Assets under management in European open-ended investment funds (excluding funds of funds), which totalled USD3.01trn as of the end of 2001, have since increased yb 81%, to total USD5.45trn as of the end of first quarter 2011. Of this total, 43% of assets are managed in funds which were launched in the first nine years, and thus represent 97% of growth in the sector, according to a Lipper study which compares the level of sales and new products with the level of sales for products launched in the previous years (“New product launches shed light on distribution in the fund industry.”)In other words, the study says, innovation and product development have played a crucial rolei n the evolution of the European asset management sector. The United Kingdom, where distribution is dominated by independent financial advisers, was the best-performing market in Europe in 2010. But it is also a market which has seen a strong percentage of inflows to funds launched in previous years (81% in 2010). There is not necessarily a causal relationship between the distribution channel and the preference for newer funds, as in the Scandinavian countries, particularly Sweden, investors also give priority to funds with a longer track record.However, in the major European markets, where inhouse distribution channels dominate (France, Germany, Spain and Italy), inflows from funds launched in previous years totalled over 45% in 2010. In Germany, inflows went to new funds most of all, while funds launched in previous years saw net redemptions.

Sarasin & Partners on 4 July announced that they have moved the domicile to Dublin for their range of funds domiciled in Guernsey (about Usd1bn in assets), from 1 July 2011, to allow investors to take advantage of all the flexibility offered by the UCITS IV directive.As a part of the move, the characteristics of the funds have been modified, including, for example, a reduction in administrative fees, set at at least 0.065%. Former name New name Sarasin CI EquiSar Sterling Global Thematic Fund Sarasin IE EquiSar – Global Thematic (GBP) Sarasin CI EquiSar Dollar Global Thematic Fund Sarasin IE EquiSar – Global Thematic (USD) Sarasin CI GlobalSar - Dynamic (GBP) Sarasin IE GlobalSar – Dynamic (GBP) Sarasin CI GlobalSar - Dynamic (USD) Sarasin IE GlobalSar – Dynamic (USD) Sarasin CI GlobalSar - Income (GBP) Sarasin IE GlobalSar – Income (GBP) Sarasin CI GlobalSar – Cautious (GBP) Sarasin IE GlobalSar – Cautious (GBP) Sarasin CI GlobalSar – Cautious (USD) Sarasin IE GlobalSar – Cautious (USD) Sarasin CI Real Estate Equity (GBP) Sarasin IE Real Estate Equity – Global (GBP) Sarasin CI Sustainable Equity - Real Estate Global (USD) Sarasin IE Sustainable Equity - Real Estate Global (USD) Sales of these funds will soon be authorised for the United Kingdom, South Africa, Jersey and Guernsey, Sarasin & Partners has announced, adding that the Sarasin group will remain present in Guernsey.

State Street Global Advisors on 4 July announced that new index-based funds for its SPDR ETF platform, specialised in equities and fixed-income products listed on Deutsche Börse are now available to French investors.The launch is a sign of SSgA’s desire to develop its ETF product activities in Europe, and these new products are additions to the existing range of SPDR funds, which have been admitted to trading on Euronext Paris.The new SPDR ETF funds include funds specialised in equities from emerging markets and global equities, which are the first European ETF funds to reproduce the indices of the MSCI All Country World Index (ACWI) and the MSCI ACWI Investable Market Index (ACWI IMI) as well as the first fund specialised in fixed-income products which provides investors with access to emerging market debt denominated in local currencies.The new SPDR Barclays Capital US Aggregate Bond ETF is a first on the European marke, and the SPDR Barclays Capital Sterling Aggregate Bond ETF is the first ETF fund in the world to provide access to the investment-grade bond market denominated in pounds Sterling, reproducing the Barclays Capital Sterling Aggregate Index.The new SPDR ETF funds are the following/Xetra symbol Fixed income products SPDR Barclays Capital Emerging Markets Local Bond ETF SYBMSPDR Barclays Capital Euro Aggregate Bond ETF SYBASPDR Barclays Capital Euro Government Bond ETF SYBCSPDR Barclays Capital Euro Corporate Bond ETF SYBBSPDR Barclays Capital US Aggregate Bond ETF SYBUSPDR Barclays Capital US Treasury Bond ETF SYBTSPDR Barclays Capital Sterling Aggregate Bond ETF SYBPGlobal equities Xetra symbolSPDR MSCI ACWI ETF SPYY SPDR MSCI ACWI IMI ETF SPYI Emerging markets equitiesSPDR MSCI Emerging MarketsSM ETF SPYMSPDR MSCI Emerging MarketsSM Small Cap ETF SPYXSPDR MSCI EMSM Asia ETF SPYASPDR MSCI EMSM Latin America ETF SPYLSPDR MSCI EMSM Europe ETF SPYB

BNP Paribas Securities Services (BNP Paribas) on 4 July announced the launch of the first master/feeder fund solution to comply with the UCITS IV directive. The solution, designed to assist asset management to reach more final investors more efficiently, also introduces the concept of the fee-free feeder fund, a revolution in fund distribution.Margaret Harwood-Jones, head of the asset management clients segment at BNP Paribas Securities Services says of the launch in a statement that “with the imminent entry into force of the UCITS IV directive, we are very pleased to be the first to offer this solution for master-feeder funds. Out integrated service takes into account all combinations of master and feeder funds, and is available in most European countries.”The BNP Paribas range is unique in that it includes fund administration services, global custody, depository and reporting, all of it available for free to some feeder funds. Through the BNP Paribas solution, managers get a global view of master funds with a consolidated view of each fund, while automated trading limits manual operations. The synchronisation fo operations, the single platform and the global operational model at BNP Paribas contribute to maximise investment opportunities for managers, and optimises the alignment of performances for master-feeder structures. In this way, final investors get easier access to their investments.

As Newsmanagers announced last week, Ossiam, the asset management firm of the Natixis GAM group specialised in strategy ETFs, on Monday 4 July released its first six equities ETFs for sale on NYSE Euronext in Paris. Five of the funds, sub-funds of the firm’s Luxembourg-registered Sicav, have been listed since 27 June for trading on the XTF segment of the Xetra electronic trading platform from Deutsche Börse, while the French market is the exclusive outlet for the Ossiam ETF CAC 40 Equal Weight NR.The latter fund belongs to the range of equally weighted index-based funds with net dividends reinvested which attributes equal weight to each share at rebalancing, regardless fothe cap size of the companies, unlike the classic index, in which market capitalisation determines the weight of companies. In practice, at each quarterly rebalancing, all businesses weigh 2.5%. With the other funds of the equally-weighted index strategies, the principle is identical. For the Ossiam ETF EURO STOXX 50® Equal Weight NR, each share weighs 2%; for the Ossiam ETF STOXX® EUROPE 600 Equal weight NR, shares represent 0.1667% each at each rebalancing – quarterly in both cases.The other family includes ETFs which follow the Minimum Variance strategy. The objective is to offer investors average volatility of lower by more than 30% than the benchmark universe, which is a de facto limit on drawdowns. The non-discretionary quantitative approach of the management firm has led it to develop the strategy index iStoxx Europe Minimum Variance (dividends reinvested) on the basis of the Stoxx Europe 600 index, which represents a “dynamic sample of the 300 most liquid equities, weighted in such a way as to minimise the volatility of the portfolio». For Ossiam ETF US Minimum Variance NR, the benchmark index is based on a dynamic sample of the 250 most liquid equities of the S&P 500 index. The strategy index is adjusted each month on a fixed date, the third Friday of the month. Characteristics of the fundsOssiam ETF CAC 40 Equal Weight (LU0599612768, TER : 0.30%)Ossiam ETF STOXX® EUROPE 600 Equal weight NR (LU0599613147, TER (*) : 0.35%) Ossiam ETF EURO STOXX 50® Equal weight NR (LU0599613063, TER: 0.30%)Ossiam ETF Europe Minimum Variance NR (LU0599612842, TER : 0.65%)Ossiam ETF US Minimum Variance NR (parts en euros : LU0599612685, TER: 0.65%) Ossiam ETF US Minimum Variance NR (parts en dollars : LU0599612412, TER: 0.65%).All of the funds are eligible for life insurance and PEA investment, except the Ossiam ETF US Minimum Variance NR, which is not eligible for equities savings plans.TER stands for Total Expense Ratio.

After a career at Skandia Investment Group, Aviva Investors and BNPP Paribas Asset Management, the Spanish citizen Natalia Santos has recently been appointed as head of channel marketing for Europe and vice president at Legg Mason Global Asset Management in London. Santos will be based in London, and will be in charge of coordinating marketing strategy for the US asset management firm in continental Europe and the United Kingdom.

EFG International on 4 July announced the appointment of Gerhard H. (Gary) Müller on 4 July as head of strategy for private banking activities in Europe, pending the approval of the regulatory authorities. Müller will also become a member of the board of directors at EFG Bank, a Swiss affiliate of EFG International.Müller will assist Alain Diriberry, CEO for private banking in Europe, in developing and rolling out strategy. Private banking activities in Europe, including Switzerland, Spain, France, Scandinavia, Luxembourg, Monaco, Liethtenstein and Gibraltar, represent a significant part of the mission which has been defined by John Williamson, the new CEO of the group, to review all of the operations of EFG International. This mission is ongoing, and hence the decision of EFG International to more effectively balance its desire to continue growth by adopting a more rigorous profit orientation.Before joining EFG International, Müller spent more than 16 years ato RBS Coutts, including periods as CEO of RBS Coutts Bank (since 2006) and RBS Wealth International (since 2009).

Tanja Engel, who spent seven years at American Express, most recently as director of taxation issues in Frankfurt, has been appointed as COO of Schroder Investment Management in Germany. She will report directly to Achim Küssner, CEO of Schroders Germany. She will be responsible for the compliance, legal, IT, planning and controlling sectors.

German-based Gothaer Asset Management, an affiliate of the insurer Gothaer, manages EUR25bn in assets. According to the Börsen-Zeitung, the firm is now planning to offer its six open-ended funds to retail investors; they had previously been distributed exclusively by the network of Gothaer travelling sales staff, in the frame of unit-linked policies. The plans to extend the sales will focus on the firm’s three multi-asset class funds, launched three years ago, which attracted EUR90m. They may invest in equities, bonds, commodities and real estate.

Tim Attias, former co-head of investment at Rubicon Fund Management, one of the top-performing hedge funds of the past three years, will launch his own hedge fund firm, Financial News reports.Catherine Cripps is leaving her position as chief investment officer and head of research in the multi-management team at GAM to join Attias.

The asset management firm Eden Financial on 4 July announced the recruitment of two former Gartmore managers, Dan Roberts and Leigh Himsworth, as part of its plans to develop its range of asset management activities. Both will begin in early July.Himsworth will manage the CF Eden UK Select Opportunities Fund, which is slated for launch in the near future. Roberts will be in charge of an income fund dedicated to international equities, whose launch is scheduled for slightly later in the year.

The British asset management firm Brooks Macdonald, a specialist in mandates, has launched an open-ended fund activity led by the former head of sales and marketing from SWIP (Scottish Widows Investment Partnership), Simon Wombwell, which offers funds acquired with Lawrence House in September 2009, and Braedmer Group in July 2010, Money Marketing reports.The activity, Brooks Macdonald Funds, includes three funds from Lawrence House and four specialised funds, three of which come from the Braemer group; it received clearance from the FSA in April this year.As of 31 March 2011, assets under management in mandates totalled GBP2.8bn.

The Danish real estate fund Aberdeen Property Fund Denmark P/S on 4 July announced that on 1 July it acquired a portfolio of comercial properties for EUR90m from the pension fund TDC. Half of the purchase price will be paid in cash, and the other half in shares in Aberdeen funds.The portfolio is composed of 22 properties, mostly office properties, which come in addition to 490,000 share metres already managed by Aberdeen. The purchase price corresponds to direct net returns of 7.4% in the long term.At the conclusion of the transaction, the Aberdeen Property Fund Denmark will have assets of EUR855m.

Notre stratégie financière est assez conservatrice. Nous souhaitons d’abord qu’en haut de cycle l’entreprise n’ait pas de dette. Au 31 mars 2011, les fonds propres sont de 4.1 milliards d’euros pour 1.3 milliards de dette nette. Cette approche peut paraître très prudente mais nos métiers ont comme particularité que la plupart des contrats sont en partie financés par les clients. Nous leur fournissons des équipements et des services, et ils trouvent le financement. Bien que nous soyons dans l’industrie lourde, notre intensité capitalistique est faible par rapport à notre chiffre d’affaires. Par ailleurs, nous tenons à disposer d’un matelas de liquidités, quitte à payer un certain coût de portage, puisque le cash dont nous disposons grâce à nos emprunts obligataires est à un taux faible mais supérieur au taux sans risque auquel nos liquidités sont rémunérées. Mais c’est précisément grâce à notre niveau de liquidité que Moody’s a amélioré notre notation en nous retirant notre outlook négatif pour le passer à stable. Source: Option Finance

«Notre stratégie est aujourd’hui fondée sur une approche Solvency 2 et à partir de la SCR de marché qui constitue pour nous une limite à ne pas dépasser, nous cherchons à optimiser notre portefeuille», explique Daniel Fruchart, directeur financier du groupe Macif. En réalité les configurations de la mutuelle sont relativement stables car son portefeuille est déjà très purifié. La Macif a, en effet, déjà moins d’actions que l’ensemble de la profession. Ainsi, au niveau groupe, le portefeuille est composé d’obligations entre 75 et 80%, d’actions entre 7 à 8%, d’immobilier entre 4 à 5% et les titres de participations représentent, enfin, 10 à 13%. «Nous constatons aujourd’hui que le SCR au niveau du groupe Macif est inférieur aux besoins de marges de Solvency 1 et nous ferons, en fait, dans le cadre de Solvency 2 mieux que dans Solvency 1», poursuit Daniel Fruchart. Le groupe constate cependant, un certain alourdissement en matière d’assurance dommage, par contre sa filiale assurance vie a un profil de risques extrêmement réduit. «La mise en place de Solvency 2 ne bouleversera pas notre allocation d’actifs car notre profil était déjà très prudent», souligne Daniel Fruchart. Pourtant, le groupe entend bien ne pas se limiter aux coûts en fonds propres des actifs mais compte aussi sur leur rentabilité. Ainsi, chaque classe d’actifs possède une espérance de rentabilité et un chargement en fonds propres. Le groupe entend optimiser l’espérance de rentabilité du portefeuille par rapport au coût global en fonds propres. «Cela ne conduit pas nécessairement à arbitrer au détriment des actifs qui sont le plus chargés, conclut Daniel Fruchart. Nous pouvons être amenés à conserver des actions aux espérances de rentabilité très élevées malgré un chargement en fonds propres à priori pénalisant».

Selon Investment Europe, la filiale helvétique du multi-family office international Fleming Family & Partners (FF&P, 4 milliards de livres d’actifs sous gestion) vient d’acquérir pour un montant non communiqué le gestionnaire de fortune Gebhard, Corrodi & Partners (GCP, 1 milliard de francs d’encours). Urs Gebhard et Christoph Corrodi, deux des directeurs de GCP, rejoignent le board fr FF&P (Suisse) . Les sept salariés de GCP sont regroupés dans les locaux de FF&P, les deux sociétés étant basées à Zurich. Cette transaction permet à FF&P de plus que doubler son encours en Suisse.

Société Générale Securities Services (SGSS) a annoncé, lundi 4 juillet, avoir été mandatée en Afrique du Sud par la division de gestion d’actifs de Grindrod Bank Limited, - Grindrod Asset Management - afin de fournir des services de conservation et de banque dépositaire pour ses fonds communs de placement.Ce mandat illustre la stratégie de SGSS qui vise à étoffer son offre de conservation en Afrique du Sud en mettant en place des services de banque dépositaire pour les gestionnaires de fonds communs de placement ainsi que pour les fonds de pension, note un communiqué. Dans ce pays, SGSS propose desormais des services de conservation locale et internationale, de compensation et de règlement / livraison dans toutes les classes d’actifs ainsi que des offres de prêts de titres et de trésorerie. Ces activités sont prises en charge par Hilda de Villiers, responsable de la conservation et de la banque dépositaire pour SGSS en Afrique du Sud.

Selon Funds People, Javier Nuñez, a quitté le poste d’administrateur délégué de BNP Paribas Investment Partners (BNPP IP) en Espagne (3,06 milliards d’euros d’encours) qu’il occupait depuis 2009 et la fusion avec Fortis. Il est remplacé par le directeur général administratif Manuel Méndez. Felipe Guirado reste directeur des ventes aux distributeurs et Sol Hurtado de Mendoza, directrice des ventes institutionnelles.

Le britannique Aspect Capital, qui a obtenu l’agrément d’exploitation de la CNMV le 3 mars, a reçu le 30 juin du régulateur espagnol l’agrément de commercialisation en Espagne de sa sicav coordonnée de droit irlandais Aspect UCITS. Dans le détail, dix classes de parts (cinq retail et cinq institutionnelles) respectivement en francs suisses, en euros, en livres, en couronnes suédoises et en dollars américains sont concernées. Il s’agit de la version conforme à la directive OPCVM III du produit phare d’Aspect, Aspect Diversifed Programme.Le produit initial repose sur une stratégie quantitative de managed futures et la version coordonnée offre une liquidité journalière. L’exposition à la stratégie d’origine s’effectue au travers d’un swap fourni par newedge Group sur l’indice Aspect Diversified Trends, précise Funds People.

Le Financial Times relève après analyse de documents de la justice que le hedge fund a engrangé un gain de plus de 550 millions de dollars grâce à une série de 2.000 transactions sur la dette de la banque américaine ayant débuté le jour même où cette dernière s’est déclarée en faillite en 2008.

Deux emprunts indexés sur des taux de change, d'un encours de 28 millions, voient leur taux passer de 4,4 % et 4,8 % à plus de 7 % et 10 %

Deutsche Bank et BNP Paribas conservent leurs places d'arrangeurs les plus actifs pour les émissions corporates

Les financières, très chahutées, les services aux collectivités, l'énergie et les télécoms pèsent 84 % de la capitalisation du MIB et de l'Ibex

En plein débat sur la complexité croissante de ces produits, la filiale de Natixis se lance sur le segment avec cinq fonds

L'agence prévient que la reconduction des créances privées se traduirait par un défaut sélectif

L'agence prévient que la reconduction des créances privées se traduirait par un défaut sélectif

Dans un entretien au quotidien, Michael Spencer, directeur général d’Icap, le principal courtier interbancaire au monde, se dresse contre le projet de rapprochement entre Nyse Euronext et Deutsche Börse. Une opération qui serait «fondamentalement mauvaise pour les marchés» du fait de la situation de monopole à laquelle elle donnerait naissance.

Deux prêts structurés souscrits en 2006 et 2007 auprès de Dexia et indexés sur le change font grimper le coût de la dette de la ville au 1er juillet.

Le plan de 47 milliards d'euros adopté la semaine dernière prévoit une hausse d'impôt de 0,75 % imposée aux établissements financiers

Le quotidien croit savoir de source proche que le hedge fund londien lancé en 2009 Tyrus Capital entend ouvrir un bureau à Monaco. Une partie de l’équipe actuelle rejoindra cette nouvelle implantation, nouveau témoignage clair des craintes grandissantes des fonds alternatifs face au déploiement de nouvelles taxes et réglementations au Royaume-Uni. Les deux cofondateurs de Tyrus resteront à Londres.