Dans un communiqué présentant les résultats estimés au titre du troisième trimestre, le groupe Boursorama a indiqué que le résultat net part du groupe devrait s’établir à environ -57 millions d’euros. La perte serait due à des dépréciations d'écarts d’acquisition et d’autres actifs incorporels au Royaume-Uni et en Allemagne pour 63 millions d’euros.La banque en ligne filiale de la Société Générale cite comme une des causes du trimestre décevant sur ces marchés le renforcement des exigences de conformité, qui impose des investissements complémentaires notamment dans les fonctions finance et risque. Par ailleurs, le marché du courtage actions pour les particuliers progresse moins vite qu’anticipé dans les pays concernés, alors même que Selftrade et OnVista tirent une partie importante de leur chiffre d’affaires de cette activité.Boursorama publiera ses résultats pour le troisième trimestre 2013 le 6 novembre 2013.
L’ancien gérant star Bill Stormont revient dans le secteur de la gestion d’actifs, près de neuf mois après avoir quitté Henderson. Citywire Global révèle qu’il est devenu consultant pour Absolute Strategy Research, une société créée à Londres en 2006 qui fournit de la recherche indépendante sur des stratégies macro au secteur des fonds. Bill Stormont sera basé à Vancouver, sa ville d’origine.
Les actifs sous gestion de Credit Suisse s’inscrivaient au terme du troisième trimestre 2013 à 1.252,7 milliards de francs suisses, en progression de 3,4% par rapport à fin décembre 2012, selon les chiffres communiqués le 24 octobre par le groupe suisse.Dans la banque privée et la gestion de fortune (Private banking & Wealth Management), les résultats du groupe au troisième trimestre «ont été affectés par un environnement de taux toujours bas et des affaires clientèle faibles», souligne un communiqué.La collecte nette du trimestre s’est toutefois élevée à 8,1 milliards de francs, avec des contributions toujours soutenues des produits Asset Management à marge élevée, des marchés émergents et du segment de clientèle Ultra-High Net Worth Individuals, qui ont été partiellement neutralisées par des sorties de capitaux transfrontalières en Europe de l’Ouest.Le bénéfice avant impôts de la division Private Banking & Wealth Management s’est élevé à un peu plus d’un milliard de francs.Grâce aux progrès réalisés dans son programme de réduction des coûts, le groupe a presque doublé son bénéfice net à 454 millions de francs suisses au troisième trimestre 2013.
Les actifs sous gestion de GAM holding AG sont demeurés stables au troisième trimestre pour s’inscrire à 116 milliards de francs, au 30 juin 2013, selon les chiffres communiqués par la société. Une stagnation liée à l’accès de faiblesse du dollar face au franc suisse, qui a neutralisé la bonne performance des marchés financiers au troisième trimestre.Dans le détail, le pôle Investment Management affichait des actifs sous gestion inchangés sur trois mois de 72,1 milliards de francs, handicapés par la décollecte sur les marchés émergents et sur des produits à faibles marges. Les activités Private Labelling ont également fait du sur place à 44,5 milliards de francs. GAM reconnaît que la collecte nette a été dans l’ensemble «modeste». Le groupe réitère néanmoins son intention de conserver un taux de distribution du dividende de l’ordre de 50% du bénéfice net. GAM précise que l’intégration d’équipes des anciennes divisions GAM (gestion alternative) et Swiss & Global (fonds traditionnels) est en grande partie achevée. Des équipes ont ainsi été regroupées dans les fonctions de distribution et de marketing à travers le globe et les départements RH, finance et juridique ont été intégrés au niveau du groupe. A noter par ailleurs que Swiss & Global a annoncé qu’une dizaine de fonds vont être fusionnés dans cinq nouvelles stratégies. Ces changements devraient être effectifs d’ici à la fin novembre. Les cinq nouveaux fonds sont les suivants: JB Europe Focus Fund ( Julius Baer EF Europe Selection fusionne avec Julius Baer EF Europe Stock ) JB Asia Focus Fund ( Julius Baer EF Asia Stock fusionne avec Julius Baer EF Chindonesia) JB Eastern Europe Focus Fund ( Julius Baer EF Black Sea et Julius Baer EF Central Europe Stock ) JB Africa Focus Fund ( Julius Baer EF Africa Opportunities et Julius Baer EF Northern Africa) JB Health Innovation Fund (Julius Baer EF Health Opportunities et Julius Baer EF Biotech)
BNP Paribas Securities Services a annoncé le 23 octobre avoir migré avec succès un nouveau mandat de conservation globale, d’administration de fonds et de services de banque dépositaire pour le Qualifying Investor Fund (QIF) de BB Gestão de Recursos DTVM (7 milliards de dollars d’actifs). Première société de gestion latino-américaine et filiale à 100 % de Banco do Brasil, BB DTVM a fait de son expansion en Europe et en Asie une priorité majeure. C’est en 2009 que BNP Paribas Securities Services a lancé sa stratégie de développement en Amérique latine. L’année suivante, des services de compensation et de conservation locale ont été lancés au Brésil. En 2012, BNP Paribas Securities Services a ouvert des bureaux en Colombie et au Chili, avant de proposer des services de compensation locale en Colombie en octobre 2013.
For the quarter to 30 September, Morningstar Inc has reported net profits of USD31.46m, compared with USD27.07m in the corresponding period of last year, while in the nine months of 2013, total net profits are up 22.85 to USD92.2m, compared with UDS75.09m. In January-June, however, net profits increased even more sharply, by 26.5% to USD60.7m.
Société Générale Morocco, an affiliate of the Société Générale group, is launching a private banking product range aimed at high net worth clients residing in Morocco. The affiliate will rely on the expertise of Société Générale Private Banking. The range includes services and advising for the management, protection and transmission of wealth. Clients will be welcomed by dedicated advisers in a network of eight private banking branches located throughtout the country.
Franklin Templeton has recruited Rod MacPhee as a portfolio manager specialised in European bonds for its London office, Citywire reveals. MacPhee previously worked as an analyst at Western Asset Management Group. He will now be responsible for bond funds alongside John Beck and David Zahn
Brevan Howard, a hedge fund firm with USD41bn in assets under management, has transferred most of its activities out of of the United Kingdom, the Financial Times reports. Dozens of positions have been moved to the Channel Islands, Switzerland, Asia and the United States, in order to avoid European regulations and to spur international growth. Three years after opening a satellite office in Geneva, Brevan Howard now has only a small number of traders based in London, sources familiar with the matter say. Four years ago, most employees were located in the British capital.
Assets under management at Creit Suisse totalled CHF1.2527trn as of the end of third quarter 2013, up 3.4% compared with the end of December 2012, according to figures released by the Swiss group on 24 October.In Private Banking & Wealth Management, the results of the group in third quarter “were affected by an interest rate environment which remains low and weak client business,” a staement says.Net inflows for the quarter remained high, however, at CHF8.1bn, with contributions remaining strong for high-margin Asset Management products, emerging market products and the Ultra-High Net Woth Individuals segment, which were offset in particular by cross-border capital outflows in Western Europe.Pre-tax profits for the Private Banking & Wealth Management division totalled slightly over CHF1bn.Due to progress with its cost reduction programme, the group has nearly doubled its net profits to CHF454m in third quarter 2013.
S&P Dow Jones Indices has announced the integration of the S&P MILA 40 index into the range from Horizon ETF Management in order to serve as an underlying for a new ETF. The ETF will be listed on the Colombian stock exchange, the Bolsa de Valores de Colombia (BVC), and will offer exposure to shares in the most liquid companies of the Mercado Integrado Latinoamericano platform, which includes Chilean, Colombian and Peruvian shares.
Assets under management at GAM Holding AG have remained stable in third quarter, at 116 as of 30 June 2013,according to figures released by the firm. This stagnation is due to the weakness of the US dollar against the Swiss franc, which neutralised the good performance of the financial markets in third quarter. In detail, the Investment Management unit has posted assets under management which remain unchanged over three months at CHF72.1bn, handicapped by outflows in emerging markets and low-margin products. Pivate Labelling activities also tread water at CHF44.5bn. GAM admits that net inflows overall have been “modest.” The group nonetheless reiterates its intention to retain a dividend distribution rate of about 50% of net profits. GAM states that the integration of the integration of the teams from the old GAM (alternative management) and Swiss & Global (traditional fund) divisions is largely complete. Teams have been merged in the distribution and sales functions throughout the globe and the HR, finance and legal departments have been integrated throughout the group. It is also to be noted that Swiss & Global has announced that 10 funds will be merged into five new strategies. The changes will take effect by the end of November. The five new funds are the following: JB Europe Focus Fund ( Julius Baer EF Europe Selection merged with Julius Baer EF Europe Stock ) JB Asia Focus Fund ( Julius Baer EF Asia Stock merged with Julius Baer EF Chindonesia) JB Eastern Europe Focus Fund ( Julius Baer EF Black Sea and Julius Baer EF Central Europe Stock ) JB Africa Focus Fund ( Julius Baer EF Africa Opportunities and Julius Baer EF Northern Africa) JB Health Innovation Fund (Julius Baer EF Health Opportunities andJulius Baer EF Biotech)
A new firm has been created in the Italian asset management and advising sector: Advam Partners Sgr, Bluerating reports. The structure proposes to draw a link between the personal wealth of entrepreneurs and financing needs for their businesses. Advam Partners was created out of a merger of gest-Re Sgr and Finn sim, and will start out with EUR120m, the objective is to triple this amount by the end of 2014.
In September, funds on sale in Italy posted net outflows of EUR343m, according to statistics from Assogestini, the Italian association of asset management professionals.Equity and flexible funds, however, recorded net inflows, of EUR236m and EUR1.323bn, respectively.Since the beginning of this year, Italian funds have posted inflows of nearly EUR40bn, and their assets total nearly EUR532bn.With the addition of closed funds and management under mandate, the Italian asset management sector in September posted net subscriptions of EUR3.1bn in September, particularly under the effect of institutional mandates, with net inflows of EUR3.7bn. As of the end of September, total assets in the sector came to EUR1.284trn.
In January-September, comdirect bank (Commerzbank group) reported net profits down 10.4% to EUR48.26m, but a gradual improvement in results has led the chief financial officer to revise upwards the outlook for the profit before tax for this year overall.In terms of assets, B2C activities (comdirect bank) as of the end of September totalled EUR30.49bn, compared with EUR27.91bn as of the end of December, while the B2B unit (ebas) posted assets of EUR22.33bn, compared with EUR20.95bn. Overall, the group thus shows assets under management or administration of a record EUR52.81bn, compared with EUR48,85bn. Net subscriptions totalled EUR1.7bn out of EUR3.96bn in increased assets, while the remainder is due to market appreciation.
Boris Pilichowski, a former proprietary trader and hedge fund manager, has created a new firm, Axis Minds, whose objective is to “coach” and motivate traders as if they were professional athletes, Financial News relates. The firm is based in London, and provides advising services in organisation and strategy, coaching for managers and directors. It will also focus on leadership, management, competence in communication, conflict resolution and stress management.
The Spanish asset management firm Bestinver (Acciona group) has received a license from the AMF to sell three of its main products in their Luxembourg versions in France, the funds Bestinfund (LU0389173070), Bestinver Iberian (LU0389174128) and Bestinver International (LU0389173401).The asset management firm has recently received two amLeague-Newsmanagers prizes for the Actions Europe mandate (see Newsmanagers of 11 October).According to statistics from the Spanish Inverco association of asset management firms, Bestinver in January-September achieved a share of 28% for total net inflows to equities funds (which totalled EUR1.24bn), followed by Santander AM (14%), Mutuactivos (13%) and Invercaixa Gestión.
The average cost of new regulations affecting the hedge fund sector has been estimated by KPMG at USD700,000 for a small asset management firm, USD7m for a mid-sized firm and USD14m for a large firm, the Financial Times reports. Overall, KPMG calculates tht hedge funds have spent USD3bn to comply with new regulations since 2008, which corresponds to an increase of about 10% in annual operating costs.
ETFs from Fidelity are expected to be launched this Thursday, according to Mutual Fund Wire, citing Barron’s and ETF Trends. They will be powered by BlackRock and will offer coverage comparable to similar products from State Street, but at a lower price.
European parliament on Monday voted to introduce an online “fund calculator,” which will help investors to compare the costs of investment, savings and retirement products, the Financial Times reports. The calculator, which will be available via the websites of the national regulators, will include an estimate of total costs, including costs of transactions on platforms and commissions paid to financial advisers.
The former star manager Bill Stormont has returned to the asset management sector, nearly nine months after leaving Henderson. Citywire Global reveals that he has become a consultant for Absolute Strategy Research, a firm founded in London in 2006 which provides independent research on macro strategies to the fund sector. Stormont will be based in Vancouver, his native city.
Schroders has appointed David Thompson as client director in charge of development of client relationships within the Insurance AM team, the blog of Brian Bollen reports. He had previously worked at ECM Asset Management as head of sales and marketing since 2011.
The occupancy rate for 16 German open-ended funds has fallen by an average of one percentage point since the end of 2011, according to a survey by the ratings agency Scope.The occupancy rates vary in a range from 96.9% to 84.3%. They fell by 0.5 point in 2012, and a further 0.5 point in first half 2013, Scope states. During the period under review, only six funds managed to improve their occupancy rates, while 10 of them posted declines.Wertgrund Wohnselect D has posted the highest rate (96.9%), followed by WestInvest ImmoValue (96.9%), UniInstitutional European Real Estate (96.1%), Deka-ImmobilienGlobal (96%), UniImmo: Deutschland (94.7%), and grundbesitz europa (also 94.7%).KanAm SPEZIAL grundinvest Fonds has posted the heaviest decline, down 5.8 percentage points, while UniImmo has posted the largest increase (2.6 points). According to Scope, the situation is not expected to improve noticeably in 2014.
Les indices PMI du mois d’octobre publiés jeudi par Markit ont reculé contre toute attente, tout en restant au-dessus du seuil des 50 qui signale un expansion de l'économie. Le composite est retombé à 51,5 contre un pic de deux ans de 52,2 en septembre et un chiffre attendu à 52,5 par le consensus Reuters. Une baisse venue des services, dont l’indice a reculé à 50,9 contre 52,2 en septembre et un consensus à 52,4. Le PMI manufacturier est quant à lui ressorti à 51,3, contre 51,4 prévu et 51,1 en septembre. En France, le composite s’est inscrit à 50,1 contre 50,5 en septembre, et la contraction s’est accentuée dans le secteur manufacturier avec un PMI reculant à un plus bas de quatre mois à 49,4 contre 49,8 en septembre.
Andrea Rossi, le nouveau directeur général d’Axa IM, imprime sa marque à la tête du gérant d’actifs. La société a annoncé aujourd’hui la nomination de Laurent Seyer au poste de responsable mondial de la distribution. L’actuel patron des solutions clients multi-classes d’actifs (MACS) d’Axa IM sera chargé d’accroître la collecte des actifs gérés pour compte de tiers. Christophe Coquema, actuellement chief operating officer, remplacera Laurent Seyer à la tête de MACS, tandis que Joseph Pinto lui succédera aux opérations.
Le hedge fund, dont les actifs atteignent 41 milliards de dollars, a selon le quotidien transféré la plus grande partie de ses activités hors de Londres afin d’échapper à la réglementation européenne et pour grandir dans le monde. 200 des 450 salariés seraient encore en poste à Londres, les autres étant disséminés dans les Iles anglo-normandes, en Suisse, en Asie et aux Etats-Unis.