The HFRX index dedicated to Japan has lost 1.5% in second quarter, whereas it had gained 5.2% in first quarter. In the same period, Japanese equities lost more than 10%. The HFRX index dedicated to China finished second quarter down 1.6%, while the HFRX Asia including Japan index shed 2.4%. Hedge funds investing in other Asian emerging economies suffered even more marked declines, with HFRX indices dedicated to India and Korea losing 8.4% and 10.8%, respectively. The latter two indices had gained 19.2% in the first case, and 6.3% in the second, in first quarter.
Threadneedle Investments is releasing the Threadneedle (Lux) US contraraian core equities fund in Sweden, Privata Affärer reports. The fund is managed by Guy W. Pope, who buys up shares in which the market has abandoned all hope. “This fund is based on pessimism: we look for businesses which have been rejected due to pessimism about their future,” the manager explains.
More than 120 asset managers, investment banks and trading firms have signed a guide issued by the Association of Financial Markets in Europe (AFME) to taxation of financial markets introduced in France on 1 August this year. The 18-page document specifies the range of companies concerned, and proposes a standardised approach to the new tax.
On 16 August, iShares launched six new German-registered ETFs on the Xetra electronic trading platform (Deutsche Börse), including four commodity funds with dynamic rollover of positions on S&P GSCI indices, each with fees of 0.45%, and two bond products with a TER of 0.50%. Xetra now lists 997 ETF on its XTF segment. The ETF provider of the BlackRock group also on 23 July released nine German-registered bond funds, including seven based on bonds from euro zone treasuries, each of which with fees of 0.20%, and one fund based on emerging market corporate bonds. iShares ETF ISIN TFR iShares S&P GSCI Dynamic Roll Commodity Swap DE000A1J0ZC7 0,45% iShares S&P GSCI Dynamic Roll Agriculture Swap DE000A1J0ZD5 0,45% iShares S&P GSCI Dynamic Roll Energy Swap DE000A1J0ZE3 0,45% iShares S&P GSCI Dynamic Roll Industrial Metals Swap DE000A1J0ZF0 0,45% iShares Barclays Capital EM Asia Local Govt Capped Bond DE000A1J0ZB9 0,5 % iShares Markit iBoxx $ High Yield Capped Bond DE000A1J0ZA1 0,5 % iShares ETF ISIN TFR iShares Barclays Austria Treasury Bond ETF DE000A1J0BA2 0,20% iShares Barclays Belgium Treasury Bond ETF DE000A1J0BB0 0,20% iShares Barclays Finland Treasury Bond ETF DE000A1J0BC8 0,20% iShares Barclays France Treasury Bond ETF DE000A1J0BD6 0,20% iShares Barclays Germany Treasury Bond ETF DE000A1J0BE4 0,20% iShares Barclays Italy Treasury Bond ETF DE000A1J0BF1 0,20% iShares Barclays Netherlands Treasury Bond ETF DE000A1J0BG9 0,20% iShares Barclays Spain Treasury Bond ETF DE000A1J0BH7 0,20% iShares Morningstar $ Emerging Market Bond ETF DE000A1J0BJ3 0,50%
On 16 August, iShares launched six new German-registered ETFs on the Xetra electronic trading platform (Deutsche Börse), including four commodity funds with dynamic rollover of positions on S&P GSCI indices, each with fees of 0.45%, and two bond products with a TER of 0.50%. The ETF provider of the BlackRock group also on 23 July released nine German-registered bond funds, including seven based on bonds from euro zone treasuries, each of which with fees of 0.20%, and one fund based on emerging market corporate bonds. A list of all of these funds is available as an attachment.
The German wealth management firm Frankfurt Trust has decided to release the Luxembourg-registered fund BHF Flexible Allocation FT, launched on 10 October 2007, and which had previously been available only to clients of BHF-Bank, the parent company of Frankfurt Trust, with assets of EUR92m, in Germany.The product, which has a five-star rating from Morningstar, is managed by BHF Trust, an asset allocation specialist. It is a wealth management fund, whose exposure to the equity market may vary, depending on the evolution of the market, so as to maximise gains and minimise losses.CharacteristicsName: BHF Flexible Allocation FTISIN code: LU0319572730Front-end fee: 3%Management commission: 1.50%
Wolfgang Goethe University in Frankfurt on 15 August created a chair in sustainable finance and banking, sponsored by DekaBank, the central asset management firm for the German savings banks (EUR165bn in assets). According to the initiators of the project, part of the House of Finance, this is the first chair of its type in Germany. The chair has been given to Grant Gropp, previously a professor of financial economics and taxation at EBS University in Wiesbaden. Gropp has also worked at the European Central Bank, where he most recently was deputy director of financial research.
Several big names in alternative management are campaigning for Republican candidate Mitt Romney, the website Absolute Return + Alpha reports. John Paulson, Robert Mercer and Julian Robertson have each donated USD1m to the pro-Romney group “Restore Our Future.” According to the Center for Responsive Politics, 70% of donations from the hedge fund sector have so far gone to the Republicans. In 2008, the Democrats received 67% of donations from the sector. Among the hedge funds which are supporting Romney’s candidacy are Alex Sloane (A.J. Sloan Capital), Alex Robertson (Tiger Management), Anthony Scaramucci (SkyBridge Capital), Dan Loeb (Third Point), John Griffin (Blue Ridge Capital), and Paul Singer (Elliott Management).
BlackRock has recruited Bartlett G. Geer from Putnam Investments to build up its active equity management team, Reuters reports. Geer, who was manager of the Equity Income Fund, with USD2.5bn in assets, at Putnam, will be joining the asset management giant in September, according to a spokesperson cited by the news agency.
The alternative management firm Bridgewater Associates is planning to move from Westport, Connecticut, to Stamford, in the same state, which is offering it a tax credit of USD115m to assist it with these plans, the website boston.com reports. Bridgewater is planning to carry out the plans, which represent an investment of USD750m, by 2017. The firm is planning to move all of its 1,225 personnel, who are currently distributed over several buildings in Westport, to the new location. Bridgewater is also planning to recruit 1,000 people in the next 10 years. Assets under management at Bridgewater total about USD130bn.
The Korean sovereign fund Korea Investment Corporation (KIC) is hoping to double its assets under management to USD100bn in the next five years, Asian Investor reports. Asstes at KIC are expected to reach USD50bn by the end of the year, compared with USD47bn currently. With this in mind, the sovereign funds, which has personnel of 130, has already recruited 20 professionals (analysts and traders) since the beginning of the year. The sovereign fund is working to maintain and improve its returns. Exposure to alternative strategies may increase from 15% currently to 20% or 25% in the next five years.
The asset allocation assistance platform serving IFAs Myflow on 16 August announced that it has been granted status as an Innovative Start-up (JEI) by the French ministry of finance and research. “The status of Innovative Start-up is attractive because it allows us to qualify for tax breaks,” says Frédéric Picard, founder of MyFlow. “With lower taxes, we can more calmly consider hiring young engineers to develop our activities.”
The California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) on 16 August announced a USD530 million investment commitment to two new real estate funds that will target investments in China.CalPERS will invest USD480 million to the ARA Long Term Hold Fund sponsored by ARA Asset Management, a member of the Cheung Kong Group. The pension fund will also invest USD50 million in ARA’s Dragon Fund II. The first fund will target investments in high quality office buildings in central business districts and retail malls in well-located, densely populated suburbs in the first and second tier cities in China and Hong Kong. The second one will primarily focus on retail, office and residential property investment in key cities of China, Singapore Hong Kong, and Malaysia.CalPERS previously invested USD500 million to ARA Dragon Fund I in 2007. The investment earned the pension fund a 19.2 percent return for the one year period ended March 31, 2012, and an annual 8.4 percent return over the last three years through March 31, 2012.
Paul Singer, the billionaire hedge fund manager and influential donor to the Republican party, is putting pressure on United States presidential candidate Mitt Romney to toughen regulations on banks and go beyond the Dodd-Frank rule, the Financial Times reports. Instead of this law, which he claims is “misconceived,” Paul Singer is calling for stricter owners’ equity requirements and a regulatory framework which would require large banks to be more transparent concerning their liabilities and off-book instruments.
The US states of New York and Connecticut have subpoenaed seven banks as part of their investigations into manipulation of interest rated used to compose Libor, according to reports published concurrently by several news agencies. Among the banks are UBS, JPMorgan Chase and Barclays. Citigroup, HSBC, Royal Bank of Scotland and Deutsche Bank are among the banks which prosecutors from the two states have asked to provide documents under the investigation, a source claims. At this time, the authorities have demanded documents, but have not sought hearings with the directors of the banks concerned. The two US states are seeking in part to uncover any communications between the management of the banks which may suggest that there was an illicit pact, or any other behaviour which may have been tied to this suspected manipulation of Libor.
Swisscanto is releasing a new Luxembourg-registered, market neutral long/short equity fund for sale between 17 and 30 August, entitled Swisscanto (LU) Equity Fund Long/Short Selection International. Investors in the fund will benefit from Swisscanto’s quantitative selection model, which has already been used for the Swisscanto (LU) Equity Fund Selection North America and Swisscanto (LU) Equity Fund Selection International.CharacteristicsName: Swisscanto (LU) Equity Fund Long/Short Selection InternationalISIN codes: B CHF class: LU0705568805 (retail)J CHF class: LU0705568987 (institutional)Benchmark index: Libor CHF 3 monthManagement fee:B class: 1.80%J class: 0.90%Performance commission: 20% of performance exceeding the Libor 3 month, with high watermark
Christopher Rokos, co-founder of Brevan Howard, will be leaving the hedge fund firm, the Financial Times reports. Sources familiar with the matter have told the newspaper that his departure was a “natural evolution” of his career. Rokos is one of the best-known hedge fund traders in the industry, and was one of the wealthiest individuals in the United Kingdom before moving to Geneva with Brevan in 2010.
Pioneer Investments has recruited Marc Robinson has head of sales for the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region, Fund Web reports. Robinson, who previously worked at Amundi, will be in charge of developing strategic long-term partnerships with international distribution companies.
The Edinburgh-based asset management firm Martin Currie has appointed two members to the board to co-chair it, following the retirement of chairman Balcolm Gourlay, who has been in the role for seven years, Fund Web reports. Rich DeMartini and David Shearer have been appointed as co-chairmen of Martin Currie, which has also announced that Alex Rose, Graham Thomas and Carol Sergeant have been appointed to the board.
The British wealth management firm James Hambro & Partners is merging with the financial planning specialist Calkin Pattinson to form a group with assets under advising, management and administration expected to total about GBP1bn, Fund Web reports. Products from the new group will be sold under the brand name James Hambro & Partners.
Dans le cadre de son programme de développement durable, Bankinter entame la commercialisation du fonds Bankinter Sostenibilidad qui sera investi au moins à 75 % en actions de sociétés figurant dans les indices de développement durable. Le reliquat sera placé directement ou indirectement en obligations d’entreprises figurant elles aussi dans ces indices ainsi que dans de la dette publique à court terme d’Etats de l’UE, rapporte Funds People.La commission de gestion ressort à 1,60 % et celle de banque dépositaire à 0,15 %. La souscription minimale est fixée à 60 euros.
Selon le cabinet de conseil Ovum, le secteur européen de la gestion de fortune va augmenter de 6,3 % annuels ses investissements informatiques sur la période 2011-2016 (avec un gonflement annuel de 17,7 % en Europe de l’Est) pour atteindre pratiquement 35 milliards de dollars en fin de période.Jaroslaw Knapik, analyste senior chez Ovum dans le domaine des technologies pour les services financiers, souligne que tous les établissements financiers ont comme priorité d’augmenter leur rentabilité et, comme l’utilisation des canaux numériques s’intensifie, les banques vont déployer des efforts supplémentaires sur les services mobiles et sur les fonctionnalités en libre service pour mieux accompagner leurs clients.Le développement de l’informatique dans la gestion de fortune se traduira par un accroissement du nombre d’outils de gestion financière personnelle disponibles pour la clientèle. D’après Ovum, les budgets Internet et de technologies de présence devraient atteindre 304 millions de dollars dans les secteurs de banque pour la clientèle haut de gamme et de la planification financière, tandis que ceux du courtage retail et de la gestion d’actifs retail devraient augmenter à respectivement 242 millions et 148 millions de dollars.
Pioneer Investments vient de recruter Marc Robinson en tant que responsable des ventes pour la région Europe, Moyen Orient et Afrique (EMEA ou EMOA en français), rapporte Fund Web.Marc Robinson, qui a travaillé précédemment chez Amundi, aura notamment pour mission de développer les partenariats stratégiques de long terme avec des sociétés de distribution internationales.
Christopher Rokos, co-fondateur de Brevan Howard, va quitter la société de hedge funds, selon le Financial Times. Des personnes proches de l’intéressé ont indiqué au journal que son départ était une «évolution naturelle» dans sa carrière. Christopher Rokos est l’un des traders de hedge funds les plus renommés du secteur et était l’une des personnes les plus fortunées au Royaume-Uni jusqu’à ce qu’il déménage à Genève avec Brevan en 2010.
La société de gestion de fortune britannique James Hambro & Partners fusionne avec le spécialiste de la planification financière Calkin Pattinson pour former un groupe dont les actifs conseillés, sous gestion et sous administration devraient s'élever à environ 1 milliard de livres, rapporte Fund Web.Les produits du nouveau groupe seront distribués sous la marque James Hambro & Partners.
La société de gestion basée à Edimbourg Martin Currie a confié la direction de la société à deux membres du board suite au départ en retraite de son président Malcolm Gourlay, en fonction depuis sept ans, rapporte Fund Web.Rich DeMartini et David Shearer ont été nommés co-présidents de Martin Currie qui a également annoncé l’arrivée au sein du conseil d’administration d’Alex Rose, Graham Thomas et Carol Sergeant.
Threadneedle Investments lance le fonds Threadneedle (Lux) US contrarian core equities en Suède, rapporte Privata Affärer. Le fonds est géré par Guy W Pope, lequel acquiert des actions pour lesquelles le marché a abandonné tout espoir. «Ce fonds est basé sur le pessimisme : nous cherchons les entreprises qui ont été rejetées en raison du pessimisme sur leur avenir», explique le gérant.
L’indice HFRX dédié au Japon a ainsi reculé de 1,5% au deuxième trimestre alors qu’il avait dégagé un gain de 5,2% au premier trimestre. Dans le même temps, les actions japonaises ont chuté de plus de 10%.L’indice HFRX dédié à la Chine a terminé le deuxième trimestre sur une baisse de 1,6%, l’indice HFRX Asie avec le Japon accusant un reflux de 2,4%.Les hedge funds investissant dans d’autres économies émergentes asiatiques ont subi des baisses encore plus marquées, les indices HFRX dédiés à l’Inde et à la Corée chutant respectivement de 8,4% et 10,8%. Ces deux derniers indices avaient progressé au premier trimestre de 19,2% pour le premier et de 6,3% pour le second.
Brummer & Partners a recruté Michael Falken en tant que gérant pour son nouveau hedge fund Carve Capital, selon le site suédois Realtid.se. Il travaillait précédemment chez Öhman, en tant que gérant spécialiste des taux.
Tim Wood, global director of client solutions at RBC Investor Services, has recruited two deputies. Germain Birgen, managing director at HSBC Securities Services in Luxembourg, becomes head, client solutions Europe (ex Luxembourg), while Richard Clarke, who will continue to be based in London, is leaving Brown Brothers Harriman, where he had been senior vice president, strategic solutions, to become head, client design at RBC IS.