Fidelity Worldwide Investments va lancer sur le marché espagnol, à compter du 14 avril, un nouveau fonds obligataire à échéance, baptisé Fidelity Funds – Fixed Term 2018 Fund, rapporte Funds People. Ce véhicule d’investissement, géré par Kristian Atkinson, a pour objectif de restituer au bout de 4 ans 100 % du capital investi plus un coupon de 3 % annuel. Pour atteindre son objectif, ce fonds investira à hauteur de 60 % dans des obligations «investment grade», essentiellement du BBB, et 40 % dans des obligations «high yield» d’une notation BB, B et CCC.

La banque privée basée à Lugano PKB Privatbank a annoncé le 20 mars l’acquisition de 100 % du capital d’Alasia Investments SA, société de gestion de patrimoine à Lausanne, rapporte L’Agefi suisse. «Nous projetons également d’ouvrir une succursale de PKB à Lausanne» précise Umberto Trabaldo Togna, président de la direction générale de PKB. Il s’agirait de la seconde succursale de PKB en Suisse occidentale, celle de Genève ayant été créée en 1984. Contrairement aux nombreuses acquisitions de la banque ces dernières années, Alasia Investments ne sera pas absorbée et poursuivra ses activités en son nom, tout en bénéficiant des infrastructures de la banque. Les actifs sous gestion de PKB, qui a procédé à de nombreuses acquisitions ces dernières années, s'élèvent à plus de 10 milliards de francs suisses.

BNP Paribas Cardif qui présentait jeudi 20 mars ses résultats 2013 a fait état d’une collecte Epargne de 2,9 milliards d’euros et d’actifs gérés en hausse de 5 %, à 178 milliards d’euros. «Cette croissance résulte d’une bonne collecte nette, tant en épargne qu’en protection, ainsi que d’une revalorisation favorable des marchés financiers impactant les fonds généraux, comme les fonds en unités de comptes, en France et à l’international», indique la filiale d’assurance de BNP Paribas.En détail, le chiffre d’affaires Epargne atteint 9,2 milliards d’euros. L’épargne individuelle connaît une progression de 4%. 6,4 milliards d’euros (-2%) ont été enregistrés au sein des réseaux Banque de Détail et Banque Privée de BNP Paribas et 1,8 milliard (+34%) dans le réseau des CGPI, auprès des courtiers et sous la marque AEP. L’activité Epargne se caractérise par une proportion élevée de contrats en unités de compte et diversifiés, à hauteur de 23% contre 22% en 2012, un niveau qui surperforme largement celui du marché (14%). A l’international, le chiffre d’affaires Epargne, en hausse de 10% par rapport à 2012, s’élève à 10,2 milliards d’euros, dont un chiffre d’affaires de 4 milliards d’euros en Italie (+48%) qui surperforme le marché italien de l’assurance-vie (+36%7). En 2013, la filiale italienne de BNP Paribas Cardif a bénéficié de réinvestissement de contrats arrivés à échéance et de la conversion de dépôts bancaires vers de l’assurance-vie via le réseau BNL. En outre, 2,2 milliards d’euros de collecte brute ont été enregistrés par l’entité Cardif Lux Vie au Luxembourg (+4%), qui a fortement privilégié les engagements en unités de compte. Enfin, Taïwan réalise un chiffre d’affaires de 2,2 milliards d’euros (stable versus 2012) avec une part record en unités de compte à 92% en 2013 (85% en 2012). Le chiffre d’affaires 2013, en hausse de 4%, s’établit à 25,3 milliards d’euros et le Produit Net Bancaire (PNB), en progression de 8%, à 2,1 milliards d’euros.

Le premier assureur vie français CNP Assurances vient de lancer un appel d’offres portant sur sa conservation d’actifs hors filiales étrangères, soit 280 milliards d’euros d’encours à janvier 2014, a appris L’Agefi de sources proches du dossier. Depuis 2004, le groupe fait appel à son partenaire historique Caceis, issu de la Caisse des dépôts et aujourd’hui détenu à 85% par le Crédit Agricole et à 15% par Natixis. Ce contrat arrivant à échéance en fin d’année, CNP Assurances a mandaté le cabinet Alenium Consultants pour le remettre en jeu. Le groupe attend une première remise de copie début avril. Outre Caceis, les français BNP Paribas Securities Services et Société Générale Securities Services devraient déposer un dossier, tout comme l’américain State Street. La compagnie d’assurance envisage une décision «courant juin».En attendant, les supputations vont bon train pour déterminer qui des quatre prétendants a le plus de chance de remporter un contrat pour le moins alléchant. Interrogé par Newsmanagers, un fin connaisseur de ce secteur d’activité a indiqué que l’objectif de CNP serait déterminant. Si il s’agit de baisser le coût du service, certains des prétendants ne feront que de la figuration. Mais si CNP se donne des visées à l’international, un ou deux établissements peut clairement sortir du lot. Quoi qu’il en soit, la sécurité sera un élément prépondérant. Quant aux sociétés ayant répondu à l’appel d’offres, elles devront être en mesure de réussir une migration des capitaux qui sera loin d'être simple. Et ce d’autant que CNP Assurances compte plusieurs gestionnaires...

AEW Europe SGP, filiale à 100 % d’AEW Europe, a annoncé le 20 mars l’acquisition pour le compte de l’ERAFP (Etablissement de retraite additionnelle de la fonction publique) d’un immeuble de bureaux situé à Issy-les-Moulineaux, d’une surface de 9.200 m², entièrement loué à six locataires.Cet immeuble a été acquis auprès de CBRE Global Investors pour un montant non dévoilé.

Gabriel Plotkin, l’un des gérants de SAC Capital Advisors, prévoit de créer son propre hedge funds, rapporte The Wall Street Journal, citant des personnes proches du dossier. L’intéressé, qui a géré plus de 1 milliard de dollars pour la société de Steven A. Cohen, partira à la fin de l’année. Son départ serait en partie lié à l’enquête dont SAC Capital Advisors a fait l’objet pour délit d’initié. Steven A. Cohen devrait investir dans le fonds de Gabriel Plotkin, pour un montant qui pourrait être supérieur à 200 millions de dollars.

HSBC France renforce son offre de produits en renminbi à destination des entreprises. Deux services sont proposés, en fonction de l’horizon de placement et d’appétence au risque : le dépôt à terme libellé en renminbi et le fonds HSBC GIF RMB Fixed Income. Il s’agit d’un fonds d’obligations publiques / privées libellées en devise chinoise, avec horizon de placement à 5 ans minimum. Le fonds était jusqu’alors réservé aux investisseurs institutionnels et aux particuliers. «Ces nouvelles offres répondent à un besoin croissant des entreprises de diversification de leurs placements et de rémunération de leurs excédents de trésorerie, tout en bénéficiant de conditions de rémunération aujourd’hui plus attractives que l’euro ou le dollar et à une montée en puissance du marché du renminbi», souligne HSBC.

Jusqu’au 31 juillet 2014, la Société Générale commercialise SG France PME, un fonds à formule éligible au PEA PME offrant une protection du capital net investi à hauteur de 70% à l’échéance des 6 ans. En termes de performances, l’investisseur profitera d’une partie de la performance de l’indice CAC PME, le gain maximal étant plafonnée à +60% (soit un Taux de Rendement Actuariel Annuel Brut maximum de 8,14%). Code ISIN : FR0011678325Période de commercialisation : Du 20 mars au 31 juillet 2014.Valeur Liquidative de Référence 100 euros (montant hors droits d’entrée). Niveau de protection à l’échéance 70% de la Valeur Liquidative de Référence (absence de garantie en capital)Date d’échéance 7 août 2020Durée de placement recommandée 6 ansMinimum d’investissement 10 partsDroits d’entrée 1% maximum de la valeur liquidative pour toute souscription du 20 mars au 31 juillet 2014 à 13h.Droits de sortie AucunFrais de gestion 2,80% annuels maximum TTC.

Lyxor Asset Management (Lyxor AM) a annoncé, le 19 mars, deux nominations de taille, effectives à compter d’août 2014, au sein de sa filiale américaine, Lyxor AM Inc. Nathanaël Benzaken a été promu directeur général de Lyxor aux Etats-Unis, basé à New York. Il travaillera sous la direction de Lionel Paquin, directeur général de Lyxor AM. Jusque-là, Nathanaël Benzaken officiait en tant que responsable du développement des comptes gérés (depuis 2009) et responsable adjoint de la gestion alternative depuis 2012.En parallèle, Lior Segev, qui agissait jusque-là en qualité de directeur général par intérim de Lyxor Inc., a été nommé directeur général adjoint de l’entité américaine. L’intéressé compte 15 ans d’expérience dans la gestion alternative, dont 7 années au sein de Société Générale.

La société de capital investissement Apollo Global Management a annoncé, le 20 mars, la démission de son président Marc Spilker, qui abandonne également son poste au sein du comité exécutif. Les raisons de son départ n’ont pas été dévoilées. Toutefois, Marc Spilker, ancien banquier senior de Goldman Sachs où il a passé 20 ans, restera au sein de la firme américaine en qualité de conseiller senior jusqu’à la fin de l’année 2014. Apollo Global Management est désormais dirigé par Leon Black, président et directeur général de la société. Au sein du comité exécutif, il est secondé par Josh Harris et Marc Rowan, tous deux étant managing director Josh Harris, Senior Managing Director and Marc Rowan, Senior Managing Director.Au 31 décembre 2013, Apollo affichait environ 161 milliards d’actifs sous gestion.

L’un des trois hommes choisis pour être les adjoints de Bill Gross, le directeur des investissements de Pimco, a quitté la société le jour où sa nomination devait être annoncée, a appris le Financial Times. Marc Seidner, un gérant de fonds généraliste, responsable des actions de Pimco par intérim l’an dernier, a démissionné en janvier, quelques heures avant l’annonce prévue par Pimco du départ de Mohamed El-Erian, l’héritier apparent de Bill Gross. Selon deux anciens dirigeants de Pimco, l’homme trouvait que l’environnement de travail était de plus en plus difficile ces 18 derniers mois et que le comportement de Bill Gross était devenu « de plus en plus illogique et irrationnel ». Le FT consacre par ailleurs un autre long article sur Pimco, faisant le point sur la société et les turbulences qu’elle traverse. L’article s’intitule «Un souverain assiégé».

Les actifs sous gestion du groupe LGT, spécialisé dans la banque privée et la gestion d’actifs, s’inscrivaient fin 2013 à 110 milliards de francs suisses, contre 102 milliards un an plus tôt. Les souscriptions nettes ont représentées 7,5 milliards de francs suisses, en progression de 7 %. Les flux viennent en priorité des clients suisses, allemands et autrichiens, a indiqué à Finews la société.

P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } One of the three men picked as deputies to Bill Gross, chief investment officer at Pimco, left the firm, on the day that his appointment was due to be announced, the Financial Times has learned. Marc Sneider, a generalist fund manager, interim head of equities last year, resigned in January, a few hours before the announcement by Pimco that Mohamed El-Erian, heir apparent to Bill Gross, would be departing. According to two former Pimco heads, Sneider felt that the working environment was increasingly difficult in the past 18 months, and that Gross’ behaviour had become “increasingly illogical and irrational.”

P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } Lyxor Asset Management (Lyxor AM) on 19 March announced 2 high-profile appointment from August 2014 at its US affiliate, Lyxor AM Inc. Nathanaël Benzaken has been promoted to the position of CEO of Lyxor in the United States, based in New York. He will report directly to Lionel Paquin, Ceo of Lyxor AM. Benzanken had previously served as head of development for managed accounts (since 2009) and deputy head of alternative management since 2012. Meanwhile, Lior Segev, who had previously served as interim Ceo of Lyxor Inc., has been appointed as deputy CEO of the US entity. Segev has 15 years of experience in alternative management, 7 of them at Société Générale.

P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } Gabriel Plotkin, one of the managers of SAC Capital Advisors, is planning to found his own hedge fund, the Wall Street Journal reports, citing sources familiar with the matter. Plotkin, who had managed more than USD1bn for the company led by Steven A. Cohen, will be leaving at the end of the year. His departure is said to be partly related to an investigation into SAC Capital Advisors for insider trading. Cohen is expected to invest a sum in Plotkin’s fund which may exceed USD200m.

P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } BlackRock has recruited Shantanu Agrawal, former co-vice president of Pimco, as it is building a team around its new credit alpha fund, Financial News has learned. The US giant has also recently recruited Sumil Aggarwal, who had previously worked at Morgan Stanley. BlackRock is seeking to raise USD500m initially for its alpha credit fund, with a final objective of reaching USD3bn in assets.

P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } At a time when equity markets last year generally posted double-digit growth, the performance of actively-managed funds has been rather mitigated in the same period, according to the most recent comparative table published by the index provider S&P Dow Jones Indices Versus Active Funds (SPIVA®) Scorecard. In the twelve months to the end of 2013, 55.8% of large cap managers, 38.97% of midcap managers, and 68.09% of small cap managers underperformed the indices. The majority of equity managers and all domestic equity categories were unable to earn higher returns than their respective benchmark indices over three and five-year periods. Growth managers, however, did better than experts in the value approach. With the exception of small caps, most growth managers active in the large, mid and multi-caps categories posted higher performances than the indices. In terms of international equities, the majority of international developmed market and international small cap categories posted higher returns than their respective benchmarks. However, 54.09% fo global equity managers and 57.48% of emerging market equity managers failed to beat the indices. Independently of the investment horizon, international small caps are the only category which has posted constant outperformance when actively-managed.

P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } Dominique Strauss-Kahn is planning to raise USD2bn (EUR1.4bn) to found a hedge fund dedicated to the macroeconomy, LSK & Partners, the firm led by the former CEO of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) announced on 20 March, Reuters reports. Strauss-Kahn will manage the fund with his daughter, Vanessa Strauss-Kahn, an economist, said Mohamad Zaidan, CEO of LSK & Partners, adding that Straus-Kahn senior is currently in China to raise capital from institutional investors and high net worth private clients. The fund is still awaiting the necessary permission in Luxembourg to be able to begin raising funds.

U.S. mutual fund product launches tripled in the second half of 2013, compared to the first half of 2013, according to research from Cerulli Associates."More specifically, there was an increase in the number of launches in international strategies, including global equity, emerging markets equity, and bond strategies, as well as U.S. equities including large blend and large value,"states Pamela DeBolt, associate director at Cerulli.Interestingly, many firms disclosed that they expected product development to slow last year, and it in fact accelerated. «Nearly 50% of managers reported they planned to launch less than 4 new products in 2013. Only 13% of firms indicated they planned to launch more than 6 new products in 2013, which was down from 18% in 2012,» explains DeBolt.

P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } HSBC France is adding to its range of products denominated in renminbi aimed at businesses. Two services are offered, depending on investment horizon and risk appetite: a fixed-date savings denominated in renminbi, and the HSBC GIF RMB Fixed Income fund. This is a public/private bond fund denominated in Chinese currency, with an investment horizon of at least 5 years. The fund had previously been reserved for institutional and retail investors. “These new product ranges meet a growing need for businesses to diversify their investments and to make returns off their excess cash, while benefiting from remuneration conditions which are now more attractive than the euro or dollar, and from the rising renminbi market,” HSBC says.

P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } Banca Fideuram finished the year 2013 with consolidated net profits of EUR313.1m, up 52.2% year on year, Bluerating reports. The Italian bank posted net inflows of EUR2.5bn (+6.4%), of which EUR5.5bn (+100.8%) were in asset management alone, As of 31 December, assets under administration by the group totalled EUR83.7bn, up by EUR4.4bn compared with 31 December 2012.

P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } Fidelity Worldwide Investments will be launching a new bond horizon fund on the Spanish market from 14 April, entitled Fidelity Funds – Fixed Term 2018 Fund, Funds People reports. The investment vehicle, managed by Kristian Atkinson, aims to return 100% of invested capital after 4 years, plus an annual coupon of 3%. To achieve this objective, the fund will invest 60% in investment grade bonds, largely BBB, and 40% in high yield bonds rated BB, B and CCC.

P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } Standard Life Investments (SLI) has added to its fund of fund team, entitled MyFolio Fund Solutions, with the appointment of Joe Wiggins as senior analyst, the asset management firm announced on 20 March. The new recruit will report directly to Bambos Hambi, head of the fund of fund activity at SLI. Wiggins will be based in London, where he will be responsible for analysis of corporate bonds, Asian equities and real estate. The arrival follows those of Daniel Reynolds and Mark Lane as analysts, bringing the number of employees on the research team dedicated to funds of funds to nine. Wiggins had been an analyst at Stamford Associates Limited.

P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } Two pioneers of the multi-family office, SandAire and Lord North Street, both based in London, both announced on 20 March that they have reached an agreement over the terms of a merger. The operation will create a new entity with 50 employees distributed over three offices in London, Geneva and Singapore. Following the agreements, the new enlarged business will become a global leader in the multi-family office sector. The two firms currently manage “meaningful” assets for two high net worth families and globally known foundations, including several Oxford and Cambridge university professors. SandAire and Lord North Street have both won numerous prizes for the quality of their services and their leadership in the sector. Following the merger, the founder of SandAire, Alex Scott, will serve as executive chairman. William Drake and Adam Wethered, co-founders of Lord North Street, will be appointed as vice-chairmen. The two men will also become shareholders in the new firm, in which the Scott family will be the majority shareholder. The management team will be extended with the appointment of Alexanrda Altinger as CEO. Altinger has more than 20 years of experience in the asset and wealth management sector worldwide. She spent a part of her career in Asia and the United States, and has worked for Lansdowne Partners. Previously, she had been responsible for the European division of sub-advisory and fund distribution for Wellington Management.

P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } Further to the announcement by Aberdeen Asset Management on 18 November 2013 relating to the acquisition of Scottish Widows Investment Partnership Group (SWIP), Aberdeen has announced that the Financial Conduct Authority yesterday confirmed its consent to the proposed change of control. As a result, the acquisition is expected to complete following close of business on 31 March 2014. The acquisition will allow Aberdeen to make a place for itself as the largest asset management firm in Europe in terms of assets, with nearly GBP350bn in assets under management.

P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } The former Lombard Odier manger Michal Wozniak has joined BlackRock in its emerging market debt unit, Citywire reports. Wozniak left the Geneva-based group last year. He appears to have joined BlackRock in London in late 2013, and joined the team lead by BNP Paribas IP veteran Sergio Trigo Paz.

P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } Assets under managemet at the LGT group, a specialist in private banking and asset mangement, as of the end of 2013 totalled CHF110bn, compared with CHF102bn one year earlier. Net subscriptions represented CHF7.5bn, up by 7%. Inflows were coming mostly from Swiss, German and Austrian clients, the firm has told Finews.

P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } There have been some changes to the office at Carmignac Gestion in Spain. After serving for four years as head of sales for the local arm of the French asset management firm, Nicolas Llinas has been promoted to director of development, Funds People reports.

Robeco, which was taken over by Orix in July 2013, has been working on the development of its strategy for 2014-2018 since the acquisition. The group expects to exceed an asset under managemet level of EUR 300 billion in 2018 from organic growth. During this period Robeco and its shareholder will also look for acquisition opportunities.The strategy 2014-2018 focuses on growth in three regions, the US, Europe and Asia. In these regions Robeco and Orix believe they «have a strong presence and foundations on which further expansion can be realized». In the United States, the asset manager expects strong growth of its subsidiary Robeco Investment Management (RIM) and will also strengthen the distribution of its products. In Asia, it is considering the opening of an office in Singapore with a focus on sovereign wealth funds and key accounts. The asset manager also has the ambition to expand into Asian fixed income.In Europe, Robeco will expand its European sales by adding further resources to existing sales offices and setting up an office in the UK focusing on key account management, consultant relations and the UK institutional market. As well as continuing to offer and develop pension solutions in the Netherlands, the group plans to enter the German and Swiss markets with multi-asset pension solutions.As part of the previous 2010-2013 strategic plan, Robeco’s assets under management have grown from EUR 132 billion at the start of 2010 to EUR 205 billion at the end of 2013, of which 47% are institutional. The EBIT has increased by 84% from EUR 157 million in 2010 to EUR 290 million in 2013. Despite a year of ownership change, the group managed to attract a net inflow of EUR 1.5 billion and realized a net profit of EUR 118 million in 2013.

P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } Capital markets, whose perimeter includes equity as well as debt financing, are significant vectors for economic growth, and their increase in size may offset a decline in bank financing after the financial crisis, according to a new academic article published by two well-known researchers, in partnership with the AIMA, the global hedge fund industry association. Growth of one third on capital markets is likely to feed a real long-term growth in GDP per household of about 20%, accoridn to the new study, by Christoph Kaserer, professor of finance and chair of capital finance at the TUM school of management in Munich, and Marc Steffen Rapp, professor of finance in the finance and accounting group at the School of Business and Economics at Philipps-Universität of Marburg, Germany. The study is entitled “Capital Markets and Economic Growth – Long-Term Trends and Policy Challenges.” The new article shows that capital markets support economic growth by providing new sources of financing for long-term investments, and encourage improvement in corporate governance. They thus create a link between pension fund activities, non-banking lenders, and active investors such as hedge funds, and growth in the real economy. The article also emphasizes that economies which are traditionally thought to be based on bank financing have adopted capital markets in recent years, and suggests that the old distinction between economies that are dependent on bank financing, especially European economies, and those which are more dependent of market financing, especially British and American mariets, is in the process of rapidly disappearing. According to Jack Inglis, CEO of AIMA, the article “emphasizes the significant role played by the capital markets and their actors in economic development. It throws light on the very positive role of hedge funds and asset managers, using their expertise and engagement to positively develop gorvernance at the companies they invest in. Hedge funds are thus on the capital markets, providing important liquidity and risk management, and they actively participate in the determination of correct prices.” Inglis adds that “athough the article takes economies of the European Union as examples, it shows how countries worldwide can benefit from good development of capital markets. This is especially true for countries which are still dominated by the bank financing model. Bank loans are clearly not in phase with demand, and the global economic rebound may be compromised, unless new sources of financing are found, especially in the asset management industry. We also encourage governments worldwide to put rules in place to protect or enlarge capital markets.”