HSBC is planning to close all of its ETFs listed in Hong Kong, except the ABF Hong Kong Bond Index, two years after their launch, Financial News reports. The MSCI Golden Dragon ETF, MSCI Hong Kong ETF, MSCI China ETF and MSCI Taiwan ETF are expected to be liquidated due to low asset levels. HSBC GAM will retain its ETF activity in Asia, however.

Due to the success of the Aviva Investors US Equity Income Fund, launched in January 2011, which is expected to be soft closed in October, Aviva Investors has announced the release of a new version of the US equity product. The Aviva Investors US Equity Income Fund II is managed in the United States, in Louisville, Kentucky, by the same team at River Road Asset Management (Henry W. Sanders III and Thomas S. Forshea), with a performance objective of 1.5 percentage points over the Russell 3000 Value. River Road AM was acquired by Aviva Investors in January 2010.The asset management team will apply a so-called “absolute value” strategy.The management commission for RDR shares is set at 0.75%.

Banca Popolare di Vicenza has recruited Luca Vignoli as its new head of private banking, Bluerating reports, citing Magstat. He replaces Gianluca Talato, who joined Barclays in June. Vignoli has spent the past 11 years at Fineco Bank.

Earnings at the wealth management firm Partners roup were up 4.2% in first half to CHF222m, for an EBITDA up 3.8% to CHF135m. Net profits rose 30% to CHF156m, according to a statement released on 10 September. Assets under management as of the end of June totalled EUR30.3bn, up 11.8% year on year.

The Swedish centrist party has called on all of the country’s national pension funds (AP) to sell their stakes in fossil fuel businesses, so as to protect the value of their invetsments, Financial Times fund management reports. The four AP funds have assets of about USD146bn.

So-Yon Sohn, head of credit sales & fixed income sales for Asia-Pacific at Citi Private Bank (CPB) has been promoted to regional head of investments, a position that she will take up on 23 September, Finance Asia reports. She will continue to be based in Hong Kong, and will report to Eduardo Martinez-Campos, head of investments, and Bassam Salem, CEO of CPB Asia.Until a replacement can be found for her, Sohn will also continue to serve in her current role.

The entrepreneurial fund Agregator Capital is to swallow nine funds larger than itself. The investment platform supported by more than 400 directors, which has about EUR40m in assets under management in 15 active stakes, is acquiring OTC Asset Management, with EUR360m in assets, Les Echos reports. As part of the operation, the founder of OTC will retain the real estate investment activity of the asset management firm. All of the others, including fiscal fund, FIP and FCPI vehicles, will be transferred to Agregator Capital.

In line with an agreement reached with Philippe Oddo but which has yet to be approved by the French prudential control and resolution authority (ACPR), Allianz France will gradually sell its 21% stake in the capital of Oddo et Cie.By the end of this year, an initial sale fo Oddo & Cie shares will reduce the stake held by Allianz France below 10% of capital in Oddo & Cie. The sale of the remainder will take place by the end of 2016 at the latest.The operation “is coherent with the current investment strategy of the group, to reduce exposure to the financial and banking sector,” a statement from Allianz France says.Allianz France and Oddo & Cie will continue their collaboration in life insurance.

Financière de l’Echiquier on Monday, 9 September announced a new addition to its personnel. The asset management firm, which has already recruits two former BNP Paribas IP employees, has recruited a new manager for its European equity unit, with USD5bn in assets, our of the roughly EUR7.5bn in assets at the firm. Stéphanie Bobtcheff is preparing to join the team specialised in European midcaps as a co-manager, after 16 years of experience in asset management in France and internationally. She has previously worked at Pascal Investment Advisers in Switzerland, as a portfolio manager, and has also served in this role at Oddo AM and Crédit Agricole.Also in the equity unit, two former analysts have also been promoted to the position of co-manager. Guillaume Puech becomes co-manager of the Echiquier Value fund, where he will assist Damien Mariette, who arrived this year. For his part, Gilles Constantini is promoted to co-manager, alongside Adrien Dumas, to manage the Echquier Global fund, which invets in the international leading large cap universe.The diversified fund and fixed income unit, which has over EUR1.7bn currently, will also see additions to its management team soon. The head of the unit, Olivier de Berranger, who manages the Arty fund, whose inflows have leapt by about EUR100m in 2013, is expected to be supported by a credit analyst, who is currently in the process of being recruited.

The activist fund Elliott Asset Management is threatening the takeover bid by Vodafone for Kabel Deutschland. The fund, led by Paul E. Singer, holds a 10.91% stake in the German cable operator. This position was doubled in the space of a few days, which makes Elliott the largest shareholder in Kabel Deutschland. So far, Singer has not revealed his intentions, but it is likely that they are not totally friendly. The investor, who has nearly USD15bn in assets under management, is known for his heavyweight stakeholding tactics.

The nationalised bank Novagalicia Banco (NCG) has announced that it will sell its affiliate EVO Banco for EUR60m to the US hedge fund Apollo Global Management, Cinco Días reports.The transaction with result in the transfer of 80 branches with 590 employees, EUR702m in credits and EUR1.603bn in savings and current account deposits.This is the fourth acquisition by the Apollo group (USD13bn in assets) in the Spanish financial sector, after the acquisition of MBNA from Bank of America, and consumer credit from Citibank and FinanMadrid (an affiliate of Bankia).

The successor to Ingrid Hengster as head of the German-speaking countries (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) at Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has been appointed: Joachim von Schorlemer, who had been CEO of BNP Paribas (BNPP) for Germany, will join the British group in mid-September, and will also be country executive for Germany and Austria.Ingrid Hengster, for her part, has been appointed as a member of the managing board at the German state-owned bank Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW) from April 2014.

Oliver Schuck on 1 September joined FPM Frankfurt Performance Management as head of distribution, Das Investment reports. He will be more particularly responsible for assisting wealth management clients, multi-managers and institutional investors in Germany, Luxembourg and Austria.Schuck joins from DWS (Deutsche Asset & Wealth Management, or DeAWM group), where he was director of distribution for the past five years, responsible for asset management firms, private banks, and major financial advising agencies.

Threadneedle Investments is now releasing its Threadneedle (Lux) US Contrarian Core Equities fund (LU0640476718) in Germany and Austria. The product, managed by Guy Pope, has for six months had a license in France (see Newsmanagers of 19 March).Meanwhile, according to Fundweb, the British asset management firm is now preparing an investment trust targeting asset-backed securities (ABS), the Threadneedle Asset Backed Income fund, which will be launched in October. It will aim for net returns of 6%, and total performance between 7% and 10%.The fund will be managed by Henry Cooke and will focus on mezzanine ABS from the entire world. Currently, assets at Threadneedle in the ABS segment total about GBP1.7bn.

On 6 September, Deutsche Asset & Wealth Management (DeAWM) launched two bond ETFs to trading on the XTF segment of the Xetra electronic platform (Deutsche Börse), the db X-trackers II Global Sovereign UCITS ETF and the db x-trackers II iBoxx Global Inflation-linked UCITS ETF, as well as an equity ETF, the db x-trackers MSCI World Index UCITS ETF. The latter is a variant which is hedged for currency risks for investors whose currency of reference is the euro, since only 12% of the shares in the index are securities issued in the euro zone. The new products bring the number of ETFs listed in Frankfurt to 1,006.Simon Klein, DEAWM head of distribution for ETFs and ETCs for Europe and Asia, has stated that in the past 12 moths, ETFs from db x-trakers hedged for currency risks have posted significant net subscriptions, including EUR592m for the euro variant of the MSCI Japan Index ETF. DeAWM is now planning to gradually offer new currency-hedged shares to European investors.CharacteristicsName: db X-trackers II Global Sovereign UCITS ETFISIN code: LU0908508731Benchmark index: DB Global Investment Grade Government Unhedged IndexTotal expense ratio: 0.25%Name: db X-trackers II iBoxx Global Inflation-linked UCITS ETFISIN code: LU0908508814Benchmark index: iBoxx Global Inflation-Linked Index All EUR Unhedged NominalTotal expense ratio: 0.25%Name: db X-trackers II iBoxx Global Inflation-linked UCITS ETFISIN code: LU0659579733Benchmark index: MSCI World monthly Euro Hedged IndexTotal expense ratio: 0.52%

For about USD163m, Schroders Property Investment Management has sold six warehouses located in Germany, which had been owned by its Pan European Property Logistics Fund (EUR470m as of the end of June).The sale to Prologis is made at a price of EUR740 per square metres, a price above the most recent expert valuation.

Rogge Global Partners, the global institutional fixed-income specialist, has appointed Gerard-Jan van Berckel as head of insurance and Northern Europe distribution. He will spearhead Rogge’s Insurance Investment capability. Based in London, he will also be responsible for growing the firm’s institutional investor base in Northern Europe.Van Berckel joins from Conning Asset Management Ltd. where since 2008 he was head of Continental European sales, responsible for institutional fixed-income product distribution and client relationship management. Rogge was founded in 1984 and has offices in London, New York, Singapore and Frankfurt, as well as joint ventures with Tokio Marine Asset Management in Japan and Alfi Partners in French-Speaking Europe. Rogge’s total assets under management as of 31st July 2013 are USD56 bn.

Schroders on September 9 announced the appointment of Divyesh Hindocha as global head of product and defined contribution from 1 November 2013.Divyesh joins from Mercer’s investments business, where he was senior partner and global director of consulting, responsible for Mercer’s strategic research capabilities globally. He will report to Massimo Tosato, executive vice-chairman.Divyesh takes over the role from Gavin Ralston who has covered the product role on an interim basis since his promotion to head of official institutions last year.

The former founders of the British ratings agency OBSR, Richard Romer-Lee and Nigel Whittingham, as well as the former director of Henderson, David Pickles, have founded a fund advisory and rating firm, Fundweb reports. It will be known as Square Mile Investment Research and Consulting, and is expected to be operational in 2014.

The Belgian asset management firm Petercam on 9 September sent a note highlighting the fact that all companies whose equities feature in its Equities World 3F fund (for Foundation for the Future) comply with the terms of the United Nations Global Compact.All positions in the portfolio managed by Bart Baetens are examined every quarter for compliance with the ten Principles of the Global Compact. This analysis is carried out externally by the extra-financial ratings agency Sustainalytics.

The foreign Account Tax Compliance Act is at the top of the list of regulations that the major hedge fund managers consider most irritating, according to a survey by Sungard and Aite cited by Financial Times fund management. Regulations are considered a “major problem” for half of the 40 major hege fund managers with at least USD1bn in assets in Europe, the United States and Asia.

Like other index providers, Lyxor Asset Management reports that hedge funds on average have posted losses in August, with a loss of 1.13% for the main index. Of the 13 indices (one global, 11 strategy and thematic), only three continue to show gains, the L/S Credit Arbitrage (+0.51%), the Convertible Bonds Arbitrage Index (+0.26%) and the Event Driven – Merger Arbitrage Index (+0.04%). The heaviest losses were from CTA long term (-3.99%) and L/S Equity variable bias (-1.91%).However, in the first eight months of the year, hedge funds have continued to show positive results, with average returns of 2.02%. Although CTA long term and short term have posted losses of 6.58% and 60.4% respectively, the losses for the global macro fund are limited to 1.01%, and all other indices are in positive territory, with gains of 8.94% for the L/S Equity Long Bias index and returns of 6.92% for special situations, as well as 6.81% for merger arbitrage, in particular.

The Bayerische hypoVereinsbank (HVB, UniCredit group) is releasing a version of its long/short cross-commodity strategy from its affiliate onemarkets, without the soft commodities. The Luxembourg-registered fund Cross Commodity Long/Short ex AL Fund, which replicates the Cross Commodity Long/Short IV Excess Return Index, covers 15 sectroal indices of the Dow Jones UBS Commodity indices in the areas of energy, industrial metals and precious metals, but not soft commodities or livestock.CharacteristicsName: Cross Commodity Long/Short ex AL FundISIN Code: LU0944771152Minimal initial subscription: EUR500,000Management commission: 0.90%Performance commission: 15% on performance exceeding the hurdle rate (Eonia + 150 basis points) with high watermark

HSBC prévoit de fermer tous ses ETF cotés à Hong Kong, sauf le ABF Hong Kong Bond Index, deux ans après leur lancement, rapporte Financial News. Les fonds MSCI Golden Dragon ETF, MSCI Hong Kong ETF, MSCI China ETF et MSCI Taiwan ETF devraient être liquidés en raison d’un encours trop faible. HSBC GAM conserve tout de même son activité ETF en Asie.

Selon IndexUniverse, Emerging Global Advisors a annoncé qu’il va fermer douze de ses ETF, qui représentent environ la moitié de sa gamme, mais seulement 4 % de ses encours. Ces fonds ne seront plus négociés à partir du 4 octobre.La liquidation de ces produits est justifiée par le fait que ces ETF ne collectent guère de souscriptions alors que les autres fonds enregistrent des rentrées importantes. Les souscriptions nettes d’Emerging Global Advisors depuis le début de l’année ont représenté 408 millions de dollars.Les ETF qui seront fermés sont tous ceux de la gamme GEMS d’ETF sectoriels marchés émergents, plus le EGShares Emerging Markets Metals & Mining.

Le 26 août, Driehaus Capital Management (10,3 milliards de dollars d’encours fin juillet) a lancé le Driehaus Event Driven Fund (acronyme DEVDX), un mutual fund liquide dont le gérant, K. C. Nelson, s’efforcera de rechercher une faible corrélation avec les principales classes d’actifs tout en offrant une volatilité inférieure mais un rendement ajusté du risque supérieur à ceux de l’indice S&P 500Ce fonds est chargé à 2 %. La souscription minimale initiale est fixée à 10.000 dollars.Driehaus précise que ses mutual funds de performance absolue représentent actuellement un encours d’environ 4,6 milliards de dollars.

Financière de l’Echiquier a annoncé lundi 9 septembre un nouveau renforcement de ses effectifs. La société de gestion, qui a déjà embauché cet été deux anciens de BNP Paribas IP, vient de recruter une nouvelle gérante pour son pôle actions européennes de cinq milliards d’encours sur les 7,5 milliards environ qui constitue l’encours de la société. Stéphanie Bobtcheff s’apprête ainsi à rejoindre l’équipe spécialisée sur les valeurs moyennes européennes en tant que co-gérante, après 16 ans d’expérience dans l’asset management en France et à l’international. Elle travaillait auparavant chez Pascal Investment Advisers en Suisse, en tant que gérant de portefeuille, et a également exercé ces fonctions chez Oddo AM et au Crédit Agricole. Par ailleurs, toujours au sein du pôle actions, deux anciens analystes ont également été promus au poste de co-gérant. Guillaume Puech devient ainsi co-gérant du fonds Echiquier Value pour épauler Damien Mariette arrivé cette année. De son côté, Gilles Constantini est promu co-gérant, aux côtés d’Adrien Dumas pour piloter le fonds Echiquier Global investi dans l’univers des grandes valeurs leaders internationales.Le pôle fonds diversifiés et taux qui représentent plus d’1,7 milliards d’actifs aujourd’hui va lui aussi voir son équipe de gestion étoffée prochainement. Responsable du pôle, Olivier de Berranger, qui pilote notamment le fonds Arty dont la collecte a bondi de près de 100 millions d’euros en 2013, doit recevoir le soutien d’un analyste crédit, actuellement en cours de recrutement. Seul le troisième pôle dédié aux obligations convertibles qui représente aujourd’hui 700 millions d’euros reste «en l’état». L'équipe de gestion est composée de trois anciens d’Acropole AM, racheté par Financière de l’Echiquer en avril dernier : Emmanuel Martin, ancien directeur général de la société de gestion spécialisée dans la gestion des convertibles en est le responsable avec, à ses côtés, Julien Chauveau et Benjamin Schapiro.Au total la société de gestion dispose désormais d’une équipe d’une trentaine de gérants et d’analystes, indique un communiqué.

Depuis la fin de semaine dernière, Fructifonds Valeurs du Japon offre une part supplémentaire. «Afin de favoriser le développement du fonds et l’arrivée de nouveaux porteurs, Natixis Asset Management a créé une part « H-I » destinée aux investisseurs institutionnels Cette part bénéficie d’une couverture de change systématique qui a pour objectif de limiter l’impact de l’évolution du taux de change Euro / Yen japonais sur la performance, indique un communiqué sur le site de la société de gestion.Caractéristiques :Code ISIN : FR0011556174Commission de souscription et de rachat : néant Frais de gestion : 1,43% maximum Minimum de souscription de 50.000 € et de 1/10.000° de part pour les souscriptions suivantesValeurs liquidative initiale : 10.000 eurosDécimalisation en dix-millième de partDevise : Euro

Les revenus du gérant de fortune Partners Group se sont inscrits en hausse de 4,2% au premier semestre à 222 millions de francs, pour un résultat opérationnel (EBITDA) en progression de 3,8% à 135 millions de francs. Le bénéfice net a bondi de 30% à 156 millions de francs, selon un communiqué publié le 10 septembreLes actifs sous gestion s'élevaient fin juin à 20,3 milliards d’euros, en hausse de 11,8% sur un an.

Threadneedle Investments commercialise à présent son fonds luxembourgeois Threadneedle (Lux) US Contrarian Core Equities* en Allemagne et en Autriche. Ce produit géré par Guy Pope bénéficie depuis six mois d’un agrément en France (lire Newsmanagers du 19 mars).D’autre part, selon Fundweb, le gestionnaire britannique prépare actuellement un investment trust ciblé sur les titrisations immobilières (ABS), le Threadneedle Asset Backed Income fund, qui sera lancé en octobre. Il visera un rendement net de 6 % et une performance totale comprise entre 7 et 10 %.Ce fonds sera géré par Henry Cooke et se concentrera sur les ABS mezzanine du monde entier. Actuellement, l’encours de Threadneedle sur le segment des ABS se situe à environ 1,7 milliard de livres.* LU0640476718