P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } Assets under management by the financial services group Pohjola, one of the largest in Finland, rose 4% in first quarter, to a total of EUR34.2bn, compared with EUR32.7bn as of the end of December 2012. Institutional clients represent EUR19.8bn, while OPCs represent EUR10.3bn, and the private bank has EUR4.1bn. The asset management unit shows a slight profit, but the cost/income ratio deteriorated to 58% in first quarter, still far from its objective of 45%.
P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } According to Investment Week, Managing Partners Limited (MPL) has suspended redemptions from its Traded Policies fund “in the interests of current and future shareholders,” in the form of a temporary “gate.”The fund, which invests in a portfolio of traded life insurance policies (TLP), has generated annualised returns of 8.94% on average since its launch in July 2004.In November, the FSA announced that it would be prohibiting sales of TLPs to retail investors, as they are considered “high risk and toxic.”
P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } Although overall, retail funds showed net subscriptions of GBP188m after two full years of net redemptions, Henderson Group plc has posted net redemptions in first quarter 2013, including Phoenix Group, of GBP1.269bn. Net redemptions to institutional clients, excluding Phoenix, represented GBP1.248bn.However, due to positive market and currency effects, which represented GBP4.496bn for the group, of which GBP2.839bn were for retail products, assets increased by GBP68.877bn as of 31 March, compared with GBP65.65bn as of 1 January, of which GBP33.293bn, compared with GBP30.266bn, were for retail.
P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } On 30 April, Invesco Ltd declared distributable net income of USD222.2m for January-March 2013, compared with USD158.7m in October-December and USD193.9m in the corresponding period of last year.The quarterly dividend will be increased by 30%, to 22.5 cents per share, says Martin L. Flanagan, president & CEO.Assets as of the end of March totalled USD729.3bn, compared with USD687.7bn as of 31 December, and USD672bn as of 31 March 2012. Net subscriptions totalled USD19.2bn in first quarter this year, compared with USD1bn in fourth quarter 2012, and USD8.1bn in January-March last year.Market effects generated an increase in assets of USD31.4bn, compared with USD4.9bn in October-December, while currency effects contributed USD9bn to the increase in AUM, where they had cut off USD1.2bn the previous quarter.
P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } On 29 April, OppenheimerFunds (OFI, USD208bn as of the end of March) on 1 May announced that it has adopted a new visual identity, to modernise its retail image, which will retain the OppenheimerFunds brand name, and has created a new institutional brand, OFI Global Asset Management.
P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } In first quarter 2013, net profits at Federated Investors totalled USD43m, compared with USD49.6m in October-December, and USD42.3m in January-March 2012.Assets as of the end of March totalled USD377.3bn, which represents a decline of USD2.5bn compared with 31 December, and an increase of USD13.7bn over the level recorded one year previously.On average in first quarter, assets under management nonetheless increased to USD381.2bn, compared with USD368.7bn in October-December, and USD370.1bn in the corresponding period of last year.Assets in equity funds as of 31 March 2013 totalled USD37.9bn, compared with USD35bn three months previously, and USD34.1bn as of the end of March 2012, while bond funds also showed a gain, resulting in a record USD52.8bn as of the end of March 2013, compared with USD52.7bn as of 31 December and USD46.2bn one year previously.Assets under management in money market funds and mandates totalled USD279.7bn as of the end of March this year, USD5bn less than at the end of December, and USD5bn more than as of 31 March 2012. For money market mutual funds, assets totalled USD242.7bn, which represents a decline of USD13bn compared with the end of 2012, and of 2.5% compared with its level twelve months previously.
P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } Assets under management by the Legg Mason asset management group were up 2% in the fourth quarter of its 2012-2013 fiscal year, ending on 31 March, to a total of USD664.6bn, compared with USD648.9bn as of the end of December 2012. The increase compared with the end of March 2012 is 3%. The increase in assets was favoured by a positive market effect of USD12.1bn, and by inflows of USD5.4bn related to the acquisition of Fauchier, which has recently been completed. These factors were partly offset by redemptions totalling USD1.8bn. As of 31 March, bonds represented 55% of assets under management, compared with 24% for equities, and 21% for money markets. Assets originating from the United States represented 61% of the total. For the fiscal year ending on 31 March as a whole, the group shows a loss of USd353.3m, or USD2.65 per share, although it had earned a net profit of USD220.8m, or USD1.54 per share, for the previous fiacal year. In fourth quarter, Legg Mason has, however, earned a net profit of USD29.2m, after a loss of USD453.9m in third quarter, which was affected by provisions for depreciation of intangible assets.
P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } The US asset management group Franklin Resources has reported an increase of USD41.9bn, or 5% of its assets under management, in the second quarter of its fiscal year, ending on 31 march, to USD823.7bn, according to a statement released on 30 April. This development is due to a positive market effect of USD24.5bn, and a net inflow of USD18.3bn. Year on year, the increase in assets under management was 14%, or USD98bn, due to a positive market effect of USD67.6bn, and a net inflow of USD26.3bn. Net profits in the quarter totalled USD572.8m, compared with USD51.61m the previous quarter, and USD503.2m in the quarter to the end of March 2012.
P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } The New York-based firm WisdomTree has applied to the SEC for a sales license for three emerging market ETFs, Index Universe reports. The products cover equities in 17 countries: Brazil, Chile, China, Czech Republic, Hungary, India, Indonesia, South Korea, Malaysia, Mexico. Philippines, Poland, Russia, South Africa, Taiwan, Thailand, and Turkey.The products are the WisdomTree Emerging Markets Consumer Growth Fund, WisdomTree Emerging Markets Low Volatility Equity Fund and WisdomTree Emerging Markets Dividend Growth Fund. Acronyms and total expense ratios for the products have not been disclosed.
P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } The total expense ratio for the Vanguard Short-Term Bond ETF (NYSE ticker: BSV), the Vanguard Long Term Bond ETF (BLV) and the Vanguard Intermediate Term Bond ETF (BIV), bond funds, were reduced by Vanguard on 29 April to 0.10%, compared with 0.11% previously.The BSV fund has assets of USD28.5bn, and has attracted net subscriptions of USD2.69bn since the beginning of the year, after USD1.8bn in 2012, Index Universe reports.The BIV fund (USD17.1bn in assets) has posted USD1.54bn in inflows last year, and USD1.84bn since 1 January.The BLV fund has USD5.79bn in assets under management. It brought in USD279m in 2012, and has seen minimal net outflows since the beginning of this year.
P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } The IPO for the new Dreyfus Municipal Bond Infrastructure Fund on 29 April concluded with USD254.25m raised, BNY Mellon has announced. The product is a closed-end bond fund, dedicated to infrastructure, which has been listed since 26 April on the New York Stock Exchange, under the acronym DMB. If the banking consortium (Morgan Stanley, Citigroup Global Markets and Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated), exercises its greenshoe option in full, the proceeds from the sale may reach USD292.31m, on the basis of a price of USD15 per share.The objective is to provide investors with high revenue exempt from Federal income taxes. The fund is “sub-advised” by Standish Mellon Asset Management Company, and managed by Christine L. Todd, chairwoman of Standish, Jeffrey Burger, Daniel Rabasco and Thomas Casey.Dreyfus Corporation (USD294bn) and Standish (USD167bn) are both boutiques of the BNY Mellon galaxy.
P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } The Austrian asset management firm Raiffeisen Capital Management has appointed Peter Schlagbauer to manage two newly-created “parity-based mixed asset” funds, Citywire reports. The funds will be entitled Raiffeisen-GlobalAllocation-StrategiesDiversified and Raiffeisen-Global-DiversifiedGrowth.
La BCE a abaissé jeudi de 0,25 point son taux refi, à 0,50%. Le taux de la facilité marginale de prêt a lui aussi été réduit, de 1,5% à 1%. En revanche, le taux de la facilité de dépôt reste inchangé, à 0%. Après la publication de mauvais indicateurs d’activité en zone euro pour le premier trimestre et d’une inflation largement inférieure (1,2%), à l’objectif cible de la BCE (2%), les marchés monétaires anticipaient une baisse des taux de 25 points de base. La plupart des économistes avaient aussi avancé à mai leur prévision d’assouplissement monétaire. Les observateurs estiment cependant qu’une baisse est loin de suffire à restaurer les canaux du crédit en zone euro, qui restent grippés, notamment dans les pays d’Europe du Sud. Les commentaires de Mario Draghi, à partir de 14h30, sur d'éventuelles mesures non conventionnelles destinées à régler ce problème, seront donc très attendus.
Souhaitant profiter de rendements attractifs, le pays aurait mandaté BNP Paribas, Citigroup, JPMorgan et GIB Capital pour lancer une émission obligataire souveraine d’au moins 500 millions de dollars, selon le journal qui cite des sources bancaires. Une opération qui financera les dépenses de l’Etat du Bahreïn qui est l’un des seuls pays du Golfe qui affichera un déficit public cette année.
Si l’endettement et le déficit public ont «augmenté sensiblement» en Slovénie, ils restent «toujours à des niveaux modérés comparés aux pays qui bénéficient de la même notation», indique le journal qui cite des propos de Kyran Curry, un analyste chez Standard & Poor’s. Le pays bénéficie d’un A- chez S&P, alors que Moody’s a relégué la Slovénie en catégorie spéculative.
Le taux d’inflation annuel dans la zone euro est tombé à 1,2% en avril contre 1,7% en mars dernier. Le marché attend une baisse des taux à 0,50% aujourd’hui.
L’Irlande a abaissé ses prévisions de croissance pour les trois prochaines années, invoquant la récession sévère que traversent d’autres pays européens. L'économie irlandaise progressera de 1,3% au lieu de la hausse prévue de 1,5% annoncée en décembre. En 2014, la croissance devrait atteindre 2,4% et 2,8% l’année suivante.
Le Portugal prévoit un effort supplémentaire de réduction des dépenses publiques de 2,8 milliards d’euros en 2014 et le pays veut continuer de faire des économies jusqu’en 2016, soit au-delà du programme d’aide international dont Lisbonne espère sortir l’année prochaine. Pour 2015, la baisse des dépenses serait de l’ordre de 700 millions d’euros et de 1,2 milliard de plus en 2016.
L’agence de notation a abaissé la note souveraine de la Slovénie de Baa2 à Baa3, contre A- pour Fitch et S&P. La perspective reste négative. Moody’s évoque trois facteurs à l’appui de sa décision : le secteur bancaire du pays, la dégradation du bilan des comptes publics et les perspectives incertaines en matière de financement. La Slovénie a indiqué hier qu’elle maintenait son projet d’émission en dollars.
L’Autorité des marchés financiers a donné son aval aux «dispositions» du règlement de déontologie de l’AFG, qui s’appliquent aux sociétés de gestion d’OPCVM d’épargne salariale, et a décidé de l’étendre à toutes les sociétés de gestion de portefeuille. Ces «dispositions» complètent celles du règlement de déontologie des OPCVM et de la gestion individualisée sous mandat approuvées en 20091 par le collège de l’AMF.
L’indice PMI officiel des directeurs d’achats de l’industrie manufacturière a baissé en avril à 50,6 après un plus haut de 11 mois de 50,9 en mars, en ligne avec les prévisions du consensus mais traduisant un ralentissement de la croissance du secteur au début du deuxième trimestre. L’indice officiel suit la même tendance que celui calculé par HSBC qui a ralenti à 50,6 en avril, contre 51,6 en mars.
L’Etat grec a bouclé la cession de 33% du capital qu’il détenait dans Opap, le monopole des jeux, au fonds Emma Delta pour un montant de 712 millions d’euros. Emma Delta, contrôlé par l’investisseur tchèque Jiri Smejc et l’investisseur grec George Melisanidis, aurait relevé son offre initiale de 622 millions après l'éviction de Third Point. Le prix correspond à un ratio de 18,6 fois les résultats 2013 anticipés d’Opap.
Crédit Agricole Assurances acquiert une participation de 20 % du capital de Frey, foncière cotée spécialisée dans le développement de retail parks de nouvelle génération. Cette prise de participation s’inscrit dans le cadre de sa politique d’investissements et notamment dans le cadre de la diversification de ses investissements immobiliers souligne le communiqué. A l’occasion de cette prise de participation, Predica (groupe Crédit Agricole Assurances) a été coopté en qualité de membre du conseil de surveillance.
Arnim Kogge, qui vient de la banque privée Ellwanger & Geiger, et Manfred Mühlheim, directeur de la gestion de fortune de la banque privée Südwestbank, sont les deux directeurs généraux de Vertiva Family Office, une nouvelle filiale indépendante de la Südwestbank. Cette dernière détient néanmoins 51 % du capital. Le family office, qui compte au total cinq personnes, est installé dans la Maison Rothschild à Stuttgart.D’autre part, la Südwestbank a annoncé la création d’un bureau de banque privée à Fellbach ainsi que d’une agence à Tüttlingen pour la clientèle d’entreprises.