Rory Bateman, currently head of European equities at Schroders, has been appointed head of UK and European equities with immediate effect. He replaces Richard Buxton who left the company in March after 11 years to join Old Mutual Global Investors as head of UK equities.In creating this new role, Schroders will also combine the value investing activities in the UK and Europe into one value team. Kevin Murphy, Nicholas Kirrage, Andrew Lyddon, Ian Kelly and Jamie Lowry will all report to Rory Bateman whose fund management responsibilities remain unchanged.Schroders had EUR279.7 billion as at 31 March 2013.
P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } The British firm Brewin Dolphin has seen an increase in its assets under management to GBP28.1bn in the half to the end of March, compared with GBP25.7bn one year previously, according to an interim report published on 29 May. At the same time, pre-tax profits for the half to the end of March 2013 totalled GBP6.9m, down by nearly 44% from the half to the end of March 2012. = Brewin Dolphin has also announced a placement of equities totalling GBP40m, in order to finance its growth.
Threadneedle Investments on May 28 announced that Crispin Henderson, its former chief executive officer and current vice chairman of Global Asset Management for Threadneedle’s parent company Ameriprise Financial, will retire from the group on 31 May 2013 as he approaches his 65th birthday.Crispin Henderson joined Threadneedle in 2002 as chief operating officer, leading the finance, operations, administration and IT functions. He became managing director in 2006 and was appointed chief executive officer in 2007.
P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } The Swiss firm Diapason Commodities Management (USD7bn in assets as of the end of December) will soon launch the ForestCare Investment Fund, aimed primarily at pension funds and other institutionals, from a minimal subscription of EUR125,000 for A shares, and EUR1m for I shares, Investment Europe reports.The portfolio will be invested in accordance with environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria, with a multi-asset class approach to equities, bonds, forest plots located exclusively in Europe and derivatives related to forests (biodiversity credits, anti-deforestation credits, REDD and carbon credits).
UCITS enjoyed a surge in demand in the first quarter to EUR 130 billion, marking the largest quarterly net inflows since the first quarter of 2006, according to the European Fund ans Asset Management Association’s latest quarterly statistical release. This compares with net sales of EUR 78 billion in the previous quarter. Investor confidence on the economic outlook strengthened in the first quarter as financial markets around the globe enjoyed a strong start to 2013, all of which fed into the high net sales of UCITS.Net sales of equity funds increased to EUR 44 billion, from EUR 30 billion in the fourth quarter of 2012, while net sales of balanced funds surged during the quarter to register net inflows of EUR 36 billion, compared to EUR 13 billion in the fourth quarter of 2012. Bond funds continued to attract strong net inflows of EUR 44 billion, albeit down from EUR 61 billion in the previous quarter. Net outflows from money market funds fell during the quarter to EUR 2 billion, compared to EUR 28 billion in the previous quarter. Total UCITS net assets rose 5.5 percent during the first quarter to stand at EUR 6,641 billion at end March 2013. Total net assets of non-UCITS increased by 3.9 percent in the first quarter to stand at EUR 2,751 billion at end March 2013.The combined assets of the investment fund market in Europe, i.e. the market for UCITS and non-UCITS, increased by 5.0 percent in the first quarter to break through the 9 trillion euro mark to stand at EUR 9,393 billion at end March 2013.
BNY Mellon has hired Jeff Pamplin as head of client service management in EMEA for its alternative investment services (AIS) business. Pamplin will lead the company’s team of specialists serving hedge fund administration clients throughout the EMEA region. He is based in Dublin and reports to Carol Andrews, head of AIS EMEA service delivery.Pamplin joins BNY Mellon from State Street, where he led the integration of their Goldman Sachs Administration Services acquisition. BNY Mellon has more than USD575 billion of alternative assets under administration and custody and an extensive global presence.
P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } The Italian bank Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena has launched a fund, in partnership with Finanziaria Internazionale and the Italian employer union Confindustria, investing in bonds from Italian mid-sized businesses not listed on the stock exchange, Bluerating reports. The fund, entitled Minibond, with a duration of 7 years, will be closed and reserved for qualified investors. Its total size will be from EUR100m to EUR150m. This will allow Italian businesses to benefit from a new source of financing.
P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } On 28 May, Vanguard announced that it is lowering the total expense ratio to 0.10% from 0.13% for its Dividend Application ETF (ticker VIG) and cutting the fees for five traditional mutual funds.The latter include the Dividend Appreciation Index (VDAIX), whose commission is being cut to 0.20% from 0.25% for the Investor share class. Commission is reduced to 0.26% from 0.28% and 0.29%, respectively, for the Energy (VGELX, Admiral share class) and Precious Metals & Mining (VGPMX, Investor share class), to 0.29% from 0.31% for the Dividend Growth (VDGIX, Investor share class), and to 0.31% from 0.34% for the Energy fund (VGENX, Investor share class).Vanguard states that this reduction in commissions has been made possible by the positive evolution of the markets, as well as by a high volume of subscriptions. Which has allowed it to pass on economies of scale.
P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } HSBC and Genevalor, the promoter of the Thema International fund, which had invested in Madoff, have reached an agreement to end a case filed on 30 April this year in Dublin, which was expected to last 14 weeks, Agefi Switzerland reporst. Thema had accused HSBC of negligence in its role as a depository bank for assets placed with the New York-based manager. The Irish-registered fund was seeking USD1.5bn. The terms of the agreement have not been disclosed. Officially, neither party admits fault in the surveillance of the Thema fund. The UCITS vehicle had USd1.1bn in assets under management when Bernard Madoff was arrested, on 12 December 2008. The terms of the agreement are subject to the approval of shareholders in Thema, which will hold a general shareholders’ meeting in July. The new out-of-court agreement will likely bring many lessons for other depository banks which were custodians of funds placed with Madoff, the newspaper reports, particularly UBS, as depository for the Luxalpha fund (USD1.4bn in assets).
La société Edmond de Rothschild Investment Partners (EdRIP) a annoncé mercredi 29 mai prendre une participation minoritaire au capital du groupe MCI au travers du fonds Winch Capital 2. MCI est spécialisé dans l’organisation de congrès scientifiques pour le compte notamment d’associations et d’institutionnels, et dans l’organisation de conférences et d’événements pour le compte d’entreprises. Le groupe possède 47 bureaux répartis dans 23 pays et a réalisé un chiffre d’affaires de 337 millions de francs suisse en 2012. Il s’agit de la quatorzième opération pour Winch Capital 2.
P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } The South Korean asset management firm Mirae Asset Management is planning to develop its activities in Europe in the next few months, Asian Investor reports. The chief marketing officer at Mirae, Ashley Dale, will visit Euorpe next week to evaluate needs. Mirae, whose assets under management total about USD57bn, is also preparing two ETFs for the Hong Kong market during June, which is another area of development for the asset management firm. The first ETF will replicate the MSCI China index, while the second will replicate the Hang Seng High Dividend Yield.
P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } According to Mutual Fund Wire, the ETF and hedge fund management firm Arrow Investment Advisers has appointed John Cadigan as director of its sales team, with the aim of expanding into the area of broker-dealers. He will report to Jake Griffith, chairman and head of sales.The new recruit had been managing director and national sales manager at Direxion Funds since September 2011, after serving for 10 years at Rydex, which has since been integrated into Gugenheim Investments.At Direxion, Cadigan has been replaced by Steve Rudman, who joins from Pimco.
P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } CPR Asset Management is seeking to strengthen its thematic product range with a new vehicle which may be launched during the month of September, Cyrille Collet, director of equity management, announced on 29 May at a press conference. The new fund will be a strategy dedicated to consumer habits, which will serve as the basis for portfolio construction.Collet has also announced that assets under management at CPR AM recently topped EUR23bn, whereas they had totalled EUR20.6bn as of the end of December 2012.As a part of this body thematic funds, which as very popular with investors, represent assets of about EUR600m. The CPR Silver Age fund, dedicated to the theme of ageing populations, has posted strong growth in less than one year, from EUR35m in September 2012 to EUR95m as of the end of December, and over EUR150m currently.
P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } Convictions Asset Management, adept in active management and measured risk, is currently seeking opportunities for external growth, and may be interested in first which practice a wealth management strategy, Philippe Delienne, chairman of the asset management firm, told Newsmanagers on Wednesday.Since the beginning of the year, subscriptions and redemptions are balanced, and assets at Convictions AM remain stable, at about EUR600m.Since November 2011, the flagship fund from the firm, Premium, has earned 8%, with volatility of under 5%. Allocation to equities presently totals 30% to 40%.
Union Bancaire Privée on May 29 announced that it has agreed to acquire Lloyds Banking Group’s International Private Banking business. The price of the transaction is GBP100 million. This acquisition further boosts UBP’s standing both in Switzerland and in its core growth markets, such as the Middle East and Latin America. Once the requisite regulatory licences have been granted, Monaco and Gibraltar will become part of UBP’s global footprint. The transaction will increase UBP’s assets under management, which stood at CHF 83.2 billion as at 30 April 2013, by more than CHF 10 billion. UBP’s CEO, Guy de Picciotto, stated: “This acquisition further strengthens our position at the forefront of the industry and confirms our commitment to our Bank’s two core businesses – international private banking and asset management. We look forward to welcoming Lloyds’ teams and their expertise that we will put to use on an even larger scale. With our competitive range of private banking services and investment solutions, we are bringing our proficiency as a major Swiss and international-wealth-management player to Lloyds’ private clients.”
P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } The Italian Intesa Sanapolo group will unite all of its asset management activities in Eastern Europe in a single unit. The new structure, entitled Hub, will be controlled by Eurizon Capital SGR, the asset management affiliate of the Italian banking group, with 50.1%, while the Slovak bank VUB Bank will take 40.6%, and the Croatian PBZ Bank will have 9.3%. It represents assets under management of about EUR2bn, which will be within the perimeter of Eurizon Capital SGR. The objective with the project is to “strengthen the asset management activities of the group in Slovakia, Hungary and Croatia, and developing managed savings in the countries of Eastern Europe,” a statement says. The partner bank will have facilitated access to Eurizon products.
P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } According to Expansión, Barclays has launched the Barclays MultiManager Bond Portfolio, a bond fund for which the management of each asset class segment is outsourced to the best manager in the category. Liquidity is daily and the minimal subscription is EUR1,000.
P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } The largest public retirement fund in Germany, with assets of EUR55m, the Bayerische Versorgungskammer (BVK), on 29 May announced a reorganization of its investment unit, which since February has been led by André Heimrich, who replaces Daniel Just, who has been promoted to chairman of the managing board.The investment unit is now structured into four divisions: equities and alternative investments, fixed income products, real estate property management and management of real estate investments.The fixed income product division is led by Constantin Echter, and has assets of UR46.3bn. It covers bonds, real estate credit, credit for infrastructure projects, fixed income structured products and spread investments.The equity and alternative investment division, which has 12 staff, is led by Anselm Wagner. It is responsible for about 20% of investments by BVK. If includes hedge funds, private equity, timber, and infrastructure. It also co-ordinates the engagement of BVK in the area of sustainable development, for all asset classes.Real estate property management has about EUR3.5bn in assets under management directly, led by Alois Pröbstl, while the real estate management division, led by Norman Fackelmann, is responsible both for real estate investments in Germany, which represent 4.4% of total assets, and international real estate funds, which represent 5.1% of total assets.
P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } The index provider S&P Dow Jones Indices on 29 May announced the launch of a new low-volatility index, the S&P Nordic Low Volatility Index, which aims to measure the performance of the 30 least volatile securities in the S&P Nordic Broad Market Index (BMI). The countries that make up the S&P Nordic BMI are Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. The new index comes as an addition to the range of low volatility indices, which includes the S&P 500 Low Volatility Index and the S&P Europe 350 low Volatility Index.
P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } As of the end of December, the asset management unit of the Frankfurt-based private bank Metzler totalled EUR53bn, compared with EUR42bn one year previously, while the volume on the fund trading platform Merzler Fund Zchange totalled EUR11.5bn as of the end of 2012, compared with EUR10.9bn as of the end of 2010.Net profits at the bank remain unchanged compared with previous years, at EUR22.3m, and the dividend distributed remains at EUR2.3m, while the remainder will be added to cash reserves.As of the end of December, owners’ equity totalled EUR135m, compared with EUR114m one year previously, and EUR94m as of 31 December 2010.
P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } Jean-Baptiste Smeets, who had been sales manager for funds on the Netherlands market at Delta Lloyd Asset Management, is joining ING Investment Management (ING IM) as senior business development manager, Fondsnieuws reports.Smeets, who will be responsible for managing relationships with ING Bank, one of the largest distribution channels, and fund selection, will now report to Ronald Sminia, head of investment funds for retail clients.Assets under management by ING IM in the Netherlands total EUR15bn.
P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } Assets under management at Pictet as of the end of March totalled a record CHF301bn, passing their pre-crisis peak, Agefi Switzerland reports.
P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } According to reports in Agefi, Natixis AM (NAM) will transfer most of its sales teams to Natixis Global Asset Management (NGAM), the holding company which supervises NAM, the real estate management firm AEW, and a collection of US boutiques. The objective is to significantly increase the proportion of NAM products, which remains very low. To that end, NGAM will create a new Luxembourg Sicav. The idea is also to better sell US expertise in France. 53 sales, customer service, marketing and communications professionals will in autumn begin to report to Hervé Guinamant, chairman of NGAM Distribution Internationale. At NAM, Philippe Zaouati, deputy CEO and head of socially responsible investment (Mirova), says the 130 remaining employees will primarily be dedicated to assisting the networks of BPCE, the parent company of Natixis.
P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } Blackstone is planning to ask SAC Capital Advisors to redeem nearly USD400m, twice as much as had been planned at the beginning of the month, the Wall Street Journal reports, citing sources familiar with the matter. This sum represents most of Blackstone’s capital invested in SAC, sources say. This reflects growing concerns regarding the future of SAC, which is under investigation for insider trading. Although the sum of USD400m is low compared with the USD15bn under management by SAC, the decision by Blackstone is being closely watched by other clients, the WSJ comments. An institutional investor, Ironwood Capital Management, has also asked SAC Capital Advisors to redeem USD100m that it had invested in the firm.
P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } To replace Paul Healey, who will be retiring at the end of June, the US firm Robeco Investment Management has appointed Kerry James as head of institutional distribution, from 1 June. James, who since 2009 has been based in Rotterdam, where she is head of international distribution, will move to Boston. She will be responsible for institutional sales, relationships with consultants, client relationship management, and marketing. She had previously been responsible for sales of US products to institutional investors in Europe and Asia.Jan Feeney. co-CEO of Robeco IM, states that assets at the US affiliate of Robeco have increased from USD12bn at the end of 2008 to USD35bn as of the end of March 2013.
David Petraeus, the former U.S. Army general who resigned last year as CIA chief, is joining KKR, the giant private-equity firm, according to The Wall Street Journal. The former general will be chairman of a new internal «institute» focused on macroeconomic forecasts, communications, public policy and advice on investments in emerging markets.
P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } As of 31 December 2012, the Geneva-based Reyl group posted assets under management of CHF7.3bn, which corresponds to an increase of 61.8% year on year. Assets in private onshore management and corporate finance have leapt 72.4%, to CHF5bn, while those at Reyl Asset Management increased 43%, to CHF2.3bn.The group has also announced that its net profits for 2012 were up 69.8% compared with the previous year, to CHF8.8m.
P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } The Swiss private bank Bank Sarasin on 29 May announced several internal appointments to its Asset Management, Products & Sales unit. Jan A. Poser becomes head of research into asset management and sustainability, with immediate effect. Philipp E. Bärtschi is promoted to chief investment officer, Private Clients, with the mission of investment strategy and management of assets for private clients. Daniel Graf becomes head of the unit dedicated to institutional clients, with immediate effect.
P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } An institutional investor, Ironwood Capital Management, has asked SAC Capital Investors, the hedge fund at the centre of an insider trading investigtion, to redeem USD100m that it had invested in the firm, the Wall Street Journal reports, citing sources familiar with the matter. Ironwood had been an investor since 2007. Its withdrawal is related to the fact that SAC has announced that it will no longer be providing investors with updates on the government investigation and is no longer cooperating unconditionally with the investigation.
Les coûts d’emprunt à 10 ans de l’Italie ont augmenté pour la première fois en trois mois à l’occasion d’une adjudication ce jeudi, alors que les investisseurs craignent de voir la Réserve fédérale commencer à mettre un frein à son programme d’injections massives de liquidités dans l'économie. Rome a émis pour trois milliards d’euros d’obligations à 10 ans avec un rendement de 4,14%, son plus haut niveau depuis mars. Le Trésor italien a également placé 2,75 milliards d’euros d’obligations à cinq ans, à 3,01% contre 2,84% lors de la dernière adjudication du mois d’avril sur cette échéance.