the French market taken in isolation, Carmignac Gestion is the only firm to have “very strong” outlooks for growth according to a majority of clients. It is followed by LCF Rothschild, which clients expect to see “strong” growth, and Fidelity, which will experience “good” growth.
28/10/2009

Un fonds suisse dédié à la cause des femmes

Selon Les Echos, Naissance Capital, un gestionnaire d’actifs suisse, vient d’indiquer son intention de lancer prochainement un fonds dédié à la cause des femmes, le Women’s Leadership Fund (WLF). Celui-ci espère lever 200 millions de dollars avant la fin de l’année, et investira exclusivement dans des sociétés affichant une proportion de femmes dans leurs instances de direction supérieure d’au moins 20% à la moyenne du secteur concerné. En outre, 20% des frais prélevés par Naissance Capital seront destinés à la promotion des femmes dans les entreprises, sans plus de précision.
27/10/2009

Luxalpha: l’AG repoussée au 18 décembre

Selon Les Echos, les liquidateurs de la sicav luxembourgeoise Luxalpha, liée à la fraude de Bernard Madoff, ont annoncé que l’AG de Luxalpha se tiendrait le 18 décembre. Soit deux mois après la date initialement prévue. Une manifestation d’agriculteurs dans le Grand-Duché, le 19octobre, avait eu raison de sa tenue. L’ordre du jour n’a pas changé, «ainsi que les documents requis pour la première assemblée», précise le communiqué qui annonce qu’"une nouvelle convocation sera envoyée aux actionnaires inscrits». Ces deux mois pourront être mis à profit pour faire reconnaître la qualité d’actionnaires, toujours pas acquise, aux investisseurs floués, essentiellement des Français.
27/10/2009
Fonds

BlackRock lance un fonds obligataire "tous terrains"

Avec le compartiment Fixed Income Strategies de sa sicav luxembourgeoise BlackRock Strategic Funds (BSF), BlackRock a lancé le 30 septembre un fonds obligataire à gestion active et «tous terrains» destiné aux investisseurs de la zone euro. Ce produit se présente comme une version de performance absolue sur 3 ans roulants (rolling three year cycle) et conforme à la directive OPCVM III des BGF Euro Short Duration Bond Fund et Bond Fund pilotés par le même gérant, Michael Krautzberger, co-head de l'équipe fixed income.Le nouveau fonds peut investir dans le monde entier et de manière souple en emprunts d’Etat, en obligations «investment grade» et «non investment grade», en Asset Back Securities (ABS), en Mortgage-Backed Securities (MBS), en obligations indexées sur l’inflation (linkers) ainsi qu’en positions synthétiques longues et courtes.En principe, le portefeuille comportera un minimum de 30 % d’obligations d’Etat et un maximum de 70 % d’obligations d’entreprises. La part des ABS et de MBS, investment grade ou non, ne pourra dépasser 50 %.Caractéristiques Code isin : LU0438336264
Fonds
27/10/2009

L'administrateur de fonds irlandais Apex Fund Services fait ses débuts en Chine

La boutique irlandaise spécialisée dans l’administration de fonds Apex Fund Services vient de lancer sa première offre de services en Chine, selon Asian Investor. La société a déjà quatre mandats d’administration de fonds en Chine et espère en remporter cinq autres prochainement. Installée à Shanghaï depuis mai 2008, la société qui emploie actuellement quatre personnes envisage par ailleurs d’ouvrir un bureau en Australie. Apex est en Asie depuis janvier 2008. Ses bureaux de Hong Kong et Singapour emploient respectivement huit et seize personnes et administrent une soixantaine de fonds.
27/10/2009

Affaire Lehman Brothers : Citibank choisit l'affrontement

Selon l’Echo, Citibank a fait le choix d’un procès dans l’affaire de la vente de produits Lehman Brothers plutôt que d’opter pour un arrangement à l’amiable. Le week-end dernier, le parquet de Bruxelles avait requis que la banque rembourse entièrement ses clients dupés, précise le quotidien, soit 4 000 clients (pour 128 millions d’euros).Le procès commencera le 1er décembre prochain.
27/10/2009

BankInvest regroupe sa distribution mondiale à Luxembourg

A compter du début 2010, le gestionnaire danois BankInvest centralisera sa distribution internationale au Luxembourg, ce qui entraînera la fermeture de la succursale bavaroise de Straßlach/Kleindingharting qui couvre l’Allemagne, la Suisse et l’Autriche, rapporte fondsprofessionell. Le sales & relationship manager de cette antenne allemande, Joachim Böttcher, poursuivra ses activités à partir du Grand-Duché.
27/10/2009

AUA : un hedge fund surenchérit sur l'offre de la Lufthansa

La compagnie aérienne Lufthansa propose aux minoritaires qui détiennent encore 4 millions d’actions AUA Austrian Airlines un montant de 50 cents par action. Le hedge fund Exchange Investors vient de leur offrir 1,50 euro par titre, rapporte la Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. Il considère que l’offre de la Lufthansa est une discrimination insupportable, puisque l’OPA s'était fait début septembre sur la base de 4,49 euros, et suggère que cela pourrait même cacher des problèmes de paiements et de liquidités dans l’entreprise. Manifestement, Exchange Investors espère pouvoir négocier un prix plus intéressant auprès de cette dernière.
27/10/2009

La performance nette du fonds de réserve pour les retraites ressort à de 12,8% sur neuf mois

Le directoire du Fonds de réserve pour les retraites a indiqué le 26 octobre que la performance nette du FRR depuis le début de l’année 2009 s’inscrivait au 30 septembre, sur la base de données estimées et non auditées, à 12,8%, avec un recul de 6,5% pour le premier trimestre mais des augmentations de 10,5% pour le deuxième trimestre et de 9,2% au troisième trimestre. Sa performance annualisée, nette de tous frais de fonctionnement financiers et administratifs, depuis son démarrage opérationnel (juin 2004) est de + 2,6%. Cette performance résulte pour l’essentiel du fort rebond des marchés actions depuis la deuxième quinzaine du mois de mars 2009. Compte tenu de ces évolutions, le montant des actifs du FRR au 30 septembre s’élevait à 31,9 milliards d’euros (27,7 milliards au 31 décembre 2008). A cette même date, ils se répartissaient entre 49,5% d’actifs de performance (actions, immobilier et matières premières) et 50,5% d’actifs obligataires et d’actifs monétaires en attente d’investissement.

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