Andreas Köster, head of asset allocation and currencies at UBS Global Asset Mangement, is the manager of the new UBS Emerging Markets Allocation fund, which is a multi-asset class product dedicated to emerging markets, Das Investment reports. The portfolio will be invested primarily in equities and bonds, while commodities are also used as a complement. Forex management is achieved via an overlay.CharacteristicsName: UBS Emerging Markets AllocationISIN codes:LU0730958831 (shares denominated in US dollars)LU0730959219 (shares denominated in euros)Management commission: 2.08%
Deka Immobilien GmbH has announced that it has sold the Schlössle Galerie shopping centre (19,000 square metres) in Pforzheim to a fund from Real I.S., for EUR76m.Union Investment Real Estate (UIRE), meanwhile, has announced that it has acquired the office and retail property Neue Promenade 6, in the centre of Berlin, The 3,140 square metre property will be added to the portfolio of the institutional real estate fund DIFA-Fonds Nr3. The acquisition price has not been disclosed.
The product range from Robeco in Germany since March has gained a variant of the Robeco Institutional Emerging Markets Quant Fund, with the release of the Luxembourg-registered fund Robeco Emerging Enhanced Index Equities. The product, which is priced like an ETF, is aimed at institutional investors.The portfolio includes between 320 and 370 physical holdings, in equities from 21 emerging countries. Allocation is made according to the distribution of the MSCI Emerging Markets index. The fund, denominated in US dollars, is managed with a quantitative approach by Michael Strating and Tim Dröge.Name: Robeco Emerging Enhanced Index EquitiesISIN code: LU0746585719TER :0.72%Minimal subscription: EUR0.5m
At a presentation of results for first quarter 2012, the Canadian insurer Manulife announced that assets under management by its US affiliate John Hancock Mutual Funds as of the end of March totalled a record USD38.2bn, compared with USD35.5bn as of the end of December. In one year, assets increased by 7%.In January-March, John Hancock Funds has posted net subscriptions of USD3.1bn, compared with USD2.5bn in October-December, but these net inflows were down 10% compared with the corresponding period of last year.Manulife has posted net profits for first quarter of CAD206m, compared with a net loss of CAD69m in fourth quarter 2011, and net profits of CAD985m in the corresponding period of last year.
The asset management firms of the Neuflize OBC group, Neuflize OBC Investissement and Neuflize Private Assets, have retained Caceis as administrative and accounting manager of their French-registered OPCVM funds and custody mandates, Caceis announced in a statement published on 4 May. The transfer will include 80 mutual funds and mandates with total assets of EUR12bn. The agreement is part of a partnership with the Neuflize OBC Group, which was already in place for depository banking and custody. In France, the group will be able to concentrate on a single provider in Caceis, for all services expected to be needed by the two asset management firms for their development.
Thirteen months to the day after returning to Sal. Oppenheim (Deutsche Bank) as chief operating officer for the portfolio management team in the strategic client portfolio management division (serving clients with complex wealth structures), Wolfgang Sawazki on 1 May became director of portfolio management of the private banking unit (see Newsmanagers of 24 March 2011).Meanwhile, Sönke J. Siemßen, who had most recently served as director of fixed income research at BayernLB, on 1 April joined Sal. Oppenheim as director of fixed income portfolio management.Sawazski and Siemßen will report to Wolfgang Leoni, CIO.
The German financial services provider MLP has announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary Feri AG has acquired a 25% stake in Coresis Management GmbH, a stake which the firm may opt to increase later, for an undisclosed amount.Coresis is a specialist in direct investment in real estate in Germany. It works for institutionals and high net worth private clients.
Pictet & Cie claims that it is not the subject of any accusations on the part of US authorities, and “energetically” rejects “any insinuation that Pictet & Cie is being targeted by the US tax authorities.” The Geneva-based private bank reacted in a statement released on Sunday evening which appear in the SonntagsZeitung and Le Matin Dimanche.Pictet states that since 2011, when the Qualified Intermediary Agreement (QI) came into effect, an agreement over documentation for clients holding US equities, the group has “scrupulously complied with the rules.”Pictet says that it is developing in the market serving US residents via its affiliate Pictet North America Advisors S.A., which is licensed by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and that it is important for the bank to scrupulously respect US tax legislation.
The Norwegian public pension fund (Governement Pension Fund-Global), one of the largest sovereign funds in the world, has posted returns of 7.1% in first quarter, due to a recovery of the stock markets, while its exposure to European countries perceived as high-risk was limited, the Bank of Norway announced on 4 May.The fund, supplied by oil revenues from the country, and largely invested in international equities and bonds, had NOK3.496bn, or slightly over EUR462bn in assets as of the end of March.Investments in equities, which represent 60.7% of the total value of the fund, gained 11% in the course of the first three months of the year, due to a recovery on the US, European and Asian stock markets, the central bank states. In bond markets, which represent 39% of the investment portfolio (the remaining 0.3% are invested in real estate), returns were much more limited, at 1.6%.In first quarter, the Norwegian fund sold all of its Portuguese and Irish government bonds, and reduced its holdings in government debt from several countries, including Italy and Spain, in favour of investments in emerging countries such as Brazil, Mexico and India.In the past quarter, the fund has received NOK60bn in oil revenues from the government, but its value also mechanically lost NOK110bn due to the effects of the appreciation of the Norwegian currency against foreign currencies.
La société de gestion a annoncé la création d’un organisme de placement collectif en immobilier conforme à la sharia, pour le compte d’une banque koweïtienne souhaitant rester anonyme. Le véhicule a financé l’acquisition d’un immeuble de bureaux situé 91 boulevard Saint Michel à Paris, loué à France Télécom et cédé par Foncière des Régions pour 46 millions d’euros. L’acquisition a été financée en partie par un crédit murabaha.
Selon les statistiques de la Banque de France, les flux corrigés des variations saisonnières de crédits nouveaux ont diminué légèrement dans presque tous les segments de marché au mois de mars. La production de crédits à l’habitat s’est ainsi élevée à 6,8 milliards d’euros, contre 7,3 milliards le mois précédent. Les taux de ces crédits sont restés globalement stables mais ceux des crédits aux sociétés non financières ont fléchi sensiblement.
A l’issue d’une rencontre au sommet entre la Chine et les Etats-Unis, Pékin a fait part vendredi de sa décision d’autoriser les investisseurs étrangers à détenir jusqu'à 49% d’une société de courtage, contre 33% jusqu'à présent. La Chine affirme ainsi qu’elle respecte la promesse faite lors de son adhésion à l’OMC d’ouvrir son secteur financier à la concurrence étrangère.
L’entité dédiée à l’immobilier au sein du groupe américain aurait selon le quotidien conclu sa toute première acquisition à Singapour, pour 220 millions de dollars locaux (136 millions d’euros). Un rachat auprès du fonds d’investissement allemand SEK, contraint de céder des actifs afin de faire face aux demandes de rachat de ses clients. Blackstone tire ainsi parti d’un climat morose pour nombre d’institutions financières européennes.
L’introduction en Bourse de China Postal Express & Logistics, filiale du service postal chinois, dans le but de lever 10 milliards de yuans (1,2 milliard d’euros) a été autorisée vendredi, nouveau signe confirmant la volonté des autorités de permettre des mises sur le marché plus importantes. La Commission chinoise de régulation des opérations boursières (CSRC) s’est contenté au cours des premiers mois de 2012 de ne donner son aval qu'à de petites IPO, craignant que l’instabilité des marchés ne nuise aux plus importantes.
La société de gestion a annoncé la création d’un organisme de placement collectif en immobilier conforme à la sharia, pour le compte d’une banque koweïtienne souhaitant rester anonyme. Le véhicule a financé l’acquisition d’un immeuble de bureaux situé 91 boulevard Saint Michel à Paris, loué à France Télécom et cédé par Foncière des Régions pour 46 millions d’euros. L’acquisition a été financée en partie par un crédit murabaha, un prêt structuré pour être compatible avec les règles de financement islamiques.
Le fonds souverain norvégien s’est débarrassé au cours du premier trimestre 2012 de la majorité des obligations souveraines dépréciées qu’il détenait au sein de la zone euro. Il a vendu ses emprunts d’Etat portugais et irlandais et a également réduit ses investissements dans les dettes de plusieurs pays, dont l’Italie et l’Espagne, a précisé son directeur général Yngve Slyngstad. Au 31 mars, la valeur du fonds se montait à 3.496 milliards de couronnes norvégiennes (460 milliards d’euros), contre 3.312 milliards d’euros au 31 décembre.
Quelque 115.000 personnes ont été recrutées dans le secteur non agricole le mois dernier, a annoncé vendredi le département américain du Travail, contre 154.000 en mars et 259.000 en février, deux chiffres il est vrai révisés à la hausse (d’un total cumulé de 53.000). Les économistes anticipaient 170.000 créations nettes de postes pour le mois d’avril après les 120.000 initialement annoncées pour mars. Le taux de chômage, calculé à partir d’une enquête séparée, est revenu à 8,1% de la population active, contre 8,2% en mars et 8,3% en février, un niveau sans précédent depuis janvier 2009
La filiale de gestion de Dexia a ouvert le 1er mai une succursale londonienne. Elle est dirigée par David Kane, en charge des relations avec la clientèle au Royaume-Uni et en Irlande depuis 2008. Cette ouverture faisait partie des priorités stratégiques de Dexia AM pour 2012.