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01/12/2011

Netherlands pension fund GBF becomes Timeos

The Netherlands pension fund GBF (Grafische Bedrijsfonden), dedicated to the graphics industry, has changed names, the website IPE reports. The new name of the pension fund, Timeos, will be effective from 3 December, and aims to attract new clients. Assets under management by the fund total over EUR11bn.
01/12/2011

Paulson apologises

John Paulson has apologised to investors, stating that the performance of his funds this year have been the worst in the 17-year history of the firm, the Wall Street Journal reports, citing a letter dated 28 October. In the letter, Paulson also states that Harvard professor Martin Feldstein is joining the board’s consulting committee.
01/12/2011

Warren Buffett buys up his local newspaper

Berkshire Hathaway will acquire the local newspaper read by Warren Buffett, though he has often said that the press industry is facing a difficult future, the Financial Times reports. The billionaire on Wednesday announced the acquisition of the Omaha World Herald Company, which owns several daily and weekly publications in Omaha and south-west Iowa. Berkshire will pay USD200m and will take on the firm’s debts.
01/12/2011

Signa poaches real estate team from Gothaer AM

The Austrian firm Signa Holding, where the former head of Porsche, Wendelin Wiedeking, has joined the supervisory board, on 24 November announced the recruitment of Michael Morgenroth, a board member at the German firm Gothaer Asset Management, from April 2012, as head of real estate and investments. Morgenroth, who will be a member of the board at Signa, joins the firm with virtually all of his team from Gothaer AM.Morgenroth is also chairman of the European association of investors in private real estate funds (INREV), and the real estate commission of the German insurers’ association GDV. At Signa, he will be responsible for institutional clients and the group’s activities in Germany.Signa, the group controlled by the controversial financier René Benko, has also recruited Patrick Züchner, head of real estate, Lars Armgart and Antje Bonnewitz from Gothaer AM. They will be in charge of the German affiliate SIGNA Real Estate Advisory AG (SIGNA READ), based in Düsseldorf.The first product from the newly-created team will be a real estate debt fund.At Gothaer AM, Morgenroth will not be replaced on the board, while Züchner will be replaced from 1 December by Ingo Bofinger as head of real estate.
01/12/2011

Matthias Egger joins Mirabaud AM

Matthias Egger is joining Mirabaud Asset Management from 1 December 2011, Agefi Switzerland reports. He will manage the Mirabaud Equities – Swiss Small and Mid Caps fund and institutional mandates meeting similar criteria from 15 December 2011.
01/12/2011

UBS reshuffles management and activities

Philip J. Lofts, CEO UBS Group Americas, is returning to his former role as Group Chief Risk Officer at UBS. He previously held this position between November 2008 and December 2010, and was appointed CEO UBS Group Americas in January 2011. He joined UBS in 1984.Robert J. McCann, who joined UBS in 2009, will become CEO UBS Group Americas, in addition to his current role as CEO Wealth Management Americas, the bank continues.Ulrich Körner, who joined UBS in 2009, will become CEO UBS Group Europe, Middle East and Africa, in addition to his current role as Group Chief Operating Officer and CEO Corporate Center.In their new roles, Lofts, McCann and Körner will continue to be board members at the group, UBS states. Handelszeitung also reports on 1 December that UBS is planning to merge its activities in Europe, ending a period of separation between on- and offshore banking. Jakob Stott is reportedly going to be the new director of European operations. Stott has worked at UBS for one year, and spent a large part of his career at the US bank J.P. Morgan. He is very close to the new group CEO, Sergio Ermotti, the newspaper notes.
01/12/2011

Geneva-based manager Pierre Lombard joins Gonet & Cie

Geneva’s Pierre Lombard, who has been an independent manager for over 15 years, has returned to the banking business, as a manager and board member at Gonet & Cie, Agefi Switzerland reports. He will begin in his new position on 1 January.The change is reported to be largely due to the increasing burden of compliance for small structures, which will not be able to remain independent in the future, according to many observers.The asset management firm Pierre Lombard Finance has three employees and CHF150m in assets under management.
01/12/2011

Gonet group sets up shop in Singapore

The Gonet Group on 30 November announced the opening of Gonet (Asia) Pte Ltd in Singapore, an Exempt Fund Manager (EFM). “This operation constitutes the first step in the development of the Gonet Group in serving Asian clients,” the group says in a statement. The new entity will practice asset management, and has confirmed the launch of its activity as an Exempt Fund Manager (EFM) governed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS). This status will allow the firm to serve a set number of qualified clients initially. The top objective for the new entity is to serve Asian clients. The firm, which since its inception has been composed of seven local professionals, is led by Viraj Somboon, CEO and partner at Gonet (Asia). The banker had previously been Managing Director of EFG Bank in Singapore.
01/12/2011

Dow Jones launches an index of Euro-Asian stock markets

Dow Jones Indexes and the Federation of Euro-Asian Stock Exchanges (FEAS) have launched the first blue-chip index derived from Euro-Asian stock exchanges, the Dow Jones FEAS Titans 50 Equal Weighted Index.An equal-weighted measure of the 50 largest stocks traded on FEAS-member exchanges, the new gauge is designed to serve as the basis for financial products such as funds and structured products.The index universe is defined as all stocks in the Dow Jones FEAS Composite Index. Exchanges represented in the index are: Abu Dhabi (UAE), Almaty (Kazakhastan), Amman (Jordan), Banja Luka (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Belgrade (Serbia), Bucharest (Romania), Cairo (Egypt), Istanbul (Turkey), Karachi (Pakistan), Manama (Kingdom of Bahrain), Muscat (Oman), Nablus (Palestine), Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Skopje (Republic of Macedonia), Sofia (Bulgaria) and Zagreb (Croatia).Separately, Dow Jones Indexes has licensed the new Dow Jones Switzerland Select Dividend 15 Index to UBS to serve as the basis for a structured product, Open End PERLES, listed today on the SIX Swiss Exchange.
01/12/2011

Danish pension funds increase exposure to real estate

The volatility of the markets is driving Danish pension funds to increase their exposure to real estate, the website IP Real Estate reports.Exposure of Danish funds to real estate typically hovers around 10%, but the current market turbulence is driving funds to increase their exposure to this asset class, largely due to its lower volatility compared with other asset classes.
01/12/2011

Insider trading investigation involves three investment firms

The US federal authorities suspect individuals at three major investment firms of insider trading, according to the Wall Street Journal, citing sources familiar with the matter. The investigators are targeting an analyst at Neuberger Berman Group and traders who worked for the hedge funds Diamondback Capital Management and Level Global Investors. These individuals will face charges in mid-December.
01/12/2011

Hedge funds losing momentum

The hedge fund sector suffered redemptions in October of USD10.8bn, or 0.7% of assets, compared with USD2.9bn in September, according to estimates by TrimTabs based on data gathered from 2,902 hedge funds. This would be the largest outflow observed since July 2009. The weak level of returns from hedge funds appears to be the reason for this disaffection.Total assets in the sector are estimated to total USD1.63trn in October, compared with USD1.73trn in September. Assets have thus returned to their lowest levels since January 2010, partly due to the evolution of returns. The Barclay Hedge Fund index gained 3.5% in October, following five consecutive months of declines.However, the sector has seen only six months of outflows in the 22 months since January 2010. They posted inflows of USD54.3bn in first half 2011, their highest levels since 2007. And since the beginning of 2010, inflows have totalled USD102.7bn.Funds of hedge funds, for their part, have seen outflows of USD2.7bn in October, and since January 2010, they have seen outflows of USD20.2bn.
01/12/2011

Lyxor lists three more bond ETFs in Paris

NYSE Euronext on 30 November announced that it has admitted three bond ETFs from Lyxor Asset Management (Société Générale group) to trading on its Paris platform. The French-registered products replicate the AAA EuroMTS government bond indices of various maturities. All of the products charge 0.165%.596 ETF funds are now listed 695 times on the European platforms of the NYSE Euronext group. Since the beginning of the year, 158 of these funds have been admitted to trading, of which 128 are primary listings, and 28 are secondary listings.CharacteristicsLYXOR MA13 (FR0011146315) underlying: EuroMTS AAA Government Index (1-3 years) LYXOR MA35 (FR0011146349) underlying: EuroMTS AAA Government Index (3-5 years)LYXOR MA57 (FR0011146356) underlying: EuroMTS AAA Government Index (5-7 years)
01/12/2011

Edgebell Capital to launch a global macro hedge fund

The alternative management firm Edgebell Capital, led by former bankers from Goldman Sachs and Mizuho, is planning to launch a global macro hedge fund in February, Bloomberg reports. The Edgebell Capital Global Macro Strategy fund, which will focus on stock and bond market trends as well as currency markets, will start up with at least JPY2bn, or about USD26m, raised from high net worth Japanese clients. The fund will also be available to outside investors via an offshore fund. The fund, which aims for total annual returns of 10% to 20%, will invest in stock market indices, including options and futures, worldwide, primarily in bond markets of G7 countries, currencies, and commodity ETFs.
01/12/2011

Mapfre Vida launches its first guaranteed fund

With the Mapfre Puente Garantía 10, Mapfre Vida has launched its first fund which guarantees both capital and returns set at 16% at maturity (12 January 2016).The portfolio will be invested solely in bonds, mostly securities issued by Spanish public authorities.In addition, Mapfre Vida says, the subscriber will have access to liquidity at all times, under advantageous conditions, with an expected withdrawal penalty of only 1%.Subscriptions will be open until 27 December through all of the group’s 3,200 branches.
01/12/2011

BBVA launches a guaranteed bond fund

On 18 November, BBVA Asset Management obtained a sales license in Spain for its new fund BBVA Solidez XIV BP, which guarantees 110.08% of initial net asset value as of 16 January 2012, at maturity on 16 January 2015, corresponding to an annualised rate of return of 3.25%. Minimal subscription is EUR50,000. The portfolio will be composed of government bonds from EU states or autonomous communities, promissory notes from corporates, corporate bonds denominated in euros, mortgage-backed securities, and cash.CharacteristicsName: BBVA Solidez XIV BP, FIISIN code: ES0110015007Front-end fee: 5% from 17 January 2012, or when assets exceed EUR250mManagement commission: 0.40% until 16 January 2012, and 0.85% thereafterWithdrawal penalty: 1%
01/12/2011

Morgan Stanley recruits a head from Goldman Sachs

Shirish Godbole, who had worked at Goldman Sachs since 2007, has joined Morgan Stanley Real Estate Investing (MSREI) to take over as head of real estate activities in India, Asian Investor reports. He will report directly to Hoke Slaughter, head of Asia at MSREI, which currently manages USD175bn in assets worldwide. Godbole worked for Morgan Stanley from 1994 to 2007.
01/12/2011

HSBC launches frontier markets fund

The British asset management firm HSBC Global Asset Management has announced the launch of the Frontier Markets sub-fund of its Luxembourg Sicav Global Investment Funds (GIF), which will be managed by Andrea Nannini. The new product will absorb the former USD170m New Frontiers Fund, a Specialised Investment Fund (SIF) launched in February 2008, also managed by Nannini.The benchmark index will not change: the new product will also use the MSCI Frontier Markets Capped Index. The management commission will be 1.75% for retail shares, and 1.25% for the institutional share class, while minimal subscription is USD5,000 for the former and USD1m for the latter.
01/12/2011

Collective management losing momentum in UK

British investment funds posted a net inflow in the month of October of GBP615m, equivalent to their levels in September, but far below their monthly average of GBP2.2bn in the first six months of the year, according to the most recent monthly statistics from the British Investment Management Association (IMA). In the first six months of the year, net inflows totalled GBP1.6bn, compared with GBP23.8bn in the corresponding period of 2010. Assets under management have increased by 6% compared with September, to GBP577.8bn. In the month under review, bond funds attracted GBP547m, a higher level than the monthly average of GBP358m in the past twelve months. However, equity funds have seen a net outflow of GBP222m in October, the largest since October 2008. Diversified funds, for their part, posted a net inflow of GBP279m. Gross inflows to fund platforms in October totalled GBP3.1bn. Their market share in October totalled 43%, compared with 39% one month earlier. Assets under management by platforms totalled GBP110.1bn in October.
01/12/2011

IMA introduces a sector dedicated to international equities

The British Investment Management Association (IMA) has announced the creation of a sector dedicated to international equities, which will be in operation from 1 January 2012. The new sector will include all funds whose assets are at least 80% invested in international equities. The association is also considering the possibility of creating a segment dedicated to European equities, but considers the number of funds eligible to be included in the sector insufficient for the moment.
01/12/2011

S&P concerned about size of an M&G fund

The financial ratings agency Standard & Poor’s has expressed concerns about the size of the M&G optimal income fund, whose assets under management total GBP5.5bn, Money Marketing reports. In the past twelve months, the fund has doubled in size, topping GBP5bn in July. In normal periods, such a size is not a problem, but the manager of the fund, Richard Woolnough, has said that it is difficult to modify more than 10% of the fund at a time, despite the support of a large team and the use of derivatives. S&P has maintained the fund’s AAA rating, however, due to the excellent reputation of Woolnough and the bond team at M&G.
01/12/2011

Le CME pose pied en Chine

Phupinder Gill, président du CME, a confié au quotidien être en négociations avec le régulateur chinois en vue de faire son entrée sur le marché national des produits dérivés. La Chine a fermé le marché des contrats à terme étrangers il y a dix-sept sur fond de spéculation. Un projet pilote pourrait être mis en œuvre permettant à des courtiers chinois de négocier des futures sur le marché à terme de Chicago. Le CME est l’opérateur du Chicago Mercantile Exchange, du Chicago Board of Trade et du New York Mercantile Exchange. Le groupe entend bien créer une chambre de compensation en Asie et renforcer ses équipes dans la région.
01/12/2011

La Fed favorise la liquidité en dollar

Les grandes banques centrales ont prolongé leur action coordonnée de refinancement en dollar, et abaissé son coût, à la grande satisfaction des marchés.

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