Funds People reports that Pedro Domenech has left Credit Suisse Asset Management (CSAM), and that the management firm has decided to close its sales office in Madrid, and will transfer responsibility for the Spanish market to Andrea Sanguinetto, head of the CSAM distribution team in Milan. Sales efforts in Spain will now focus on alternative products and core products such as bonds and multi-asset class products. As of the end of June, assets totalled EUR165m.Credit Suisse still has an asset management subsidiary in Spain: Credit Suisse Gestión (EUR442m in funds as of the end of October, and EUR775m in Sicavs as of the end of June).
The South African Old Mutual group on 19 November announced that it is scaling up its distribution capacities on emerging markets, with the acquisition of a majority stake in AIVA Business Platforms (AIVA). The initiative will allow Old Mutual to strengthen its presence on certain emerging markets, particularly in Latin America. The transaction is still pending regulatory approval, but is expected to be completed in early 2013. AIVA is a family business based in Uruguay, with a distribution platform covering all of Latin America. The firm has 120 employees, and offers services to a network of independent financial advisers, wealth managers, and other establishments. Its assets under management total about USD800m. Old Mutual and AIVA have had a business relationship for over 15 years. The new agreement is expected to involve operational synergies between AIVA and the emerging markets unit of Old Mutual in Colombia and Mexico. As of the end of December 2011, assets under management at Old Mutual totalled GBP267bn.
Katarina Melvan, who has been “authorised representative” (Generalbevollmächtigter) since 1 July, was on 15 November promoted to the position of general manager of BNY Mellon Service KAG, joining chairman Thomas Grünewald.Melvan had been managing director and head of operations at BNY Mellon Asset Servicing for the securities operations and client services units in Germany and continental Europe.Assets under administration at BNY Mellon Service KAG as of the end of October totalled EUR128.2bn, compared with EUR100.4bn as of the beginning of this year.
BaFin has issued sales licenses for 14 Belgian-registered Petercam funds (12 equity and 2 bond funds), all sub-funds of the Petercam Fund Sicav. The five Petercam Luxembourg-registered funds have already been registered for sale in Germany since February 2010.The equity funds newly authorised for sale in Germany are the following:Petercam Equities Agrivalue (BE0947763737) Petercam Equities Energy & Resources (BE0946563377) Petercam Equities Euroland (BE0058181786) Petercam Equities Europe (BE0058178758) Petercam Equities Europe Dividend (BE0057450265) Petercam Equities Europe Sustainable (BE0940001713) Petercam Equities Small & Midcaps (BE0058183808) Petercam Equities Metals & Mining (BE6217705050) Petercam Equities North America Dividend (BE0058174716)Petercam Equities World 3F (BE0058651630) Petercam Equities World Dividend (BE6228798409) Petercam Securities Real Estate Europe (BE0058186835)The two bond funds are:Petercam Bonds Euro (BE0943876665) Petercam Bonds Euro Investment Grade (BE0935123431)
Ignis Asset Management has recruited Roger de Passe as regional director for Benelux in its European sales team, where he will report to Philip Goldsmith, managing director, Europe. He replaces Ghislaine Fournigault, who has left the Scottish asset management firm. Fournigault joined the firm in 2009 when the European team was being created by Goldsmith, with whom she had worked at New Star. De Passe joins from Generali Investments Luxembourg, where he was head of institutional sales for Northern Europe. At Ignis AM, he will be responsible for developing sales across the Belenux region, with a particular focus on both wholesale and institutional channels. Importantly, part of his remit will be to develop connections within the Dutch pensions market, as Dutch is one of the languages he speaks fluently, along with French and English.
Jürgen Betz and Ralf Piersig will take over the reins at LGT Multi Asset Dynamic Shield and LGT Sustainable Impact Europe Equity, respectively, which had been managed by Felix Niederer and Lars Knudsen, Das Investment reports. The two managers will be leaving LGT Capital Management in December.
In the UK, most independent financial advisers (IFAs, 63%) are planning to continue to serve clients with assets to invest ranging from GBP20,000 up to GBP75,000, according to a survey by the British Financial Services Authority (FSA), obtained by the Sunday Times. The survey is thus a formal reubuttal to those who were concerned about clients being massively excluded from advising when the new RDR regulations come into effect. 38% of advisers surveyed say they will continue to assist clients whose assets for management are less than GBP20,000.
Klaus Blaabjerg, head of the value bond management team at Sparinvest (EUR9bn in assets as of the end of September 2012), claims that investors’ current liking for ETFs which replicate corporate bond indices has led providers of these products to invest in corporate issuers who have issued a lot of debt.The phenomenon tends to boost the prices of bonds from the companies with the highest levels of debt in the universe. But excessive debt is precisely what as a value manager, Sparinvest seeks to avoid. Blaabjerg estimates that the ETF effect favours Sparinvest, since it creates investment opportunities in companies which issue bonds that are not part of the index (small companies), or companies which have only a minimal presence in the index, since they don’t issue much debt.Currently, Sparinvest continues to see solid value scenarios among financial sector businesses, European insurers and energy sector shares. “We are finding high yield bonds from some companies that are not included in the index,” the Danish manager concludes.
Several British news media are reporting that Natixis Global Asset Management has recruited Leigh Fisher (ex Neptune Investment Management) and Darren Pilbeam (ex Investec) for its London-based UK wholesale & retail team. They will report to Ed Farrington, head of global key accounts and UK wholesale.Fisher will become head of the advisory department, while the latter will lead the strategic alliances department.
On 16 November, the CNMV issued a sales license for Spain to the two guaranteed funds Banesto Garantia I (ES0113732004) and Mapfre Puente Garantia 1 (ES0160582005), which will mature on 3 February 2017 and 20 June 2017, respectively.The Bankinter product will deliver a maximal return, if the Euro Stoxx 50 index rises, of 3% above redemption of initial capital, while the Mapfre product will pay a total return of 0.66% to 5.31% per year.The two products charge a front-end fee of 5%, while the withdrawal penalty is 3% for the Banesto fund and 4% for the Mapfre product. The management commission will be 0.3% until 4 February 2013, and 1.25% thereafter, for the Banesto fund. For the Mapfre fund, the management commission will be 0.03% until 20 December 2012, and then 1.9%.
Assets under management by Swiss investment funds totalled CHF707.8bn in October, a month-on-month increase of CHF1.2bn, according to statistics from the Swiss Funds Association (SFA) and Lipper. Net inflows totalled nearly CHF4bn in October, compared with less than CHF300m in September. Bond funds attractedCHF3.4bn, while equity funds posted inflows of CHF2.2bn, and commodity funds attracted CHF0.2bn. Money market funds, however, had outflows of CHF1.6bn.
The European Commission has agreed to ease the restructuring plan imposed on the Netherlands-based banking and insurance group ING in 2009, in exchange for public assistance of EUR10bn, which were paid to it during the financial crisis, the two parties announced in separate statements on 19 November. ING had initially been required to sell off its various insurance affiliates by the end of 2013, but the European Commission has finally agreed to ease this requirement: new deadlines, some as late as the end of 2018, have been set for the various affiliates, ING says in a statement. A redemption programme for the remaining portion of the public money received from the Netherlands government has been established. The banking/insurance group will be required to pay four instalments of EUR1.125bn each by May 2015 at the latest. Overall, it will have paid EUR13.5bn to the Netherlands government, including redemption premiums.
Patrick de Fayet, former CEO of UBS Wealth Management and UBS Wealth Management France, has been placed under investigation for “complicity in illegal acts,” money-laundering and concealing stolen goods, AFP reports, citing a legal source. The investigation comes as part of an enquiry into allegations of tax fraud against the Swiss bank. It is the third investigation of a UBS executive in France since the outbreak of the scandal.
Last week, with the listing of two new ETFs, ETFPlus, the Borsa Italiana market dedicated to ETPs, topped 800 registered instruments, ten years after its launch, Bluerating reports. The range from 11 providers includes 196 developed marekt equity ETFs, 96 ETFs of emerging market equities, 126 bond etFs, 31 Style ETFs, 168 ETFs based on other asset classes, 172 ETCs, and 12 currency ETNs.
The Swedish ethical committee for sales of funds (ENF) is asking asset management firms to choose the names of their funds carefully, in order to avoid any confusion on the part of investors. For example, the concept of “absolute returns” should not be used in the name of a fund. “This expression is difficult to understand for those who do not work in the fund industry, and may give the impression that a gain is guaranteed,” the ENF claims. The committee also disapproves of the expression “small caps,” since it finds that many funds which use the term invest in businesses with large cap sizes, which may give an inaccurate impression to savings investors. The ethical committee for fund sales is an independent organisation which ensures that asset management firms follow rules for the sector.
In the past two years, the number of British millionaires has risen by nearly 8%, despite unsteady conjuncture, according to the research agency Coredata. The number of millionaires has increased from 284,317 to 306,655, or 1.16% of all households. The average household net worth of high net worth (HNW) households is GBP1.34m.
The database Telekurs iD, a product from SIX Financial Information which monitors the markets and evaluates investment opportunities, is now offering data on improved security transactions, new benchmarking services, and optimised data packages, according to a statement published on 19 November by the Swiss market operator. Telekurs iD had previously refined its packages in order to address the use needs and requirements of clients. The change will allow for the products to be refocused on target areas, including new benchmarking services, reorganisation of CAP and Tullett Prebon contributions in the areas of forex and money markets, as well as a simplifications of integration of existing services. Alongside these improvements, data about the necessary security transactions to satisfy the requirements of the most recent tax withholding agreements will be available primarily from Telekurs iD. The ease of use and flexibility of the product play a major role in the effective implementation of taxation. “With the release of the next version, in early 2013, clients can expect services which will be even more rationalised and automated, in addition to the launch of new services,” a statement says.
On 19 November, Luxor Asset Management (Société Générale group) announced that it has admitted 14 of its most liquid ETFs on the London Stock Exchange (LSE).The 14 ETFs already listed on the London market replicating the same indices will be merged into the new funds. Investors holding shares in the ETFs already listed on LSE will automatically receive the corresponding number of shares in the new funds.
M&G Investments has signed a new agreement with Skandia, a life insurance leader in Italy, Bluerating reports. Funds from the British asset management firm may now be used for unit-linked products from the group. These include M&G European Corporate Bond, M&G Global Dividend and M&G Global Macro Bond.
Le Portugal devrait annoncer dans la soirée la recommandation de ses créanciers internationaux de débloquer une nouvelle tranche de 2,5 milliards d’euros du plan de sauvetage du pays, à l’issue d’une inspection de ses comptes plus rapide que d’habitude. Dans le cadre de son plan d’aide, le Portugal doit ramener son déficit budgétaire à 5% du produit intérieur brut cette année et 4,5% en 2013.
Le moral des promoteurs immobiliers aux Etats-Unis s’est amélioré en novembre pour le septième mois consécutif, pour atteindre son plus haut niveau depuis six ans. L’indice NAHB/Wells Fargo du sentiment des promoteurs a progressé de cinq points à 46, son meilleur niveau depuis mai 2006. Par ailleurs, les ventes de logements anciens ont progressé de 2,1% en octobre, à 4,79 millions en rythme annualisé, selon des données de l’Association nationale des agents immobiliers (NAR).
Le commerce extérieur de la France est trop concentré sur les pays européens en difficulté, Italie et Espagne en tête, ce qui devrait limiter sa contribution au PIB en 2013, selon le troisième «baromètre export» de l’assureur crédit Euler Hermes. De fait, les exportations françaises ont tout juste retrouvé en valeur leur niveau d’avant la crise de 2008/2009 alors que les exportations mondiales ont progressé depuis de 6% et celles de la seule Allemagne de 10%.
Selon Bloomberg, la banque américaine est sur le point de racheter via l’un de ses fonds gérés le centre commercial Metropolis à Moscou dans le cadre d’une transaction d’une valeur de plus d’un milliard de dollars. Au premier trimestre, Morgan Stanley Real Estate Fund VII avait acquis le centre commercial Galeria de Saint-Pétersbourg pour 1,1 milliard de dollars.
Des discussions auront lieu demain au niveau ministériel entre Chine, Japon et Corée du Sud sur une zone commune de libre-échange en marge du sommet de l’Asean à Phnom Penh, a indiqué un porte-parole du gouvernement chinois. Les discussions, freinées récemment par un regain tension autour d’un archipel de mer de Chine, impliqueront le ministre chinois du Commerce, Chen Deming, et son homologue japonais Yukio Edano.
La banque centrale hongroise va forcer les exportateurs locaux à convertir en monnaie locale (hryvnia) la moitié des revenus réalisés en devises étrangères. Les parlementaires avaient soutenu cette conversion obligatoire le 6 novembre afin de stabiliser l’affaiblissement de la hryvnia, soumise à forte pression en raison de l’élargissement du déficit du compte courant.
Le ralentissement de l'économie allemande devrait s’accentuer en cette fin d’année en raison des répercussions de la crise de la dette dans la zone euro et de la détérioration de la croissance mondiale, a déclaré lundi la Bundesbank. Dans son rapport mensuel de novembre, la banque centrale nationale note qu’un nombre croissant de secteurs de l'économie ne s’attendent plus à une reprise rapide de l’activité.
La France a levé au total 8,247 milliards d’euros sur le marché jeudi, sur trois lignes d’emprunt à moyen terme (2, 3 et 5 ans), après prise en compte des offres non compétitives (ONC), a annoncé lundi l’Agence France Trésor. Lors de cette adjudication la France a emprunté à des taux aux plus bas historiques pour les obligations de référence à 2 et 5 ans.
Le fonds d’investissement stratégique italien FSI et Qatar Holding ont signé un accord pour fonder un fonds commun qui investira dans des sociétés italiennes dans les secteurs de l’alimentation, de la mode et du luxe, de l’ameublement et du tourisme. Selon les termes de l’accord, le fonds italo-qatari sera doté de deux milliards d’euros, qui seront apportés à parts égales par les deux partenaires au cours des quatre prochaines années.
La Suisse aurait bloqué plus de 200 demandes d’entraide administrative françaises visant à obtenir des renseignements bancaires sur des évadés fiscaux présumés depuis 2011, selon le journal. Or, malgré l’engagement pris en 2009 par Berne de livrer des données bancaires à l'étranger sur des cas d'évasion fiscale, « très peu de réponses » seraient revenues, selon des sources françaises.