Un immeuble de Clichy, estimé à 90 millions d’euros, est mis en vente suite à un défaut sur le prêt, qui avait été titrisé par Barclays Capital. Sa cession se traduira par une perte sèche pour les investisseurs de la tranche E du véhicule. Le bien est loué à 60% depuis deux ans.
La société a lancé un appel d’offres auprès d’un grand nombre de gestionnaires de la place. Quatre à six d’entre eux devraient être retenus d’ici début 2011
La société a lancé un appel d’offres auprès d’un grand nombre de gestionnaires. Quatre à six d’entre eux devraient être retenus d’ici début 2011, selon une source proche du dossier. Amundi prévoit par ailleurs de collecter auprès de ses réseaux entre 150 et 200 millions d’euros par an.
Les appels répétés et bruyants en faveur d’une réévaluation du yuan ayant rencontré un écho relatif, les Etats-Unis ont choisi ce biais du déséquilibres des comptes courants - une composante des taux de change - pour élargir le débat. Pour Washington, de nouvelles stratégies de croissance doivent émerger, moins dépendantes des exportations et davantage tournées vers un renforcement de la demande domestique. Une orientation que la Chine a récemment indiqué vouloir suivre.
Selon son ministre des finances Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah, la Malaisie pourrait prendre la tête d’un fonds souverain multinational regroupant des pays de la Conférence islamique, afin d’investir en Afrique, au Proche-Orient et en Asie centrale.
Karel de Gucht, le commissaire européen au commerce, prépare un projet de législation qui permettrait à l’Union européenne de sanctionner en représailles les Etats ne donnant pas accès à leurs contrats publics. Ce texte, cité par le Financial Times, «doit augmenter la symétrie dans l’accès aux marchés publics des pays développés et des grandes économies émergentes». Plusieurs patron allemand, tel celui de Siemens, s'étaient plaint cet été de leur difficulté à décrocher des contrats publics en Chine.
State Street Global Advisors met 57 millions d’euros sur la table pour reprendre Bank of Ireland Asset Management. La filiale de la banque irlandaise affichait 26 milliards d’euros d’encours à fin septembre, et était à vendre sur injonction de la Commission européenne. SSGA était donné gagnant depuis plusieurs semaines.
Les députés ont porté de 5,5 à 19,6% le taux TVA sur les offres «triple play» qui regroupent télévision, téléphone et internet dans le cadre du projet de budget pour 2011. Cette mesure devrait faire rentrer 1,1 milliard d’euros dans les caisses de l’Etat. Les députés ont aussi voté un amendement qui limite le montant des indemnités de départs, ou «parachutes dorés», au double de la plus élevée des indemnités de départ prévue en cas de licenciement par les accords d’entreprise ou de branche. Le montant des retraites chapeaux a par ailleurs été limité à 30% du montant de la rémunération reçue la dernière année d’exercice pour certains dirigeants de société.
Les ministres des Finances du G20 étaient réunis ce 22 octobre à Gyeongju, en Corée du Sud, pour préparer le sommet du G20 des 11 et 12 novembre. Le projet de communiqué des ministres des Finances du G20 ne mentionne pas d’objectifs quantifiés pour les soldes des comptes courants des Etats, a déclaré vendredi le secrétaire d’Etat aux Finances russe Dimitri Pankine. Le secrétaire du Trésor des Etats-Unis Timothy Geithner, dans une lettre dont Reuters a eu connaissance, estime que les «pays avec des excédents persistants doivent entreprendre des politiques structurelles, budgétaires et de change qui stimulent les sources de croissance intérieure». Les propositions américaines, faisant une allusion à peine voilée à la Chine, pourraient se heurter à l’opposition de plusieurs puissances, y compris parmi les pays riches comme le Japon. «Les pays du G20 doivent s’abstenir d’appliquer des politiques de taux de changes destinées à leur conférer un avantage compétitif», a encore dit le ministre américain des Finances.
La Chine souhaiterait développer davantage d'échanges commerciaux et d’investissements en yuans avec des pays asiatiques, a déclaré vendredi un membre de la Banque populaire de Chine. Li Dongrong, l’un des vice-gouverneurs de la banque centrale, a déclaré, à l’occasion d’une réunion de pays de l’Asie du Sud-Est, que Pékin était favorable à un plus grand usage de swaps de devises bilatéraux pour faciliter l’expansion du rôle du yuan.
p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } One of the largest single British mandates, with assets of GBP200m in bonds, previously managed by Royal London, has been awarded to the UK fixed income group at Fidelity by Skandia Investment Group (SIG). The mandate is for an allocation from the Skandia Corporate Bond Fund, which is part of the Signature single-manager fund range. According to Adam Smears, head of fixed income at SIG, Fidleity is a manager with more conviction, and has a better risk-adjusted track record. In addition, its strategy is more liquid.
p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } To meet growing demand from clients based in the Middle East, Baring Asset Management on 20 October officially opened a branch office in Dubai, after receiving a license from the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC). The structure is led by Nisarg Trivedi, head of sales and business development, who reports to Rob Lay, head of Europe, MENA & Alternatives. Trivedi was previously head of sales development at Bank Muscat Asset Management.
p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } Cotizalia reports that the Norwegian Government Pension Fund – Global (GPFG), formerly known as the Oil Fund, has bought EUR1.77bn in shares in Telefónica, which represents 2% of the firm’s capital. As of the end of December, the firm controlled 1.7% of the Spanish operator, but it strongly reduced that position in first quarter. The GPFG nonetheless acquired EUR600m in Telefónica shares in third quarter.The largest institutional shareholders in Telefónica are now BBVA (6.9%), La Caixa (5%), BlackRock, BNP Paribas and Santander, with stakes of 2.5% to 3% each.
Currently, redemptions from open-ended real estate funds from Degi, KanAm, SEB, Credit Suisse, Morgan Stanley, TMW Pramerica, Axa Investment Managers and UBS, and funds of real estate funds from Allianz Global Investors, are frozen. More details will be known on 2 November as to how many of these funds will be able to survive their reopening, but it is of already clear that the KanAm US-grundinvest will be liquidated.Meanwhile, the BVI association of asset management firms on 21 October released statistics covering the period up to 30 June, which shows that managers are highly active in the management of their portfolios, and not only to sell properties to raise liquidity. In the period from 1 July 2009 to 30 June 2010, funds bought 70 properties, of which 43 were abroad, and sold 105, of which 65 were in Germany. The acquisitions were worth EUR4.6bn, of which EUR3.1bn was abroad, while sales totalled EUR3.2bn, of which EUR1.4bn were in Germany.In total, open-ended real estate funds own 1,630 properties with a volume of EUR96.4bn and 26.6 million square metres, of which 63.3% are office properties, and 20.3% are hotel and restaurant locations. The overall portfolio is 28.4% invested in Germany, 18.5% in France, and 10.2% in the United Kingdom.
p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } The United States Department of Labor (DoL) has filed a suit in a US District Court in Manhattan against Ivy Asset Management, Beacon Associates Management, and J.P. Jeanneret Associates, accusing them of failing in their fiduciary duty to labour union and employers who provide retirement savings plans, by channelling their investments to Bernard Madoff, the Wall Street Journal reports.
p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } The US presidential working group for financial markets, which is composed of Federal regulators, has presented a report on ways to reduce the vulnerability of money market funds to massive withdrawals by investors, the Wall Street Journal reports. Experts say that a floating NAV could reduce the risk, but they are only moderately enthusiastic about such a reform, since it would involve other risks. Among other measures, the group recommends that some form of insurance be created for subscribers to money market funds; it suggests that large redemptions should be made in kind, and not in cash. Another solution would be to require money market funds with a stable net asset value to reorganize as special-purpose banks.
p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } The Irish-registered fund ShortDurationHighYield (USD90m in assets), a sub-fund of the UCITS-compliant Sicav Muzinich Funds, on 27 August received a license from the AMF for sale in France (see Newsmanagers of 30 September), and has been available in France since 4 October. Shares hedged for several currencies other than the euro are available. Euro capitalisation shares – IE00B5BHGW80 / Euro R-class capitalisation shares – IE00B3MB7B14
p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } Agefi Switzerland reports that Alexander Zeller is taking over as head of Private Banking for Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) in the Global Private Banking division of the HSBC group. His appointment to the newly-created position comes amidst a reshuffle of regional management positions in asset management at HSBC. Zeller will also retain his current double responsibilities. He is not only country manager for the HSBC group in Switzerland, but also CEO of the Swiss private bank of the group, HSBC Private Bank (Switzerland), based in Geneva. At HSBC Private Bank (Switzerland), he has since 21 October been assisted by Franco Morra, who becomes a member of the executive board and head of Private Banking. Morra previously worked at UBS, where his most recent position was CEO of UBS Switzerland and board member at the group. For the group, Desmond Liu becomes head of Private Banking for North Asea, and Nancie Dupier becomes head of Private Banking for South-East Asia. They replace Monica Wong, who is retiring.
p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } Jaime Castán, head of hedge fund research and chairman of the manager board at Man Investments, has joined LGT Capital Partners in Pfäffikon, Switzerland, as co-head of the hedge fund investment team and head of research expertise centres.
p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } UBS announced on Friday, 22 October that it has appointed Philip Lofts as Chief Executive Officer at UBS Gorup Americas, and Maureen Miskovic as Group Chief Risk Officer and board member at the group. Robert Wolf will remain as president of UBS Group Americas, and chairman of the Investment Bank. The three appointments take effect from 1 January 2011, a statement says. Lofts was appointed Group Chief Risk Officer in November 2008. Miskovic was until recently Chief Risk Officer at State Street Corporation and a member of the Operating Group at the firm, as well as chair of its Major Risk Committee. She was previously a member of the board of directors at State Street, after serving in different high-level positions at various financial establishments.
p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } For third quarter 2010, Janus Capital Group has reported net profits of USD32.5m, compared with USD30.2m for second quarter, and USD8.2m for the corresponding period of last year. Operating margins totalled 23.4%, compared with 24.6% and 13%, respectively. As of 30 September, total assets under management came to USD160.8bn, compared with USD147.2bn three months earlier, and USD151.8bn as of the end of September 2009. The increase of USD13.6bn in AUM has resulted from a net market appreciation of USD16.5bn and net outflows of USD2.9bn for long-term funds.