Fin de partie pour OVS Capital Management. Le hedge fund basé à Londres, qui gère 310 millions de livres d’actifs, ferme ses portes alors que son fondateur Sam Morland a décidé de prendre sa retraite, rapporte Bloomberg.Concrètement, OVS va clôturer son véhicule OVS Capital Fund et retourner les sommes investies aux investisseurs, a déclaré Nick McEwen, son co-directeur général, dans un entretien à Bloomberg. Le fonds alternatif, qui a dégagé un rendement de 2,78 % à fin février, avait adopté une stratégie «event-driven» en investissant dans des entreprises européennes qui pouvaient envisager des acquisitions ou des rachats d’actions.

AMP Capital a levé 450 millions de dollars supplémentaires permettant de boucler son second fonds infrastructure, le AMP Capital Infrastructure Debt Fund II, qui totalise 750 millions de dollars d’engagements, révèle Asia Asset Management.Depuis son lancement en août 2013, ce véhicule a attiré quelque 40 investisseurs institutionnels au Japon, en Corée du Sud, à Hong Kong, au Royaume-Uni, en Suisse et aux Etats-Unis. L’assureur China Life, va sa filiale basée à Hong Kong, est l’un des investisseurs qui a participé à la dernière levée de fonds, précise le site d’information asiatique. « Nous sommes en bonne voie pour atteindre notre objectif de 1 milliard de dollars », a avancé Anthony Fasso, directeur général en charge de l’international et responsable des clients mondiaux chez AMP Capital Investors.

ING Investment Management va lancer en avril deux fonds qui donneront aux investisseurs britanniques et européens un accès plus large à ses stratégies de dette, rapporte Investment Week. L’un d’eux sera un fonds d’obligations d’entreprises asiatiques à haut rendement qui répliquera un fonds dédié aux investisseurs japonais. Il sera géré par Joep Huntjens, responsable de la dette asiatique d’ING IM. La société est aussi en train de créer une version européenne de son fonds d’ABS basé aux Pays-Bas. Ce produit répondra aux exigences de la directive AIFM et sera géré par Calvin Davies et Annemieke Coldeweijer. Il aura un apport de capitaux de 250 millions d’euros provenant du fonds néerlandais.

La société de capital investissement Calao Finance vient de lancer son offre ISF 2014 composée du FCPI Expertise Calao et d’un mandat de gestion «Conseil Privé ISF 2014". La politique d’investissement de la société de gestion est tournée vers des entreprises françaises exportatrices intervenant dans deux grands univers thématiques : l’art de vivre d’une part et les activités stratégiques de l’autre. Dans ce cadre, les entreprises sont issues des secteurs du bien-être, du luxe, du digital media, du sport, de la cybersécurité ou de la transition énergétique. Le FCPI investit dans des actions et obligations convertibles, avec pour cible une allocation à 90% portée vers les PME et le solde dans des OPCVM afin de répondre, notamment, aux cas de sorties anticipées.Caractéristiques : FCPI Expertise Calao Durée : de 6 ans jusqu’à 8 ansFrais de gestion annuel : 3,85% Montant minimum à la souscription : 1 000 euros.Mandat Conseil Privé «ISF 2014" : Durée : 5/7 ans Montant minimum à la souscription : 5 000 euros

Parametric Portfolio Associates vient de lancer le Parametric Dividend Income Fund, une stratégie qui sera cogérée par David M. Stein, chief investment officer de Parametric, et Thomas Seto, managing director. Le fonds est conseillé par Eaton Vance Management et sous-conseillé par Parametric.Selon un processus d’investissement «top down, discipliné et systématique», la stratégie recherche des sociétés de qualité qui affichent des revenus réguliers et des niveaux de volatilité réduits sur une base sectorielle, précise un communiqué. Les actifs sous gestion de Parametric s'élevaient à 116,5 milliards de dollars à fin janvier 2014 pour le compte d’investisseurs institutionnels, de clients HNW et d’investisseurs américains et internationaux.

Après deux semaines d’existence des fonds PEA-PME, Morningstar a identifié dans ses bases de données 15 nouvelles arrivées dans cette catégorie, ce qui porte le nombre de fonds accessibles à 38 pour 62 parts différentes éligibles au PEA-PME, évoque la société dans un communiqué. Ces fonds sont gérés par 34 sociétés de gestion différentes qui gèrent sur ce nouveau dispositif plus de 1 milliard d’euros aujourd’hui (1.003 milliard d’euros en fonds ouverts au public sans compter les autres fonds réservés, FCPR.).

L’Agefi qui cite le JDD indique que Bouygues, le groupe de BTP, a pris contact avec le fonds souverain du Qatar pour soutenir financièrement son projet d’acquisition de SFR. Mais, poursuit le journal, «la position de l'émirat se révèle délicate alors qu’il est déjà actionnaire de Vivendi», en ajoutant que ce risque de conflit d’intérêts «concerne aussi la Caisse des dépôts (CDC), partenaire des deux camps». D’autres fonds comme CVC, Eurazeo, KKR ou Apollo auraient par ailleurs été approchés par Bouygues pour un ticket d’entrée d’environ 500 millions d’euros, les deux derniers ayant décliné l’offre, croit savoir le journal dominical. De son côté, l’Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF) a jugé nécessaire vendredi soir de rappeler à l’ordre l’ensemble des parties prenantes, après avoir constaté des insuffisances en matière de communication financière.

Generation Investment Management, la société de gestion fondée par l’ancien patron de Goldman Sachs Asset Management David Blood et l’ex-vice-président des Etats-Unis Al Gore, a recruté une ancienne dirigeante de Pimco, Tammie Arnold, rapporte Financial News. L’intéressée a rejoint la société spécialiste de l’investissement responsable ce mois-ci à un poste nouvellement créé de responsable de l’équipe clients. Tammie Arnold a passé 20 ans chez Pimco, dernièrement en tant que responsable de la plate-forme ETF.

La Française AM enrichit son offre avec la création de LFP France PME, éligible au dispositif PEA PME, et LFP PEA Flex, fonds de fonds flexible, diversifié et global en architecture ouverte. Ces deux nouvelles solutions viennent renforcer la gamme PEA existante et élargissent les possibilités d’investissement dans un cadre fiscal optimisé.Le lancement du fonds LFP France PME, fonds d’actions françaises, s’intègre dans le dispositif global lancé par les pouvoirs publics pour soutenir le développement des PME et ETI. Ces entreprises sont le maillon essentiel de l’économie en tant que contributeurs à la croissance et créateurs d’emplois. LFP France PME permet d’investir dans les PME-ETI françaises à fort potentiel de croissance sur une durée de placement recommandée supérieure à 8 ans.L’autre stratégie, le LFP PEA Flex, se présente comme une offre à risque intermédiaire éligible au PEA. Ce fonds de fonds réunit la flexibilité de l’allocation, la diversification multi-classes d’actifs, une couverture géographique globale et une sélection en architecture ouverte.LFP PEA Flex a pour objectif d’optimiser sa performance nette de frais sur un horizon de placement recommandé de 3 ans, tout en générant une volatilité ex-post cible de 15% hors circonstances exceptionnelles de marché et ce en modulant son exposition aux marchés actions entre 0% et 100%.

Anima Holding, la maison mère de la société de gestion italienne Anima Sgr, a fait savoir qu’elle avait obtenu jeudi de la part du régulateur boursier italien, Consob, l’approbation du prospectus d’informations relatif à son introduction en Bourse, ainsi que le feu vert de la Bourse de Milan, rapporte Bluerating. L’offre globale concerne un maximum de 164.892.260 actions ordinaires de la société, correspondant à 55 % du capital social. Les titres sont mis en vente par les actionnaires Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena (PMS), Banca Popolare di Milano (BPM), Lauro Quarantadue et Prima Holding 2. MPS et BPM resteront actionnaires de la société après l’introduction en Bourse, avec 9,9 % et 14,72 %, tandis que Lauro 42 aura une participation de 8 %. L’offre publique et le placement aux institutionnels des actions débuteront le 31 mars et s’achèveront le 10 avril.

Le groupe bancaire italien Intesa Sanpaolo a annoncé vendredi, dans le cadre de son plan stratégique 2014-2017, l’intégration de Fideuram Asset Management Ireland au sein de sa société de gestion d’actifs Eurizon Capital. Cela va donner naissance à « l’un des principaux asset managers bancaires en Europe avec une présence en Europe centrale et orientale et en Chine », indique l’établissement, qui ajoute que cela pourra permettre de nouer des partenariats avec des sociétés internationales de gestion d’actifs de premier plan.Intesa Sanpaolo table sur des encours de 295 milliards d’euros pour son pôle gestion d’actifs en 2017, contre 221 milliards d’euros en 2013, et un degré de pénétration des fonds auprès de la clientèle de 25 %, contre 17 %. Par ailleurs, Intesa Sanpaolo a annoncé la fusion d’Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking, de Fideuram Investimenti et de Banca Fideuram afin de « créer l’une des principales entités de private banking en Europe et être prêts à croître à l’étranger notamment par le biais de partenariats ». L’ensemble représente, à fin 2013, 5.700 banquiers privés et 164 milliards d’euros d’encours.

Industrial & Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), la principale banque chinoise, songe à faire une offre de 2 milliards d’euros sur la société de gestion Pioneer, actuelle filiale d’UniCredit, affirme The Sunday Times. La banque chinoise cherche à acquérir une société de gestion européenne, selon des sources de la City. Elle aurait envisagé de racheter Ignis, filiale de Phoenix, vendue la semaine dernière à Standard Life.

La première banque chinoise ICBC, qui souhaite acquérir un gestionnaire d’actifs en Europe, envisage de lancer un offre de 2 milliards d’euros sur Pioneer, la filiale de gestion d’actifs d’UniCredit, selon le Sunday Times qui cite des sources financières londoniennes. Pioneer dispose de 174 milliards d’euros sous gestion.

From 31 March 2014, in addition to passive ETFs that track the prices and returns of underlying indices, it will also be possible to list and trade active ETFs on SIX Swiss Exchange. With active ETFs, the composition of the fund is optimized on an ongoing basis. As the first issuer, Swiss & Global Asset Management is offering eleven active ETFs for trading on SIX Swiss Exchange. It has been possible to trade passive ETFs on SIX Swiss Exchange for more than 10 years now. At present, it is possible to trade 923 passive ETFs on SIX Swiss Exchange. In 2013, ETF trading turnover on SIX Swiss Exchange reached CHF 90,728 million. This represents a market share of around 15% in Europe. Now «it is also possible to list and trade active ETFs on SIX Swiss Exchange in the standard for collective investment schemes. A portfolio manager uses an active ETF to actively optimize the composition of the fund on an ongoing basis by buying or selling selected equities or other securities. This allows the portfolio manager to respond immediately to market trends and utilize opportunities to generate a profit. In each case, he aims to outperform the benchmark», according to a press release. To make it easier to distinguish between ETFs, SIX Swiss Exchange on its website differentiates clearly between actively and passively managed ETFs. Moreover, the core data of each ETF specify whether the product is actively or passively managed. In addition, it is possible to search for and select products by their mode of management.

ING Investment Mangement will in April launch two funds which will give UK and European investors larger access to its debt strategies, Investment Week reports. One of them will be an Asian high return corporate bond fund, which will replicate a fund dedicated to Japanese investors. It will be managed by Joep Huntjens, head of Asian debt at ING IM. The firm is also creating a European version of its ABS fund based in the Netherlands. The product will meet the requirements of the AIFM directive, and will be managed by Calvin Davies and Annemieke Aoldeweijer. It will receive a capital contribution of EUR250m from the Netherlands fund.

P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; direction: ltr; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); }P.western { font-family: «Times New Roman»,serif; font-size: 12pt; }P.cjk { font-family: «WenQuanYi Micro Hei"; font-size: 12pt; }P.ctl { font-family: «Lohit Hindi"; font-size: 12pt; } Parametric Portfolio Associates has launched the Paramatric Dividend Income Fund, a strategy which will be co-managed by David M. Stein, chief investment officer at Parametric, and Thomas Seto, managing director. The fund is advised by Eaton Vance Management and sub-advised by Parametric. Following a “top-down, disciplined and systematic” approach, the strategy seeks quality companies that have regular income and reduced levels of volatility on a sectoral bases, a statement says. Assets under management at Parametric totalled USD116.5bn as of the end of January 2014 for institutional investors, HNW clients and US and international investors.

The Fund Brand 50 rankings from Fund Buyer Focus, presented in France exclusively by Newsmangers, gives the names of 50 asset management brands preferred by fund selectors in Europe. BlackRock, JP Morgn and Fidelity are the big winners in this edition, taking the medals due to their international firepower (rankings attached). Diana Mackay, CEO of Fund Buyer Focus, reviews the results of the rankings in detail, revealing major trends in fund distribution in Europe.

Heading into the final days of the first quarter of 2014, emerging markets equity funds came within USD12 million of posting inflows for the first time since mid-October as institutional investors went looking for value at the country level. Flows into Thailand, Chile, Brazil, India and Russia Equity Funds ended in positive territory.This narrower focus was also evident in Europe equity fund flows, with four country fund groups taking in over USD100 million headed by Italy Equity Funds’ record setting USD342 million during the week ending March 25, according to EPFR’s data. Investors declined to chase the latest surges by US and Japanese equity markets. As a result, redemptions from developed markets equity funds accounted for the bulk of the USD8.3 billion that flowed out of all equity funds during the week. Bond Funds took in another USD4.4 billion while USD10.3 billion was pulled out of money market funds with Europe money market funds accounting for the biggest share of that total.

P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; direction: ltr; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); }P.western { font-family: «Times New Roman»,serif; font-size: 12pt; }P.cjk { font-family: «WenQuanYi Micro Hei"; font-size: 12pt; }P.ctl { font-family: «Lohit Hindi"; font-size: 12pt; } Slowly but surely, assets in Spanish investment funds are rising. On 21 March 2014, assets under management totalled EUR169bn, up by EUR2.35bn, or 1.41%, according to data compiled by VDOS Stochastics. In the first three weeks of the month of March, net subscriptions totalled EUR2.36bn. Santander AM retains its place as the top player in the market, with EUR30.45bn in assets under management as of 21 March. The firm places ahead of BBVA AM, which has a total of EUR23.68bn in assets. Santander AM has also won the prize for the best monthly inflows, with EUR435m in net subscriptions. Santander AM places ahead of Invercaixa Gestion (EUR284m in inflows), BanSabadell Inversion (EUR282m), BBVA AM (EUR231m), and lastly, Kutxabank Gestion (EUR220m).

P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; direction: ltr; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); }P.western { font-family: «Times New Roman»,serif; font-size: 12pt; }P.cjk { font-family: «WenQuanYi Micro Hei"; font-size: 12pt; }P.ctl { font-family: «Lohit Hindi"; font-size: 12pt; } Three former employees of the inter-bank broker Icap have been charged in the United Kingdom for their presumed role in the Libor inter-bank lending scandal, the British serious fraud office (SFO) announced on 28 March. The new charges bring the number of people charged in the UK by the SFO in the case of nine, as in January the agency sought a budgetary extension to complete the investigation. The three people are suspected by the SFO of manipulating rates in a concerted manner “between 8 August 2006 and 7 September 2010.” Icap is one of the groups sanctioned by the British and US authorities as part of the Libor scandal which brokeout in 2012 as Barclays was fined. In addition to Barclays and Icap, many firms worldwide have been caught up in the scandal. UBS and Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) also faced fines.

P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; direction: ltr; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); }P.western { font-family: «Times New Roman»,serif; font-size: 12pt; }P.cjk { font-family: «WenQuanYi Micro Hei"; font-size: 12pt; }P.ctl { font-family: «Lohit Hindi"; font-size: 12pt; } Regulations are continuing to cause difficulties for asset managers. According to a survey by the investment consulting firm Investit, presented in London, which suveyed 60 members of the general management at 24 investment service and portfolio management providers, planned regulatory changes remain the top priority for 93% of respondents, Funds Europe reports. In the top 3 priorities, this issue is far out in front, followed by data management in second place for 66% of respondents, and front-office systems, the third priority for 52% of managers. Unsurprisingly, the Alternative Investment Fund Manager (AIFM) directive is subject to the most concerns, followed by expected changes in the composition of the European Market Infrastructure Regulation (EMIR) and the application of Dodd-Frank.

P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; direction: ltr; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); }P.western { font-family: «Times New Roman»,serif; font-size: 12pt; }P.cjk { font-family: «WenQuanYi Micro Hei"; font-size: 12pt; }P.ctl { font-family: «Lohit Hindi"; font-size: 12pt; } Swiss & Global Asset Management has launched the JP Emerging Markets Opportunities Bond Fund, fondsweb reports. The fund provides investors access to emerging market debt denominated in local or hard currencies. The strategy aims for returns of about 6% to 10% per year, with total volatility of 5% to 7%. For local currencies, the fund is currently invested in Brazil, Mexico and Poland, while for hard currencies, it is invested in Indonesian debt and debt from some eastern European countries, including Slovenia and Croatia.

The hedge fund from billionaire John Paulson has purchased a 4.5% stake in the Netherlands-based operator Royal KPN NV (KPN), whose largest shareholder is the group of Carlos Slim, America Movil SAB de CV, Bloomberg reports. According to statistics compiled by the agency, Paulson & Co is reported to have purchased the stake on 24 March this year. America Movil previously reduced its stake to 26.7%, compared with about 30% previously.

P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; direction: ltr; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); }P.western { font-family: «Times New Roman»,serif; font-size: 12pt; }P.cjk { font-family: «WenQuanYi Micro Hei"; font-size: 12pt; }P.ctl { font-family: «Lohit Hindi"; font-size: 12pt; } The US investment group Blackstone on 28 March announced that it has raised USD7bn (EUR5.1bn) to invest in European real estate. The fund is the largest ever constructed for European real estate, a statement from Blackstone says. The investment fund explains that it collected the sum in only six months, from investors whose identities have not been revealed. Blackstone does not state what type of real estate assets it will invest in, nor what European countries it is interested in. Investment activities by Blackstone in real estate, which began in 1991, total over USD79bn.

Generation Investment Management, the asset management firm founded by David Blood, the former head of Goldman Sachs Asset Management, and the former US vice president Al Gore, has recruited a former Pimco executive, Tammie Arnold, Financial News reports. Arnold joined the firm specialised in responsible investment this month, in a newly-created position as head of the client team. Arnold spent 20 years at Pimco, most recently as head of the ETF platform.

The Italian banking group Intesa Sanpaolo on Friday, as part of its 2014-2017 strategic plan, announced the integration of Fideuram Asset Management Ireland into the asset management firm Eurizon Capital. This will create “one of the largest banking asset managers in Euorpe, with a presence in Central and Eastern Europe and China,” the firm says, adding that this may make it possible to sign partnerships with top tier international asset management firms.Intesa Sanpaolo is projecting assets of EUR295bn for its asset management unit in 2017, compared with EUR221bn in 2013, and a degree of fund client penetration of 25%, up from 17%.Intesa Sanpolo has also announced the merger of Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking, Fideuram Investimenti and Banca Fideuram, to “create one of the largest private banking entities in Europe, and to be prepared to grow abroad, especially as part of partnerships.” As of the end of 2013, the group had 5,700 private bankers and 164bn in assets.

Anima Holding, the parent company of the Italian asset management firm Anima SGR, has announced that on Thursday it received approval from the Italian stock market regulator Consob for an information prospectus for its IPO, as well as approval from the Milan stock exchange, Bluerating reports. The overall offer is for a maximum of 164,892,260 shares in the company, corresponding to 55% of social capital. The shares have been put up for sale by the shareholders Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena, Banca Popolare di Milano, Lauro Quarantadue and Prima Holding 2.MPS and BPM will remain as shareholders in the firm, following its IPO, with 9.9% and 14.72%, while Lauro 42 will have an 8% stake.The public takeover bid and investment by institutionals in shares will take place on 31 March, and will be completed on 10 April.

P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; direction: ltr; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); }P.western { font-family: «Times New Roman»,serif; font-size: 12pt; }P.cjk { font-family: «WenQuanYi Micro Hei"; font-size: 12pt; }P.ctl { font-family: «Lohit Hindi"; font-size: 12pt; } Industrial & Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), the largest Chinese bank, is weighing a bid of EUR2bn on the asset management firm Pioneer, currently an affiliate of UniCredit, the Sunday Times reports. The Chinese bank is seeking to acquire a European asset management firm, according to City sources. It is reported to have considered a move for Ignis, an affiliate of Phoenix, which was sold to Standard Life last week.

P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; direction: ltr; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); }P.western { font-family: «Times New Roman»,serif; font-size: 12pt; }P.cjk { font-family: «WenQuanYi Micro Hei"; font-size: 12pt; }P.ctl { font-family: «Lohit Hindi"; font-size: 12pt; } The investment advising firm Koris International, which is already known for its expertise in risk management techniques, is launching a vast transparency operation concerning the quality of ETFs. More precisely, Koris is proposing to review key elements and to take into account the valuation of an ETF, and also to share its allocation experience. On a monthly basis, Koris will publish a detailed analysis of a given top index, and the largest ETFs replicating the index. “Rather than discerning what is expected to be a good or bad ETF, good operational or legal structure, or the appropriate commission level, we have decided to share our experience related to the evaluation of risks and the performance of ETFs,” Jean-René Giraud, CEO of Koris International, explains to Newsmanagers. The choice of ETFs has clearly been dictated by the strong expansion of the type of instrument worldwide, firstly in the United States, and also in Europe in recent years. “ETFs are not an asset class as some may claim, but they very clearly serve as incontrovertible bricks in the construction of a portfolio for most investors, says Giraud. Hence the initiative by Koris, whose first experience has already made it possible to draw some conclusions. Initially, the collection of information has already proven much more complicated than expected. “Public data is not necessarily accurate, we are also facing outdated information, heterogeneous elements concerning legal and operational frameworks, many elements that have kept us very busy in the past few months,” explains Giraud. Then, the first study carried out by Koris made it possible to conclude that standard deviation models are not necessarily a panacea, and that new exams do not represent an appropriate indicator either to measure the quality of an ETF. Trading volumes on regulated markets are limited to small operations. And now we know that although no statistics are available, the over-the-counter market represents more than 55% of total transactions concerning ETFs. This situation complicates the job for institutionals in a practical way, since this means analysing market spreads. Koris has chosen to start with one of the indices which is probably one of the most difficult to replicate in the equity universe: the MSCI Emerging Market Index, which covers multiple markets, multiple time zones, multipe currencies and sometimes very small markets. Giraud concludes with the observation that “rising returns from an index are an experiment in complex management, which is too often judged too hastily by investors. The quality of an ETF cannot really be limited to the analysis of fees, tracking error, or physical or synthetic format.” From his point of view, “the future of this tool in the institutional world will involve a much less rigorous selection approach. Our study provides a basis for analysis which the investor can rely on. We are also planning to extend our investigation to the difficult conditions in which these instruments are traded off-market.”

The California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) before the weekend named Tom McDonagh acting senior investment officer (SIO) for real assets, effective April 1, 2014.McDonagh will take over the position vacated by Ted Eliopoulos, who has been named interim chief investment officer upon the passing of Joe Dear, CalPERS chief investment officer. McDonagh is currently a senior portfolio manager in the Global Fixed Income asset class.As acting SIO of Real Assets, McDonagh will be responsible for implementation and management of investment strategy and policy for the pension fund’s USD27.8 billion portfolio in real assets worldwide.