Dans le cadre des Assises de l’investissement la semaine dernière, l’Elysée a annoncé la création d’un nouveau véhicule juridique simplifié d’investissement en capital pour attirer les investisseurs étrangers. Ceux-ci souhaitent avoir plus de contrôle sur la gouvernance des fonds.
Faiblesse de la croissance européenne, aversion pour le risque de la clientèle et contraintes liées à l’environnement réglementaire poussent Edmond de Rothschild à réviser ses objectifs. «Nous maintenons nos objectifs chiffrés mais nous pourrions en revoir la trajectoire», indique son directeur général Christophe de Backer. Selon le quotidien, qui évoque un courrier interne aux salariés, le plan stratégique pourrait être décalé de deux ans. Présenté fin 2012, celui-ci prévoyait d’ici à 2016 une collecte d’actifs de 33 milliards d’euros supplémentaires (à 158 milliards d’euros) et un coefficient d’exploitation descendu à 66% (contre 80%).
Les fonds actions spécialisés sur les actions européennes ont subi les rachats nets hebdomadaires les plus élevés en plus de trois ans sur la semaine au 17 septembre, en partie du fait des sorties sur les fonds actions britanniques avant la tenue du référendum sur l’indépendance de l’Ecosse, montre une étude de Bank of America Merrill Lynch, publiée vendredi. Les sorties nettes sur les fonds actions européennes ont atteint 4,6 milliards de dollars, le montant de retraits le plus élevé depuis août 2011.
La Banque centrale européenne (BCE) ne songe pas pour l’heure à élarger ses rachats d’actifs pour y inclure de la dette souveraine, a déclaré Christian Noyer, membre du Conseil des gouverneurs de l’institut d'émission. Prié par l’hebdomadaire allemand WirtschaftsWoche de dire si un QE était à l’ordre du jour à la BCE, Christian Noyer a répondu: «Non. Des décisions ont été prises et nous verrons si les résultats anticipés se produisent».
L’agence de notation a confirmé vendredi la note souveraine «AAA» des Etats-Unis, qui reste assortie d’une perspective stable, en disant s’attendre à une accélération de la croissance et à une amélioration de la situation budgétaire. Fitch prévoit une croissance de 2% de l'économie américaine cette année avant 3,1% en 2015 et 3% en 2016. L’agence estime que l’Etat fédéral parviendra à ramener son déficit budgétaire à 2,9% du PIB sur l’exercice en cours, après 4,1% sur le précédent et 9,8% sur l’exercice 2009.
Les 375 milliards de livres (476 milliards d’euros) de liquidités injectés par la Banque d’Angleterre dans le système financier britannique n’ont pas stimulé le crédit bancaire, conclut une étude de la banque centrale publiée vendredi, ajoutant toutefois qu’ils avaient profité à l'économie par d’autres voies (demande globale et inflation). La BoE a lancé ce programme dit d'«assouplissement quantitatif» («quantitative easing» ou QE) en mars 2009.
L’agence Moody’s a maintenu vendredi la note de crédit Aa1 de la France, qui reste néanmoins assortie d’une perspective négative en raison de la faiblesse persistante de la croissance et de l’ampleur des déficits. Dans un communiqué, l’agence de notation justifie sa décision en expliquant que, bien que soumise à des pressions défavorables, la France conserve des avantages importants, parmi lesquels «des taux de financement très bas, qui traduisent un socle d’investisseurs solide et diversifié (…)». Moody’s ajoute avoir également pris en compte «l’engagement renouvelé du gouvernement à accélérer le rythme des réformes structurelles». L’agence estime que «les niveaux de popularité historiquement faibles du gouvernement reflètent les pressions auxquelles il est soumis» mais note que «le récent vote de confiance parlementaire a réaffirmé son mandat législatif pour mettre en oeuvre une série de réformes susceptibles de favoriser la croissance».
Eres propose une cinquantaine de FCPE, dont une dizaine d’actionnariat direct. Les derniers partenariats ont été annoncés cette année avec la société britannique M&G (premier gérant étranger à être proposé), mais aussi CPR AM et Rothschild et Cie Gestion. La société travaille aujourd’hui sur des clientèles diverses. Les professionnels, par exemple, sont suivis par un réseau de 1.200 distributeurs indépendants. Quant aux très grandes entreprises, elles sont approchées en direct. Eres fournit, par exemple, des prestations de conseil pour Valeo, mais assure aussi la gestion de FCPE pour Vinci ou Eramet. En savoir plus sur le site des Echos
Quatre questions posées à Jean-François Barré, Barré Conseil à l'occasion du salon professionnel Patrimonia qui se tiendra le 25 et 26 septembre à Lyon. Créé en 2006 par Jean François Barré, Barré Conseil est spécialisé dans le conseil en gestion de patrimoine auprès des chefs d'entreprise et des particuliers.
Le métier de conseiller en gestion de patrimoine indépendant est en train de vivre une véritable révolution à la suite des différentes réformes règlementaires en cours de déploiement au sein de l’Union Européenne.
A quelques jours de Patrimonia, Oddo AM a, à son tour, voulu juger l'état d'esprit des conseillers en gestion de patrimoine. En interrogeant 150 professionnels sur leurs visions des marchés financiers, la société de gestion a pu constater un moral en bonne forme et un net appétit de la profession pour le risque.
AXA Investment Managers (AXA IM) announced yesterday the appointment of Martin Powis as Business Development Manager, to support and strengthen AXA IM’s relationships with UK pension funds and insurance companies. Based in London, he will report to the UK Head of Institutional, and work closely with Tracey Milner, who is responsible for Local Authority Business Development at AXA IM.Martin Powis joins AXA IM with over 14 years’ experience in client facing roles. He was previously at Ignis Asset Management where he was Head of Institutional Sales for two years. Prior to this, Martin was at Deutsche Asset and Wealth Management as Vice President, Institutional, responsible for corporate pension scheme, local authority and consultant relations, and previously UK Business Development Manager at Gartmore Investment for over three years. Earlier in his career, Martin Powis held roles at Prudential M&G Investment Management, Cazenove Fund Management and State Street Bank.
p { margin-bottom: 0.1in; line-height: 120%; }a:link { } Family offices are increasingly taking an interest in asset management strategies which permit growth of their assets. They are therefore undertaking a reallocation of their investments into equities to the detriment of investments in fixed income. This is one of the main conclusions of the Global Family Office Report 2014, a study published jointly by Campden Wealth Research and UBS. It is based on a study of 205 family offices in Europe, North America, Asia-Pacific and emerging markets with a total fo USD180bn in assets under management, and an average of USD890m in assets under management. Among the other findings of the study, the average performance of investments by family offices worldwide is included, and according to the Global Family Office Report 2014 stands at about 9% per year. The study may be ordered at the website www.globalfamilyofficereport.com.
p { margin-bottom: 0.1in; line-height: 120%; }a:link { } Robeco is planning to shift into high gear on the Japanese market. As part of its strategic plan for 2014-2018, the Netherlands-based asset management firm has announced an ambition to achieve EUR5bn in assets under management in Japan within the next five years. Having the Japanese Oryx group as a main shareholder, it is true, represents a major factor in ensuring a radiant future in Japan. In fact, “the support of our majority shareholder Oryx will allow us to achieve substantial growth in Japan in the coming years,” says Roderick Munsters, CEO of Robeco, predicts in a statement. The asset management firm is not starting out with a blank page. Robeco has been present in Tokyo since 2005, obtained its asset management license in Japan last year, and now has EUR600m in assets under management. In order to bring this up to EUR5bn in the next five years, the asset management firm would like to target “new opportunities in terms of activities and to continue the development of its activities serving clients in the country.” Robeco is planning to redouble its efforts serving the three major client segments: public and corporate pension funds; financial institutions such as life insurance companies; and lastly, asset management firms, brokers, banks and any other financial institutions which manage and distribute investment funds. Meanwhile, Robeco is planning to launch an extended range of active investment strategies intended to meet the needs and issues of local clients, including equity and bond strategies based on quantitative research, equity strategies dedicated to emerging markets and emerging market debt, and lastly, bond and high yield strategies.
p { margin-bottom: 0.1in; line-height: 120%; }a:link { } The Swiss asset management firm Unigestion, which has EUR11.8bn in assets under management, on 18 September announced the launch of a new allocation tool dedicated to private assets, entitled the Private Asset Allocator, and based on systematic and quantifiable criteria. A new instrument is expected to allow investors to refine their allocations in order to meet their needs and objectives. “In so far as their allocation to private assets is increasing, a growing number of institutional investors are diversifying their portfolios so as to include not only private equity but also infrastructure, private debt, natural resources, forest land, agricultural land and other ‘real assets,'” Unigestion observes in a statement. “However, many are still having difficulty determining the contribution these assets make to risk, performance, correlation and other characteristics of their portfolios.” On the basis of academic research the Private Asset Allocator tool is designed to allow institutional investors to better define their allocation according to defined objectives (a need to dynamise returns, to achieve early dividends, decorrelation from publicly-traded assets, protection against inflation, adherence with regulatory capital requirements, etc.), while also benefiting from the characteristics propert to this universe of private assets. “This new tool allows investors to set objectives for investment in private assets and to rank their importance,” the Geneva-based asset management firm emphasises. “It then formulates an allocation recommendation for the various types of private assets in line with the objectives assigned, and calculates key data for the proposed portfolio.”
p { margin-bottom: 0.1in; line-height: 120%; }a:link { } Lafayette Gestion, a new French asset management firm now in creation, is preparing for its launch on the Paris marketplace. The structure, which now has a license pending from the Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF), is led by Laurent Guize. It proposes to structure and manage real estate funds aimed at institutional investors and private banking clients. Pending a license from the regulatory authorities, Lafayette Gestion has announced that it has added to its management team, with the arrival of Frédéric Lesaffre as CEO, and Vincent Ponelle as director in charge of internal controlling and compliance. Lesaffre previously joined the Real Estate Corporate Finance teams at Société Générale in 2006, and became director in 2010. Ponelle was previously deputy CEO and secretary-general at Barclays France, in charge of relationships with supervisory authorities, and the legal, compliance and general inspectorate department.
p { margin-bottom: 0.1in; line-height: 120%; }a:link { } Tikehau Investment Management (Tikehau IM) has accelerated its international development. In a major step in its development, the asset management firm has announced the opening of an office in Singapore. Tikehau IM Asia, an affiliate of Tikehau IM, will have the status of asset management firm, as soon as the authorities issue its license. The Singapore-based firm, which will aim at institutional investors as its priority, is led by Suresh Withana, founder of the hedge fund Harmony Capital. Two people in the Paris office will be moved to Singapore in October to assist him. “The internationalisation of our activities is a strong desire of the group. And Singapore will be a first step in our development in Asia, which is a market with strong potential which we are following very closely,” Bruno de Pampelonne, chairman of Tikehau IM, commented. Other offices are expected to be opened in the region on the future. For now, international activities represent less than 20% at Tikehau IM, which has a total of EUR3bn under management. Tikehau IM would also like to support its growth in European markets. “Considerations are currently in progress to open offices in Spain or Brussels,” says de Pampelonne. At the Tikehau group, international activities are also taking on a larger scale. After London, where the group has had an eight-member team for one and a half years, dedicated to private debt in particular, an office may be opened in Milan, Italy in 2015. This would be led by Luca Bucelli, who joined the Tikehau group to develop all of its activities in Italy.
p { margin-bottom: 0.1in; line-height: 120%; }a:link { } J.P. Morgan Asset Management has recruited Stéphane Vonthron for the position of director of sales in charge of development for financial adviser clients. For the firm, this is a matter of strengthening its position serving institutional investors, multi-managers and distributors such as private banks, a statement says, adding that the recruitment is also accompanied by a range of dedicated services. Before joining J.P. Morgan Asset Management, Vonthron was director of sales for Key Accounts at Financière de l’Echiquier, after serving as head of sales serving IFAs from 2005 to 2009.
p { margin-bottom: 0.1in; line-height: 120%; }a:link { } OFI MGA, an affiliate of OFI Asset Management dedicated to investment in alternative management, is launching the OMP1 fund. The fund has seed capital of EUR50m from major French insurance groups. The open, alternative fund is invested exclusively in OPCs and investment funds of the managed accounts range of the FRM platform from Man Group, with which OFI signed a partnership in January 2013. OMP1 offers exclusive access in France to the abilities of nearly 70 alternative managers in an independent and secure framework, a statement says.