The asset management firm Amundi Investment Solutions has modified the name of its ETF AAA Govt. Bond EUROMTS (FR0010930636) fund to Amundi ETF Govt. Bond Highest Rated EuroMTS Investment Grade ETF. The fund of euro zone government bonds with the highest ratings from the three major ratings agencies replicates the EuroMTS Highest-Rated Government All-Maturity. Assets as of the end of December totalled EUR40.99m.
Majedie Asset Management has decided to close its Tortoise hedge fund to new investors, Investment Week reports. The fund has GBP350m in assets, exceeding its asset objective of GBP250m, set by the management firm at the time of the product’s launch in 2009.
The Paris office of the Scottish firm Aberdeen Asset Management finished 2011 with assets fo EUR5bn (of which EUR3.5bn were in locally-managed mandates), but can claim EUR6bn in assets counting intermediated subscriptions. Net subscriptions totalled about EUR1bn last year, after EUR500m in 2010. Inflows went to all categories of clients and all asset classes, and went largely to global emerging market debt and Asian debt, high yield in US dollars and euros, while emerging markets and Asian equity funds were subject to sof-closings. In 2012, the asset management firm is planning to focus its sales efforts in France on European equity and European real estate products, including a French-domiciled OPCI fund with large exposure to the German market.
Oppenheimer Holdings has announced a net profit for 2011 of USD10.31m, compared with USD38.48m in 2010. As of the end of December, assets totalled USD17.7bn, compared with USD17.9bn three months previously, and USD18.8bn as of the end of 2010.
The Arkansas Public Employees Retirement System (APERS) has awarded a global real return mandate to Newton Capital Management Limited, a boutique from BNY Mellon Asset Management. APERS is responsible for a portfolio totalling USD5.6bn, which is invested on behalf of public sector employees in the US state of Arkansas, a statement says.
Net inflows for the US asset management firm Waddell & Reed in fourth quarter totalled USD42m, compared with USD1.3bn in third quarter 2011, and USD1.2bn in fourth quarter 2010. Assets under management totalled USD83.15bn as of the end of December, slightly up on the end of September (USD77.45bn), but slightly down compared with the end of December 2010 (USD83.67bn).
In October-December, Liontrust has announced net subscriptions of GBP15m, bringing the total in the first nine months of the fiscal year ending on 31 March to GBP74m. Liontrust has now posted six consecutive quarters of net inflows.In January 2012, the British asset management firm has also posted net subscriptions of GBP15m.Assets as of 31 Decmber totalled GBP1.364bn, compared with GBP1.192bn as of the end of September; they totalled GBP1.409bn as of the end of January 2012, putting them above GBP1.4bn for the first time since June 2009.Liontrust also states that the launch of the Liontrust Asia Income Fund (see Newsmanagers of 18 January) will occur on 5 March. Before then, the British asset management firm will be releasing the Irish fund Liontrust European Absolute Alpha Fund, a clone of the Liontrust European Long/Short Fund, domiciled in Guernsey, by the end of February.
The Cologne-based wealth management firm Sal. Oppenheim (Deutsche Bank group) has obtained exclusive rights to offer funds from Investec Asset Management in Germany, Investment Europe reports. Products from the South African/British asset management firm will be included in the OPFT fund range from March. Investec also states that it is planning to develop its own distribution in continental Europe.
Rothschild & Cie Gestion has acquired an alternative multi-management firm, Héritage Asset Management. The firm has acquired a 100% stake in the target business, for an undisclosed amount. The move is a sign of the firm’s ambition to develop even further in this type of management.“This is a first step,” says Denis Faller, managing partner and head of multi-management activities, who has been appointed as head of the new team resulting from the merger of in-house experts and thos from Héritage AM. In other words, the asset management firm has built its capacities in this area, but is still seeking even larger acquisition targets.In practice, Héritage Asset Management will become known as Rothschild Investment Solutions. Laurent Levenq, founder of the independent firm in 2003, will be the CEO and head of development.In terms of human resources, Faller will repatriate Héritage AM teams currently located in offices on the Champs Elysées in Paris, to offices at Rothschild & Cie Gestion. That team will include 15 professionals in Paris, with some personnel in London and New York.Currently, Héritage AM manages three alternative multi-management mutual funds: two ARIA III funds and one contractual fund. However, the combination of the two asset management teams will allow for the launch of new products conceived by Faller. A Solvency II compliant, a level 2 fund dedicated to institutional investors may be one of the projects of the new unit.
In 2010, net profits at Ameriprise Financial fell 10% to USD1.076bn, from USD1.097bn. The parent company of Columbia Management and Threadneedle nonetheless posted a growth in its operating profits to USD1.639bn, from USD1.574bn.Total assets under management were down 3% for the year to USD527.57bn, from USD541.94bn, while assets under administration were down slightly by 2% to USD103.75bn, compared with USD105.52bn.However, pre-tax profits in the asset management business unit increased 33%, to USD436m, from USD318m in 2010.Columbia has posted a contraction in its assets for the year, to USD326.12bn, compared with USD355.49bn, with net outflows of USD14.72bn, compared with USD12.33bn the previous year.At Threadneedle, however, assets under management increased to USD113.57bn, compared with USD105.65bn twelve months earlier. The British asset management firm has posted net subscriptions of USD10.58bn compared with net outflows of USD506m in 2010.
Robert Piribauer, most recently head of quantitative and qualitative fund analysis and management of model portfolios for third-party funds in the area of bonds at Pioneer Investments, was recruited on 1 February by the Austrian-German firm C-Quadrat KAG. He will join the fund management team, and will be responsible for strengthening expertise in the area of qualitative and quantitative fund analysis.Meanwhile, C-Quadrat KAG has appointed two members of its managing board to the managing board at its affiliate C-Quadrat Investment. They are Andreas Wimmer, who will be responsible for marketing and communication, and Markus A. Ullmer, who will take charge of legal affairs, risk management and human resources.
The asset and wealth management (AWM) unit of Deutsche Bank last year earned pre-tax profits of EUR767m, the bank announced on 2 February in a statement. This more than tripling of annual profits reflects the successful integration of Sal. Oppenheim and cost reduction measures, the bank says.Assets invested at the AWM unit as of 31 December totalled EUR813bn, up by EUR33bn, of which EUR28bn are in Asset Management in the strict sense.The Private Clients and Asset Management business unit (PCAM), which includes AWM, has posted record pre-tax profits of EUR2.5bn, of which EUR1.8bn were for the Private & Business Clients unit. The Deutsche Bank group has posted pre-tax profits for the year of EUR5.4bn, compared with nearly EUR4bn the previous year. Post-tax profits for the group totalled EUR4.3bn, compared with EUR2.3bn previously.
Matthias Hansmann, a client adviser at Bantleon Bank in Switzerland, is joining F&C in Frankfurt as director of institutional distribution, Das Investment reports. Hansmann will report to Claus-Dieter Heidrich, director of the Frankfurt branch.
The Swedish firm East Capital on 1 February has announced the launch of the East Capital Baltic Property Fund II by East Capital Real Estate AS, its second real estate fund specialised in commercial real estate, but also including logistical and office properties in the three Baltic countries, especially Estonia. East Capital Explorer will provide EUR10m for the new product, which will aim to collect EUR40-50m.The East Capital Baltic Property Fund II, a closed fund in Luxembourg FIS format, is aimed at professional and institutional investors. The investment period is set at 5 years, and management commission is 2%. The fund will mature in 7 years, which may be extended once for a maximum of three years.
A few days after the announcement of a new increase in savings taxation, the French financial management association (AFG) on 1 February, at a press conference, expressed its opposition to this approach, which contradicts what would be the optimal course of action. “Ongoing increases in taxes on savings and its volatility, which have been increased further in the past few weeks, completely discourage retail investors from returning to long-term investments, particularly in equities, while regulation of institutional investors is increasingly driving them to short-term investments,” the president of the AFG, Paul-Henri de la Porte du Theil, says. The tax on financial transactions, which is emblematic of these current changes, will be applied in only one country and will inevitably have negative consequences for French asset management and the financing of the French economy. The AFG president has also denounced the weakness of Europe compared with US regulations, such as the FATCA law; these US laws are in practice international weapons to defend US competitiveness. In the chapter on European regulations, the AFG says that at the necessary level of balanced regulations, all market actors would be required to submit to consistent frameworks and controls. This is the reason that the emblematic PRIPS legislation is necessary, as it provides a “deferred, consistent vector of harmonisation between the various products and policies available to retail clients.”
CaixaBank has sold its investment fund, Sicav and individual pension fund depository division to the Confederación Española de Cajas de Ahorros (CECA) for EUR100m, Funds People reports. The sale price may rise by a further EUR50m, depending on the performance of the activity sold. CaixaBank will retain management and sales of products whose administration and custody will be transferred to CECA.
Following the announcement of a reorientation of its business to serve mainly institutional clients (see Newsmanagers of 1 February), Aviva Investors has announced that it has made some refinements in the area of distribution of duties. Active equities management will be moved to three locations, serving four regions: Asia and emerging markets in Singapore, European equities in Paris, and British equities in London. This is evidently on condition that clients support these changes.As the SRI desk in London will be closed, a global team will need to be established, which will handle socially responsible investment for all products of the range.Money Marketing reports that the SRI team, which has about GBP1.1bn in assets under management, is hoping to be sold off to a competitor.
The Swedish insurer Länsförsäkringar AB on 1 February announced the appointment of Cecilia Ardström as chief financial officer and head of the asset management unit. Ardström, currently at Tele2, will begin in her new role on 1 March, and will aim to develop asset management activities.
HFT Investment Management and GF Asset Management have both launched funds denominated in Chinese renminbi, aimed at retail investors in Hong Kong, Asian Investor reports. The two funds on sale from the companies fall within the quotas allocated to them under their status as renminbi qualified foreign institutional investor (RQFII). HFT IM has been granted a quota of RMB1.1bn, while GF AM has a quota of RMB900m
SIX Swiss Exchange on 31 January admitted 16 SPDR-branded ETF funds from State Street Global Advisors (SSgA) to trading, including two funds based on S&P indices, seven based on Barclays Capital indices, and five based on MSCI indices. The market maker for all of the funds is Commerzbank. Management commissions vary from 0.15% to 0.65%.The funds are as follows:SPDR Barclays Capital Emerging Markets Local Bond ETF, fees of 0.65%SPDR Barclays Capital Euro Aggregate Bond ETF (0.20%)SPDR Barclays Capital Euro Corporate Bond ETF (0.20%)SPDR Barclays Capital Euro Government Bond ETF (0.15%)SPDR Barclays Capital Sterling Aggregate Bond ETF (0.20%)SPDR Barclays Capital US Aggregate Bond ETF (0.20%)SPDR Barclays Capital US Treasury Bond ETF (0.15%)SPDR MSCI ACWI ETF (0.50%)SPDR MSCI ACWI IMI ETF (0.55%)SPDR MSCI EM Asia ETF (0.65%)SPDR MSCI EM Europe ETF (0.65%)SPDR MSCI EM Latin America ETF (0.65%)SPDR MSCI Emerging Markets Small Cap ETF (0.65%)SPDR S&P Emerging Markets Dividend ETF (0.65%), andSPDR S&P US Dividend Aristocrats ETF (0.35%)
The Danish pension fund ATP on 1 February announced a record return of 26% in 2011, or DKK126bn, resulting in an increase in assets to DKK579bn as of the end of December, compared with DKK475bn twelve months earlier.This performance translated into a tax burden of over DKK18bn. The reserves at ATP were increased by DKK4bn, bringing them to DKK74bn, after taxes.As of the end of 2011, ATP was paying benefits to 830,000 people, meaning that about 8 Danish pensioners out of 10 receive complementary benefits from ATP.
The listings of the ETF Acción Ibex 35 Inverso and Acción FTSE Latibex Brasil funds, both BBVA products, were suspended on 1 February by the CNMV, as dissolution and liquidation procedures for the funds had been initiated, Expansión reports.
On 27 January, the CNMV issued registrations for three funds from the French firm Edmond de Rothschild Asset Management: Asia Leaders, Emerging Convertibles, and Euro Convictions.
Since March 2011, Spanish securities funds have ceased to register net subscriptions. January brought net redemptions of EUR401m, compared with EUR1.05bn in December, and EUR623m in the corresponding month of the previous year, statistics from the Inverco association of asset management firms reveal.Total assets nonetheless increased in January by 1.1%, or nearly EUR1.45bn, to a total at the end of the month of nearly EUR129.25bn.Of the 20 largest asset management firms by volume of AUM, only six have posted net subscriptions in January; the two asset management firms which posted the largest inflows were Popular Gestión, with EUR76.48bn, and Bansabadell Inversión, with EUR73.34m.However, Santander Asset Management saw outflows of EUR239.87m, CatalunyaCaixa Inversió had net redemptions of EUR129.17m, and InverCaixa Gestión has posted redemptions of EUR96.93m.
The asset management firm SCM Private on 1 February introduced a transparency code (the “True and Fair Code and Labelling System”) which will aim to require financial services to provide 100% transparency of commissions and investments. The move aims to deprive the sector of a commission structure which is “deliberately complicated in order to conceal the real numbers,” SCM Private says.
« Le monétaire coûte davantage en portage que ce qu’il ne rapporte ». C’est avec cette observation que le Crédit Agricole de Franche Comté affirme, de but en blanc, se méfier de Bâle III, et envisage de travailler sur les sources de surperformance en 2012. Déçue d’Amundi, la caisse fait désormais appel à des partenaires externes comme Sycomores AM, Barclays, LCF Rothschild à qui elle confie 30 % de son portefeuille sous forme d’OPCVM ou de fonds structurés par Barclays. Détenant 60 % de monétaire, le portefeuille de la caisse régionale a atteint un rendement de 2,8 % en 2011. Pour 2012, il est prévu d’investir dans des titres éligibles de la BCE mais sans respecter forcément le LCR, dans le but d’obtenir de meilleures performances. Le Crédit Agricole de Franche Comté reste prudent. Au sein de son portefeuille de placements lié aux variations de marché, la caisse a subit de légères pertes au niveau des actions et a délaissé ces dernières, de même que l’alternatif. En parallèle, elle favorise les titres investis en direct dans son portefeuille d’investissements, évalué en valeur nette comptable, ainsi que les covered bonds et les titres étatiques, se détournant des corporates notés AA-, peu adéquats au regard de Bâle III.
L’opérateur boursier a dégagé un bénéfice de 82 millions de dollars au quatrième trimestre, soit 45 cents par action diluée, contre 137 millions (69 cents), un an plus tôt. Il attribue ce recul au refinancement de sa dette et à des charges liées à des projets de fusions et à des initiatives stratégiques.
Le gouvernement a lancé un plan de relance de 80 milliards de dollars locaux pour freiner le ralentissement de la croissance, estimée entre 1% et 3% en 2012