The new Japanese reduced-tax savings account, the NISA, which will be launched on 1 January, is expected to attract JPY6trn to JPY14trn per year in the next five years, with potential for JPY68trn, or about EUR490bn, according to a joint study published by Cerulli in partnership with Nomura Research Institute (“Asset Management in Japan 2013: Opportunities and Challenges for Foreign Managers”). “Growth projections for the market for new accounts appears to mark a considerable evolution in the mentality of the mentality of Japanese households, and a larger propensity to leave the sanctuary of risk-free assets,” says Yoon Ng, director at Cerulli Associates. It should also be mentioned at modifications to retirement regulations and the prospect of rising interest rates are expected to incite retail investors to protect their assets.
Carmignac Gestion has signed an agreement with one of the largest banks in Japan, to distribute its EUR24bn Patrimoine fund to local investors, Citywire Global can reveal. The asset management firm based in Place Vendôme in Paris has not revealed the name of the bank, but it is reportedly one of the largest in the country.
Net inflows to equity ETFs/ETPs have totalled USD213.5bn in the first eleven months of the year, compared with only USD124.4bn in the corresponding period of 2012, according to estimates by ETFGI. Bond ETFs/ETPs take second place, with net inflows of USD22.4bn over 11 months, down compared with last year (USD61.6bn). Commodity ETFs/ETPs have seen a net outflow of USD34.7bn as of the end of November, while the first 11 months of 2012 brought net inflows of USD22.4bn. Assets in ETFs/ETPs as of the end of November set a record USD2.4trn, under the effect of the positive performance of themarktes and a net inflow of USD17bn. Over eleven months, assets were up 21% due to the good performance of the markets and a net inflow of USD220.6bn. Also over eleven months, the larget ETF provider is iShares, with a net inflow of USD57.3bn, followed by Vanguard (USD55.7bn), WisdomTree (USD13.6bn), PowerSHares (USD13.3bn) and SPDR (USD11.5bn). Transparent aset ETFs/ETPs, which have been much discussed recently, still represent only a small segment of the sector, with 126 products and cumulative assets of USD20.9bn, less than 1% of total ETFs/ETPs assets worldwide.
Global fund groups are diversifying sources of income by expanding into new markets and moving quickly to capitalize on new product trends, but managers in Europe and Asia also need to work at improving asset retention rates, according to the December issue of The Cerulli Edge-Global Edition.Within Europe, Germany and Switzerland are the key distribution targets for managers, followed by Italy and Spain and then France. However, raising assets and retaining assets do not go hand in hand. Since 2005, the annual redemption rate for cross-border funds in Europe has ranged between 48% and 97%, observes Cerulli. In the United States, the range is between 24% and 36%."A Cerulli survey of 153 fund selectors found that asset managers are failing to communicate their investment philosophy to buyers, an omission that is especially costly during short-term underperformance when a deep understanding of the managers’ process can help retain the client,» commented Barbara Wall, a Cerulli director.The problem of asset retention is particularly acute in Asia. A new product may raise significant assets under management (AUM) at the launch stage, only to see assets dry up after that. Cerulli found that investors typically hold their funds for short periods of less than a year. In Taiwan, for instance, retail investors hold their funds for about six to nine months, while in China the holding period can be as brief as one month!
Edward S. Lampert, who is seeking to stem the losses at Sears Holdings, is facing an exodus of clients from his hedge fund, the Wall Street Journal reports. The fund has redeemed billions of dollars to clients of Goldman Sachs Group, which had invested in ESL Investments in 2007, according to sources familiar with the matter. That is estimated to represent about USD3.5bn. These recent events represent a setback for Lampart, an investor who has been praised for his qualities, and who bet that he could bring about a recovery at Sears. Lampert became CEO of the retail company in January, but could not turn the firm around.
Lawrence Kemp, US growth large caps manager at BlackRock, has won back a USD1.8bn mandate from Charles Schwab, which he had managed when he worked at UBS Global Asset Managemnent, Financial News reports. Kemp joined BlackRock in February.
BNY Mellon Investment Management is seeking opportunities in France. “We would like to develop our expertise in alternative management and European equities more. Our strategy is to do it via acquisition, but to integrate teams into our existing boutiques. With this in mind, I have looked at the investment teams in France in the past twelve months, and I am still looking,” PeterPaul Pardi, global head of distribution at BNY Mellon IM, has explained to Les Echos. The asset management affiliate of the US bank now earned USD600m in revenues in Europe, and is aiming for USD1bn in five years’ time.
Amundi Real Estate, as part of development of its retail Opcimmo, has acquired its first office property in London, in partnership with Knight Frank Investment Management (KFIM). The office property, Defoe Court, Featherstone Street, located at the heart of London’s tech centre, was renovated in 2008 and has an exceptional location at the north end of the City. With a total floor area of 4,000 square metres on 5 floors, the property is wholly leased. According to Carmen Lopes, a manager at Opcimmo, “after a first co-investment in the United Kingdom in 2012, this acquisition confirms our desire and our capacity to invest in the British market. It reinforces our development strategy on this high-potential market. Our strategic partnership with Knight Frank Investment Management will allow us to extend our presence in London into the future.”
The Japanese police on Thursday arrested a Deutsche Bank employee in Tokyo. He is suspected of offering meals and travel worth JPY900,000 (EUR6,500) to the manager of the Mitsui pension fund, who, in return, is claimed to have invested JPY1bn (EUR7.2m) in products from Deutsche Securities, an affiliate of Deutsche Bank, Handelsblatt reports.According to the local press, the Japanese financial regulator may take legal action against Deutsche Securities in connection with the case.
As of 30 June, according to the CNMV quarterly report, JPMorgan Asset Management remained the largest active foreign manager in Spain, with EUR5.3bn, followed by Carmignac Gestion, with EUR3.84bn, according to the CNMV quarterly report. However, with the addition of EUR2.87bn in active funds at BlackRock and EUR2.6bn in iShares ETFs, the US asset management firm was the largest.Amundi takes 13th place, with EUR1.07bn, and Axa IM is in 17th place, with EUR911m.Overall, foreign asset management firms had EUR48.23bn in assets, out of a total of EUR215.22bn for funds and investment companies in Spain. Assets at foreign funds have increased 26.9% in first half, and 39.5% in one year. Their market share has increased by 2.58 points in six months, and 4.14 points in one year, to 22.4%, and the number of subscribers has increased by 16.4%, to 950,000 in first half.
With Zelf Vermogensopbouw, ING has launched a new execution only platform aimed at clients who wish to invest in funds themselves, without any advice, Fonds Nieuws reports. According to Karin van Gennip, head of private banking and investments, the platform stands out from the Robeco and and future ING Investment Management platforms due to the fact that it covers funds from all promoters.Currently, about 10% of the product range is composed of tracker funds. Zelf Vermogensopbouw includes equity funds, bond funds, real estate funds and multi-asset class funds. They are distributed over seven risk profiles.
With net inflows of EUR9.5bn since January, 2013 has been the best year for Pioneer Investments since the crisis, and also the first since the end of the redeployment process. What’s more, these inflows are distributed well between asset classes and geographical regions. They were “only” USD7.7bn at the end of September, Sandro Pierri, CEO, reminded at a presentation in Paris on Thursday. This does not mean, however, that the firm is planning to let up investing in distribution and talent, which absorbed about 15% of profits in 2011 and 2012.Assets now total EUR175bn, compared with EUR168.9bn as of the end of September, and about EUR158bn at the end of December last year.In continental Europe (France, Switzerland, Benelux and Scandinavia), where Fabien Madar is the regional CEO, assets under management total about EUR6.2bn, of which USD2.1bn are net subscriptions. For France, assets total EUR3.7bn, while net inflows totalled EUR1.2bn, and market effects are EUR300m.Inflows have totalled eight types of products: European equities, including small caps, “aggregate” bonds (alpha portable), European high yield, US high yield, and funds at the bottom of the rate curve (corporate and cash +). In addition, there is a fund of analysts of the United States and a defensive fund with 40 positions, entitled US fundamental growth.Madar states that the objective which has been set for him in 2014 is to continue to develop clients and to bring in EUR1bn in inflows, of which EUR400m are to be in France.
The United Arab Emirates asset management firm, Emirates NBD Asset Management, has signed a partnership agreement with the British firm Jupiter Asset Management, which will advise it on four global funds, Bloomberg reports. The multi-management team at Jupiter will provide advising on assets of about AED400m, or USD109m, distributed over four Emirated NBD funds, David Marshall, one of the directors of the firm, says. Assets under management at Emirates NBD have risen 43% this year to about AED7.7bn, Marshall says, adding that the expertise provided by Jupiter will allow for assets in the four funds advised to reach a range of AED750m to AED1bn in the next 12 to 18 months.
La Bundesbank a relevé ses prévisions de croissance 2013 et 2014 pour l’Allemagne. La banque centrale allemande anticipe désormais une hausse de 0,5% du produit intérieur brut (PIB) cette année et une nouvelle augmentation de 1,7% l’année prochaine. Elle prévoyait auparavant des taux de croissance de respectivement 0,3% et 1,5%. Dans ses projections semestrielles, l'établissement voit le PIB croître de 2% en 2015.
Le déficit commercial de la France s’est contracté à 4,697 milliards d’euros en octobre contre 5,636 milliards en septembre du fait d’une baisse de la facture énergétique avec le recul des prix du pétrole en euro, selon les statistiques des Douanes. Le déficit de septembre avait été annoncé à 5,824 milliards d’euros en première estimation. Les exportations diminuent légèrement à 36,53 milliards d’euros, contre 36,64 milliards un mois plus tôt, tandis que les importations ont reculé, à 41,22 milliards contre 42,27 milliards. Sur les dix premiers mois de l’année, le déficit commercial atteint 50,54 milliards, contre 56,86 milliards pour la même période de 2012.
La banque centrale norvégienne a reporté d’un an la date de remontée de son taux directeur. La Norges Bank, qui a maintenu son principal taux à 1,5%, précise que la première hausse devrait intervenir durant l'été 2015. «Les perspectives de croissance de l'économie norvégienne se sont quelque peu détériorées. Les prix immobiliers ont récemment baissé alors que la dette des ménages reste élevée», a-t-elle reconnu.
UBS a annoncé que John Fraser, PDG de l’activité de gestion d’actifs du groupe depuis 2001, allait quitter ses fonctions opérationnelles pour garder le titre de président. Ulrich Koerner, actuel directeur des opérations (COO), qui a supervisé le programme de recentrage et de réduction de coûts de la banque suisse, prendra la direction générale d’UBS Global Asset Management le 1er janvier 2014. Ses fonctions seront reprises par Tom Naratil, qui reste directeur financier.
La banque et l’agence de notation font l’objet d’une plainte déposée par un groupe de seize investisseurs institutionnels européens devant la justice néerlandaise. Ces derniers leur reprochent des pertes sur des produits financiers complexes au plus fort de la crise, et réclament jusqu'à 250 millions de dollars de dédommagements. La plainte concerne des CPDO (constant proportion debt obligations), des produits de crédit à effet de levier créés en 2006 par ABN Amro. Ces derniers, dont la qualité suscitait déjà un vif débat entre agences de notation, avaient été notés AAA par S&P.
Le liquidateur de la banque américaine a selon le quotidien mis en vente sa participation de 20% au capital du gestionnaire alternatif new-yorkais D.E. Shaw. Goldman Sachs organise la manœuvre pour une part dépourvue de droits de vote. Le quotidien souligne en outre que le fondateur du hedge fund, David E. Shaw, aura le dernier mot pour le choix de l’acquéreur, qui pourrait débourser entre 650 et 800 millions de dollars, dont une part indexée sur les performances à venir du gestionnaire, contre un coût estimé de 750 à 800 millions pour Lehman Brothers en 2007. Six prétendants auraient sélectionnés, dont Affiliated Managers Group (AMG), Foundation Capital Partners, ou Blackstone. Deux finalistes resteront en lice début 2014.
L’endettement du Royaume-Uni devrait commencer à reculer en 2016-2017, avec un an d’avance sur le calendrier initial, selon le chancelier de l’Echiquier
La Banque de France a publié hier un rapport critique sur l’ascension de la monnaie virtuelle. Son homologue chinoise, la PBoC, a pour sa part interdit à ses banques de traiter le Bitcoin, alors que la Chine se trouve au cœur de la flambée des prix autour de ce moyen de paiement en ligne.
Le PIB américain a progressé de 3,6% en rythme annualisé sur la période juillet-septembre, après 2,5% sur les trois mois précédents et 2,8% annoncés en première estimation, selon le département du Commerce. La révision provient d’un effet restockage dans les entreprises, ce qui laisse attendre un ralentissement de la croissance au dernier trimestre 2013.
Virginie Chapron du Jeu, Directrice de l’investissement et de la comptabilité, CDC Retraites à la rédaction de www.institinvest.com : Il y a des thématiques d’investissement sur lesquelles CDC Retraites et Solidarité travaille, comme les infrastructures, la biodiversité et le financement des collectivités locales. Dans tous les cas, si nous rentrons sur ces classes d’actifs, cela se fera sur des poches réduites, car nous sommes tenus par des règles de dispersion, ce qui nous limiterait si nous investissions dans des fonds spécifiques. Pour le moment, nous n’avons pas d’appel d’offres programmé sur les réserves. Cependant, dans le cadre de notre politique de diversification, nous pourrions ouvrir des mandats supplémentaires. Cela nous permettrait de rendre une partie de l’allocation plus active et de mieux cibler nos objectifs d’allocation tactique.
Le produit intérieur brut (PIB) américain a progressé de 3,6% en rythme annualisé sur la période juillet-septembre, après 2,5% sur les trois mois précédents et 2,8% annoncé en première estimation, montrent les chiffres publiés jeudi par le département du Commerce. Les économistes interrogés par Reuters s’attendaient en moyenne à une croissance révisée à 3,0%. La révision provient cependant d’un effet restockage dans les entreprises, ce qui laisse attendre un ralentissement de la croissance au dernier trimestre 2013.
Les laboratoires pharmaceutiques vétérinaires français, Ceva Santé Animale et Sogeval (filiale de Sofiprotéol), annoncent l’ouverture de négociations exclusives en vue de leur rapprochement. Détenu par Euromezzanine, Natixis et Sagard depuis 2010, Ceva a réalisé 600 millions d’euros de chiffre d’affaires en 2012, contre 58 millions pour Sogeval.
La Banque centrale européenne a publié ce 5 décembre ses nouvelles prévisions d’inflation et de croissance en zone euro. Elle attend désormais 1,1 % d’inflation en 2014, contre une précédente prévision de 1,3%, et seulement 1,3% en 2015, ce qui constitue la plus faible projection d’inflation à deux ans de la part de l’institution. Sur le front de la croissance, la reprise sera molle : le PIB progresserait de 1,1% l’année prochaine (+ 0,1 point par rapport à la dernière prévision) et de 1,5% en 2015. La conférence de presse de Mario Draghi a surpris par son ton plutôt «faucon», et les réticences à lancer une nouvelle LTRO. «Si nous faisons une opération comparable aux LTRO, nous voulons être sûrs qu’elle profitera à l'économie, a indiqué le banquier central. Et nous ferons en sorte que cette opération ne soit pas utilisée pour subventionner la formation de capital du système bancaire dans ces opérations de ‘carry trade’.»