P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } ING Investment Management (IM) is adding to its teams. The asset management firm has appointed Karim Carmoun as senior director of clients, specialised in distribution, from 24 January. The recruitment will allow the asset management firm to “accentuate its presence serving multi-managers and distributors in France.” Carmoun joined ING IM from Fidelity Paris, where he has been head of key clients since March 2007. He had previously served in a variety of roles in asset management and banking, first at Paribas, and then at BNP Paribas Securities, from 1999 to 20003, before joining Crédit Agricole (2003-2004) and then Fidelity in Luxembourg (2004-2007).

The Spanish asset management firm Bestinver, which has EUR9bn in assets under management, is arriving in France. To that end it recruited Veronica Vieira, a former salesperson and equity analyst, one and a half years ago. It has licensed three funds with the Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF).The products in question are Bestinver Iberian, a Spanish and Portuguese equity fund, Bestinver International, a global equity fund ex Spain and Portugal, and Bestinfund, a fund which allies the other two. All three are housed in a Luxembourg Sicav.Reflecting the entire expertise of the firm, the products are managed with a “value” philosophy, the Bestinver ADN. “We seek good businesses which are managed by good people at a good price,” summerizes Alvaro Guzman de Lazaro Mateos, one of the only three portfolio managers at the firm. The small asset management team includes four analysts.As to the choice of France, which is the first country in which the Iberian asset management firm is setting up commercially, it has been made to favour the “availability” of Veronica Vieira, who knows the firm well, as she worked with them in her past career as a broker.She will be responsible for taking care of current clients, as the firm already has EUR100m in assets in the country, and for making the Spanish asset management firm better known in France. “But we will not actively sell funds,” warns Beltran Parages Revertera, head of investor relations and development. The firm is seeking long-term, and therefore convinced investors, in order to implement its management, Vieira explains. With this in mind, the firm has no declared objective for France in figures.This philosophy is due to the history of the firm, founded first as a family office by the family which owns the Acciona group (which still 100% controls the firm). Now, the capital of the Acciona family represent only about 7-8% of assets, and the firm has 40,000 clients.

P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }A:link { }The French pension fund FRR on January 24 launched a request for proposal (RFP) for the purpose of selecting a financial manager for its global exposure passive mandate. This mandate is intended to serve as a tool for gaining exposure to all asset classes in which the FRR invests, as needed. In particular, it would be activated to allow for rapid exposure to certain asset classes or in the event that a temporary replacement is needed for a missing or defaulting manager. This RFP is launched as an “closed procedure” under the French Public Procurement Code. Interested asset management firms have until February, 24th 2014, 12 noon (Paris time) to submit a proposal to the FRR pursuant to the terms and conditions specified in the consultation rules governing this type of procedure. All documents related to this RFP are available from the dedicated platform http://marches.fondsdereserve.fr or via the FRR’s website www.fondsdereserve.fr.

P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } Without waiting for the release of preliminary results for the first half, which ends on 31 January 2014, Close Brothers has already revealed some figures about its activities. As of the end of December 2013, the first five months of its fiscal year, the firm’s asset management unit has seen an increase in its assets of 4%, to a total fo GBP9.5bn, compared with GBP9.1bn as of 31 July 2013. The firm, listed on the London Stock Exchange, explains this performance as a result both of “positive market movements and net inflows,” without providing more details.

P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }A:link { } Schroders has transferred a large portion of its pension fund assets, representing GBP870m, from equities to bonds, the Financial Times reports. Others are expected to imitate the asset mangaement firm, after a long period of rising equity markets, the FT estimates.

P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } The private equity group KKR and the asset management giant BlackRock are among the candidates to buy a stake in the Chinese asset management firm Huarong Asset Management, the news agency Reuters reports. Among the other potential candidates are Blackstone and Bain Capital, as well as Asian and Middle Eastern sovereign funds. The Chinese asset management firm, which is one of the largest local actors in the processing of sub-prime debt, is planning to sell a stake of about 15% to 20% ahead of a potential IPO. Assets under management at Huarong total over CNY400bn, or about USD66bn.

P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } As of 31 December, Union Bancaire Privée has announced assets under management of CHF87.7bn (or EUR71.6bn), up 10% compared with the end of 2012. The group has posted consolidated net profits of CHF152m (EUR124m), compared with CHF175m as of 31 December 2012. “Growth in operating profits is due to inflows of funds both from private and institutional clients, good management performance, and effects of synergy related to acquisition,” UBP states. Earnings from activities have held steady at CHF694m (EUR566m), compared with CHF691m in 2012. It is characterised by a reduction in interest margins of CHF14m compared with 2012 (-9%), offset by commissions, which totalld CHF460.6m (EUR375.9m), up by CHF25.5m compared with 2012 (+6%).

P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } China’s wealth management market will hit USD12 trillion in assets by 2014, compared with USD9.5trn in 2012, according to the consulting firm Celent. This would be a continuation of the growth observed in the past few years, at a time when the regulatory environment has remained relatively stable. But this year, as a new team come to power, the maket now faces multiple challenges, including rate deregulation, the entrance of nonbanks into wealth management, asset securitization, and globalization of investments. In terms of investment, Customer requirements have also changed; for example, 46% of high net worth individuals plan to invest in overseas markets within the next three years. Financial institutions themselves, and not only banks, are taking an interest in this wealth management market. It is in this way that assets placed in trusts have increased from USD321bn in 2009 to USD1.077trn in 2012. According to Celent, assets placed with firms whose range is highly diverse may total as much as USD1.6trn by 2015. Assts at private banks have increased from USD300bn in 2009 to USD547bn in 2012. Celent predicts that assets will rise by nearly USD1trn by 2015, as many banks move into this highly promising private banking niche.

P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } Nordea Investment Funds has recruited Francesco Piraino for its Italian team, Bluerating reports. The veteran of Zurich Life Asurance will be responsible for commercial development, particularly serving retail clients. Nordea AM sells 64 sub-funds of its Sicav in Italy. The country head is Fabio Caiani.

P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } Sulev Raik and Alo Kullama have pulled back from the management of the SEB Eastern Europe Small Cap fund, with assets of EUR92m, Citywire Global reports. The team will be replaced by the equity analyst Marko Daljajev. Raik and Kullama will nonetheless remain managers of the SEB Growth fund. Raik is also manager of the SEB Osteuropafond and SEB Russia, whiel Kullama oversees the SEB Sicav 1 – Eastern Europe ex Russia.

P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } BNY Mellon Investment Management (IM) is adding to its product range on the Spanish market. The US asset management firm has registered the BNY Mellon Crossover Credit fund, which aims to invest in high yield and investment grade BBB-rated corporate debt, with the CNMV, the local regulator, Funds People reports. The vehicle, launched officially on 3 December as part of the BNY Mellon Global Funds range, will be based on a synthetic indicator composed of two indices: 70% of the iboxx Euro Corporate non-financial BBB index, and 30% BofAML Euro High Yield non-financial BB. The management of the fund will be entrusted to Meriten Investment Management, the corporate bond specialist from BNY Mellon. The BNY Mellon Crossover Credit fund, already registered in other European countries in December 2013, has already amassed over EUR100m in assets under management.

P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } Source on Monday announced the launch of the Source Goldman Sachs Equity Factor Index World UCITS ETF. The fund is exposed to an innovative index developed by Goldman Sachs, which aims to outperform traditional equity indices, weighted by market capitalisation. The Goldman Sachs Equity Factor World Net TR index offers global and diversified exposure to the equity market, favouring five well-identified factors on equity markets: low beta, size, value, momentum and quality. It aims to earn significant outperformance compared with cap-weighted indices, both in absolute value and in risk-adjusted figures. The Source Goldman Sachs Equity Factor Index World UCITS ETF comes as an addition to the beta plus products already on sale from Source. “Investors are increasingly seeking an alternative to indices weighted by capitalisation. Academic research recognizes the importance of combining these market factors, but it previously had no way to combine them to provide outperformance in the form of an ETF,” says Ted Hood, CEO of Source. “We noted significant inflows to our added-value ‘beta plus’ products in the year 2013, and we are delighted to be able to extend our range in this area.” The Source Goldman Sachs Equity Factor Index World UCITS ETF is listed on the London Stock Exchange in US dollars. Management fees total 0.65% per year.

P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } The founder of Fundsmith, Terry Smith, is planning to launch an investment trust dedicated to emerging markets this year, Investment Week reports. The Fundsmith Emerging Equities fund will invest largely in companies listed on emerging markets. It will use the same strategy is the Fundsmith Equity fund, the companies in whose portfolio, based in Europe and North America, derive 32% of their revenues from emerging markets. The Fundsmith Equity fund, launched in November 2010, has GBP1.6bn in assets under management, and returns of 54.8% in the three years to 23 January, compared with an average of 22.6% for the Global sector.

La banque centrale de Turquie a annoncé la tenue d’un comité de politique monétaire impromptu le 28 janvier au soir, avec publication de sa décision à minuit heure locale. La semaine dernière, l’institution monétaire avait déçu les marchés en s’abstenant de remonter ses taux, préférant un resserrement détourné de la liquidité bancaire. Résultat, la livre turque a chuté à des niveaux records face au dollar et l’intervention directe de la banque centrale sur le marché des changes le 23 janvier s’est révélée inutile. La livre turque, qui poursuivait lundi sa glissade face au billet vert en passant de 2,336 à 2,39, a effacé ses pertes à 2,31 après l’annonce de la réunion de demain.

China Credit Trust, émetteur d’un des produits de gestion de fortune (WMP) commercialisé par ICBC et sur lequel planait un risque de défaut, a indiqué ce matin avoir trouvé un accord permettant aux 700 investisseurs de céder leurs titres à un tiers dont le nom n’a pas été révélé, à un prix équivalent à leur valeur faciale. Un accord intervenant à quatre jours seulement de l'échéance du produit. Seuls les intérêts dus pour la troisième année de durée de vie du produit ne seront pas versés, soit une perte limitée à 300 millions de yuans, les autorités chinoises ne souhaitant pas prendre le risque d’une crise systémique de confiance dans son système bancaire.

La France veut faire aboutir le projet de taxe sur les transactions financières cette année en plaidant pour une approche réaliste, a déclaré lundi Pierre Moscovici sur France Info. «Il faut que la taxe sur les transactions financières ait une base taxable, a dit le ministre de l’Economie. Si on fait en sorte qu’il n’y ait plus de marchés financiers en Europe, qu’il n’y ait plus de Bourses en Europe, les ressources financières iront à Londres». Il a précisé que la taxe concernera, entre autres, «certains produits dérivés mais pas tous». De son côté, le ministre allemand des Finances, Wolfgang Schäuble, qui rencontrait lundi son homologue à Paris, a déclaré que la France et l’Allemagne veilleront à ce que la TTF ne nuise pas à l’activité du secteur financier.

Euronext, filiale à 100% d’IntercontinentalExchange Group, a annoncé lundi le lancement de plusieurs contrats à terme sur actions individuelles pour un ensemble de valeurs les plus liquides cotées sur Euronext, qui viendra enrichir l’offre d’options sur actions individuelles et de contrats à terme et d’options sur indices.

Le Fonds de réserve pour les retraites (FRR) a lancé le 24 janvier un appel d’offres visant à sélectionner un prestataire pour la gestion financière d’un mandat passif « Exposition Globale ». Ce mandat est destiné à servir d’outil d’exposition à l’ensemble des classes d’actifs du FRR, indique un communiqué. Il serait activé notamment pour permettre une exposition anticipée à certaines classes d’actifs ou en cas de besoin de remplacement temporaire d’un gestionnaire défaillant ou manquant.

Carmignac Gestion a annoncé ce matin 2,3 milliards d’euros de sorties nettes de capitaux en 2013, dont 1,7 milliard pour son fonds phare Carmignac Patrimoine. Très exposée aux marchés émergents, la société a pâti du revirement de la politique monétaire américaine. Ses encours sous gestion sont toutefois restés quasi-stables sur un an (-0,7%), à 53,3 milliards d’euros fin décembre. Si les performances de ses fonds se sont améliorées depuis le dernier trimestre 2013, la collecte reste nulle en ce début d’année, indique Carmignac.

Le climat des affaires s’est encore amélioré en Allemagne en janvier, à son plus haut niveau depuis juillet 2011. L’indice publié lundi par l’institut Ifo, basé sur une enquête mensuelle auprès de 7.000 entreprises, a progressé pour le troisième mois d’affilée pour atteindre 110,6, contre 109,5 en décembre et un consensus de 110,0.

La politique de dépréciation du yen a certes augmenté les exportations en 2013, mais aussi le prix des importations énergétiques

Les avoirs sous gestion de l’Union Bancaire Privée ont progressé de 10% l’année dernière à 87,7 milliards de francs suisses (71,6 milliards d’euros). Le bénéfice brut du groupe s’établit à 218,3 millions de francs, en hausse de 20%, pour un bénéfice net consolidé après provisions de 152 millions. UBP affiche un ratio Tier 1 de 29%. La banque privée suisse espère tirer des synergies de son intégration des activités de Lloyds au premier semestre 2014.

Dimitri Andraos et Gilles Frisch, responsables de la gestion taux et crédit, et high yield chez Swiss Life AM (France)

L'annonce probable d'un nouveau «tapering» de la Fed, mercredi, pourrait continuer à peser sur les devises

Emis mercredi, le FRN sera le premier nouveau produit mis sur le marché par les Etats-Unis depuis le lancement en 1997 des obligations indexées sur l’inflation

Alain Pitous, directeur des gestions diversifiées chez Amundi

La banque centrale, en accord avec ses homologues, mettra fin à ses opérations de refinancement en dollar à trois mois en avril prochain

L'annonce probable d'un nouveau «tapering» de la Fed, mercredi, pourrait continuer à peser sur les devises

Vincent Guenzi, directeur de la stratégie d’investissement, Groupe Cholet Dupont

René Defossez, stratégiste taux chez Natixis