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06/07/2012

Aviva : la division française doit mieux faire

Le plan stratégique d’Aviva que Newsmanagers a annoncé hier a identifié 58 métiers du groupe, dont 15 jugés performants, 27 qui doivent être améliorés et 16 qui vont être cédés. Selon L’Agefi de ce vendredi, le marché français fait partie des 27 divisions destinées à améliorer leurs résultats. Pour leur part, les quinze meilleurs élèves sont ceux qui parviennent à générer des retours sur capitaux élevés (22%) à l’image de l’assurance-vie en Pologne, à Singapour ou encore en Turquie. Le groupe s’est également fixé un nouvel objectif de réduction des coûts à hauteur de 400 millions de livres entre fin 2011 et début 2014. Ces économies se feront au travers de coupes dans la technologie, les fonctions support mais aussi la diminution des strates hiérarchiques au sein de l’entreprise : 5 couches d’intervention au lieu de 9 entre le directeur général et l’opérationnel. Les cadres intermédiaires seront les plus touchés, précise le quotidien.
06/07/2012

Sarasin & Partners promeut trois gérants comme associés

Sarasin & Partners LLP, filiale commune du suisse Banque Sarasin et du management local à Londres, a annoncé la promotion de trois de ses gérants au rang d’associés.Ces nominations concernent : Oliver Bates, qui est principalement responsable de portefeuilles pour des organisations caritatives et des fonds de pension, Nicholas Lambert, qui gère des portefeuilles tant pour des clients privés que pour des «charities», et enfin David Vickers, gérant de fonds institutionnels chargé de mandats cantonnés pour des fonds de pension et des compagnies d’assurances, en plus d'être associé à la gestion des fonds multi-classes d’actifs de la gamme Sarasin.
06/07/2012

Argonaut recrute trois anciens de Neptune

La boutique de gestion britannique Argonaut Capital Partners vient de recruter trois anciens de Neptune, à savoir, John Lester, et deux de ses collaborateurs, Dennis Pellerito et Andy Nickson.John Lester, qui rejoint Argonaut en tant qu’associé et responsable de la distribution, pilotait les partenariats stratégiques chez Neptune. Ces recrutements interviennent alors que la société de gestion décidé de prendre son indépendance capitalistique et opérationnelle vis-à-vis d’Ignis qui ne détient plus que 40% du capital d’Argonaut contre 60% précédemment.
06/07/2012

Nomination chez Cazenove Capital

La société de gestion britannique Cazenove Capital Management a annoncé le 5 juillet la nomination de Stephen Lucas en tant que responsable des ventes européennes.Stephen Lucas, qui travaillait précédemment chez GAM, sera responsable du marketing des stratégies de performance absolue et des fonds long only auprès des banques privées, family offices et investisseurs institutionnels sur les principaux marchés européens.
06/07/2012

Alliance Trust ferme trois fonds et réduit ses effectifs

Le britannique Alliance Trust Investments a présenté le 5 juillet une nouvelle approche de sa gestion des stratégies actions qui va se traduire par la fermeture de trois fonds et une réduction parallèle des effectifs.Les trois fonds concernés sur une offre qui en compte sept sont les UK Equity Income Fund, Asia-Pacific Equity Fund et Japan Equity Fund.Alliance Trust avait annoncé il y a déjà plus de deux ans son intention de recentrer son activité sur les actions internationales et le fixed income. Outre la réduction de la palette de fonds, Alliance Trust a nommé Ilario Di Bon en qualité de responsable des actions.
06/07/2012

Allianz GI se dote d'une équipe dédiée à la dette d’infrastructure

Allianz Global Investors (AllianzGI) annonce le lancement d’une offre permettant à ses clients internationaux un accès aux opportunités d’investissement à long terme générées par la dette d’infrastructure. Cette offre s’adressera particulièrement aux assureurs, fondations et fonds de pension. Dans le cadre de cette nouvelle stratégie, la société de gestion vient de constituer une équipe spécialisée dans la dette d’infrastructure, qui sera dirigée par Deborah Zurkow, auparavant CEO de Trifinium Advisors Ltd et responsable des financements publics pour l’Europe, le Moyen Orient et l’Afrique chez MBIA Inc., compagnie d’assurance spécialisée dans la garantie financière. L’intéressée travaillera en collaboration avec quatre anciens cadres de Trifinium. L'équipe aura pour mission de mettre en place une plateforme permettant d’identifier et de gérer la dette « investment grade » pour le compte du groupe Allianz et de clients externes, précise un communiqué. «Indépendamment des projets, qu’il s’agisse du développement de nouvelles infrastructures au sein de pays émergents ou du renouvellement d’infrastructures existantes au sein des pays de l’OCDE, les besoins de financement estimés dans ce secteur pour les vingt prochaines années sont considérables. Au sein des seuls pays de l’OCDE, les besoins de financement annuels devraient passer de 700 milliards de dollars à l’heure actuelle à 1 000 milliards de dollars d’ici 2030. Dans le cadre du développement de cette nouvelle activité, nous comptons nous concentrer dans un premier temps sur les projets d’infrastructure en Europe. En fonction de l’intérêt de nos clients, nous chercherons par la suite à étendre notre activité à d’autres zones», précise Deborah Zurkow
06/07/2012

Swisscanto recrute chez UBS son CIO actions

Global head of SRI equities depuis 2007, Jan Peterhans, qui était depuis 10 ans chez UBS, rejoindra au 1er septembre Swisscanto comme directeur de la gestion actions. Il sera sera responsable de l’application de la stratégie cœur/satellite pour les fonds d’actions de Swisscanto.De plus, en tant que spécialiste de l’investissement socialement responsable (ISR), il poursuivra le travail de Swisscanto dans ce domaine et contribuera de manière à ce que Swisscanto applique avec succès les Principes des Nations Unies pour l’investissement responsable (United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment – UN PRI).Jan Peterhans reprendra la direction de l’équipe chargée de gestion actions, provisoirement supervisée par Ben Hauzenberger depuis le décès en février de l’ancien responsable, Patrik Schaeuber, suite à un accident de ski.
06/07/2012
Fonds

Baisse de 15,4% du bénéfice annuel de Temasek

Le fonds souverain singapourien Temasek Holdings a annoncé dans un communiqué publié le 5 juillet un bénéfice net annuel en baisse de 15,4%, à 11 milliards de dollars de Singapour, soit un peu plus 6,9 milliards d’euros pour l’exercice clôturé fin mars, victime du ralentissement de l'économie mondiale. Le rendement des investissements a été de 1,50% l’an dernier en dollars de Singapour (2% en dollars américains). Depuis le lancement du fonds en 1974, le rendement annualisé atteint 17% (19% en dollars américains).Le portefeuille d’actifs du holding a cependant augmenté de 2,6%, à 198 milliards de dollars (environ 125 milliards d’euros), pour des investissements de 22 milliards de dollars durant l’exercice, et des désengagements de 15 milliards de dollars.A la fin mars, 72% du portefeuille de Temasek était investi en Asie, contre 77% un an auparavant, en raison d’un engagement accru en Nouvelle-Zélande, en Amérique du Nord et en Europe, précise le communiqué.L’Australie et la Nouvelle-Zélande représentent désormais 14% du portefeuille, contre 12% auparavant, tandis que l’Amérique du Nord et l’Europe pèsent 11%, contre 8% précédemment.Temasek a réduit ses investissements dans les services financiers pour les faire passer de 36% à 31% de son portefeuille, une décision liée, selon les analystes, aux tourments provoqués par la crise de la zone euro. Les engagements ont en revanche été renforcés dans les télécommunications, les médias et les technologies notamment.La croissance à long terme en Asie reste solide tandis que les Etats-Unis et l’Europe continuent à offrir de réelles opportunités, malgré les risques significatifs actuels, souligne le président de Temasek, S. Dhanabalan, cité dans un communiqué.
Fonds
06/07/2012
Gestion d'actifs

La Caisse de retraite des Mines finalise la vente de son portefeuille immobilier

La Caisse de retraite des Mines (CDC) met en vente un portefeuille d’une dizaine d’immeubles d’habitation qui sont situés aux abords des Champs-Elysées et dans les XIVe et XVIe arrondissements de Paris. Selon le site figaro.fr, qui précise cette information que nous avions révélée au dernier Mipim, le portefeuille ainsi constitué et baptisé « éponte » pourrait rapporter en 150 et 160 M€. Une dizaine de candidats se seraient manifestés dont le Groupe Arnault. La Caisse de retraite des Mines qui doit faire face à un nombre de cotisants actifs (1 000) bien inférieur à ses retraités (320 000) a déjà, par le passé, vendu des actifs immobiliers pour 271 M€ en 2008 et 326 M€ en 2009.
Gestion d'actifs
06/07/2012
Gestion d'actifs

La CDC va investir dans un FCPR dédié aux PME actives dans les technologies vertes

L’Agence de l’Environnement et de la Maîtrise de l’Energie (Ademe) a annoncé jeudi la création du fonds Ecotechnologies, un fonds français de 150 millions d’euros géré par la Caisse des Dépôts (CDC) et dédié aux PME actives dans les technologies vertes. Fonds commun de placement à risque, «Ecotechnologies investira des montants de 1 à 10 millions d’euros, en recherchant systématiquement un co-investissement à parts égales avec des acteurs privés, dans une logique d’investisseur avisé», précise l’Ademe et la CDC dans un communiqué commun. Le fonds, dont le financement provient des 6,5 milliards d’euros confiés par l’Etat à la CDC dans le cadre du Programme d’Investissements d’Avenir»sera géré par CDC Entreprises, une filiale de «la Caisse». Ses domaines de spécialité seront les énergies renouvelables, la chimie verte, les réseaux électriques intelligents (smart grids), la valorisation des déchets et la dépollution, ainsi que «le véhicule du futur». «Le fonds Ecotechnologies répond à une problématique constatée dans le domaine des technologies vertes: malgré un fort besoin d’innovation, de nombreuses petites et moyennes entreprises ne parviennent pas à financer leur croissance et à accroître leurs fonds propres pour se développer, en particulier lors de passage aux phases industrielles», souligne l’Ademe. La Caisse des Dépôts, Natixis (groupe BPCE), la banque Européenne d’Investissement (BEI) ou encore BNP Paribas figurent parmi les investisseurs bancaires les plus significatifs dans les énergies renouvelables en France.
Gestion d'actifs
06/07/2012

Annual profits at Temasek down 15.4%

The Singapore sovereign fund Temasek Holdings has announced in a statement released on 5 July that it has earned annual net profits down 15.4% to SGD11bn, or slightly over EUR6.9bn, for the fiscal year ending on 31 March, due to the global economic slowdown. Returns on investments totalled 1.50% last year in Singapore dollars (2% in US dollars). Since the launch of the fund in 1974, annual returns come to 17% (19% in US dollars). The asset portfolio of the holding company has increased 2.6%, to SGD198bn (about EUR125bn), on investments of SGD22bn in the period under review, and divestments of SGD15bn. Australia and New Zealand now represent 14% of the portfolio, compared with 12% previously, while North America and Europe account for 11%, compared with 8% previously. Temasek has reduced its investments in financial services from 36% to 31% of its portfolio, a decision which analysts claim is related to the difficulties provoked by the euro zone crisis. Engagements have, however, been increased in the telecommunications, media, and technology sectors. Long-term growth in Asia remains solid, while the United States and Europe are continuing to offer real opportunities, despite the significant current risks, the chairman of Temasek, S. Dhanabalan, says in a statement.
06/07/2012

Allianz GI hires infrastructure debt team

Allianz Global Investors (AllianzGI) has announced the launch of a product range which provides its international clients with access to long-term investment opportunities generated by infrastructure debt. The range will primarily be aimed at insurers, foundations and pension funds.As part of the new strategy, the asset management firm has created a team specialised in infrastructure debt, which will be led by Deborah Zurkow, previously CEO of Trifinium Advisors Ltd, and head of public financing for Europe, the Middle East and Africa at MBIA Inc., an insurance company specialised in financial guarantees. Zurkow will work in collaboration with four former executives from Trifinium.The team will aim to set up a platform to identify and manage investment grade debt on behalf of the Allianz group and external clients, a statement says.“Independently of projects, whether they involve development of new infrastructure in emerging markets or renovation of existing infrastructure in OECD countries, the estimated financing needs in this sector in the next 20 years are considerable. In OECD countries alone, annual financing needs are expected to increase from USD700m currently to USD1trn by 2030. As part of the development of this new activity, we are planning to initially concentrate on infrastructure projects in Europe. Depending on levels of interest on the part of our clients, we will then seek to extend our activity to other regions,” says Zurkow.
06/07/2012

Argonaut recruits three former Neptune heads

The British asset management boutique Argonaut Capital Partners has recruited three former heads from Neptune: John Lester and two of his colleagues, Dennis Pellerito and Andy Nickson. Lester, who joins Argonaut as a partner and head of distribution, had been head of strategic partnerships at Neptune. The recruitments come at a time when the asset management firm has decided to achieve operational and financial independence from Ignis, which now controls only 40% of Argonaut, down from 60% previously.
06/07/2012

Sarasin & Partners promotes three managers to become partners

Sarasin & Partners LLP, a joint venture of the Swiss Banque Sarasin and the local management in London, has announced the promotion of three of its managers to the position of partner.The appointments include:Oliver Bates, who is largely responsible for portfolios for charities and pension funds,Nicholas Lambert, who manages portfolios both for private clients and charities,and David Vickers, an institutional fund manager responsible for segregated mandates for pension funds and insurers, in addition to serving as a co-manager for multi-asset class funds in the Sarasin range.
06/07/2012

Appointment at Cazenove Capital

The British asset management firm Cazenove Capital Management on 5 July announced the appointment of Stephen Lucas as head of European sales. Lucas, who had previously worked at GAM, will be responsible for marketing of absolute return strategies and long-only funds to private banks, family offices and institutional investors on the major European markets.
06/07/2012

Alliance Trust closes three funds and cuts staff

The British firm Alliance Trust investments on 5 July unveiled a new approach to the management of its equity strategies, which will result in the closure of three funds and a parallel reduction in staff. The three funds concerned, out of a range which currently inludes seven products, are the UK Equity Income Fund, Asia-Pacific Equity Fund and Japan Equity Fund. Alliance Trust more than two years ago announced plans to refocus its activity on international equities and fixed income. In addition to a reduction in the range of funds, Alliance Trust has appointed Ilario Di Bon as head of equities.
06/07/2012

Nordea releases a US equity fund managed by Eagle

On 30 May, Nordea launched the North American All Cap Fund, a sub-fund of its Luxembourg Sicav Nordea 1, a fund of US equities of all cap sizes, whose management is outsourced to Eagle Asset Management, which for the product combines value and growth styles. The fund is managed jointly by Ed Cowart, David Blount, John Pandtle and David Powers.CharacteristicsName: Nordea 1 – North American All Cap FundISIN codes: LU0772958525 (BP-USD) / LU0772957808 (BI-USD)Benchmark index: Russell 3000Management commission: 1.50%, BP-USD share class0.85%, BI-USD share class
06/07/2012

Dividend funds highly exposed to regulated sectors

Investors are expected to pay increased attention to allocation processes at European dividend fund managers, centrally in order to ensure that the level of dividends maintained is good, Fitch Ratings has predicted in a study published on 5 July.Investors need to understand that in the more restrictive universe of dividend funds, sectoral biases are more pronounced. 40% of dividend funds are overweight on the financial sector, utilities and telecommunications, sectors which are subject to moe restrictive regulations than other sectors. The sustainability of dividends in these sectors is subject to more detailed analysis, in light of regulatory decisions (for example, in telecommunications in France, or in banking throughout Europe), which may affect their development.Historically, dividends tend to improve performance to a significant extent. European high dividend shares as defined by MSCI are currently producing returns 2% higher than the larger indices. However, in this new environment, the sustainability of dividends is a key element in performance, and managers need to buy both quality growth and dividends.In addition to screening for equities which pay high dividends, investors need to develop a finer-grained analysis of barriers to entry, pricing power and structural sectoral trends. The old deliverers of high dividends will not necessarily lead in the next few years, the agency finds.
06/07/2012

Multifonds launches a new platform

The Multifonds company, specialised in servies to hedge fund managers, has launched a new platform, Global Investor, which allows fund administrators to consolidate investor services and transfer agency operations on a single platform for all types of investment. Five clients are already using the platform, of which three, including Luxembourg’s EFA, are using the new consolidation range. The platform provides services on over USD1.2trn in assets. The firm has also increased its international presence, with the recent opening of an office in Ireland.
06/07/2012

Ramón Esteruelas becomes head at Fundquest

Since 2 July, Ramón Esteruelas has been promoted to head of sales and marketing at the fund of fund asset management firm Fundquest, serving Europe (outside France) and Latin America, Funds People reports. Estruelas has joined the headquarters of BNP Paribas Investment Partners in Paris, leaving Madrid, where since 1 April 2010 he had been head of sales for Southern Europe and Latin America.
06/07/2012

Patrick Lajoinie joins Russell

After ten years at Lombard Odier, Patrick Lajoinie has been recruited as deputy CEO of the new asset management firm Russell Investments France (created in April), where he will be in charge of development for institutional activities and the promotion of family office type dedicated investment solutions to French investors and consultants.
06/07/2012

Responsible investments outperform, according to oekom

The Munich-based extra-financial ratings agency oekom research has found that in the period from the end of 2004 to the end of 2011, its Prime Portfolio Large Caps index, composed of large businesses selected on the bass of sustainable criteria, generate cumulative cap-weighted returns of 30.90%, compared with 26.8% for the MSCI World index. This difference of 4.1 percentage points represents outperformance of 15.3%. If the shares in the oekom portfolio had been equally weighted, the performance would have reached 62.84%.In addition, annual risk for the Prime Portfolio Large Caps was an average of 18.92%, compared with 19.08% for the MSCI World index.
06/07/2012

Credit Suisse hedge fund index up 1.40% in June

The Credit Suisse Liquid Alternative Beta (CSLAB) index, which aims to reflect the performance of the hedge fund sector as a whole, finished the month of June with gains of 1.40%. This development is largely due to the contribution of event-driven strategies, whih earned returns of 4.75% in June, bringing its performance since the beginning of the year to 4.71%. Managed futures, however, underwent losses of 5.62% in June, following gains of 2.50% in May. Over six months, these strategies are down 5.19%.
06/07/2012

Markit launches the first CDS index of central and eastern European corporate debt

The service provider specialised in financial information Markit on 5 July announced the forthcoming launch of the Markit iTraxx CEEMEA, the first CDS index of corporate debt from central and eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa (CEEMEA). The index will allow investors to expose themselves or to hedge against credit risk from businesses in the region in a wide variety of sectors. Markit has already recently announced the launch of the Markit CDX LatAm Corporate Index, an index which includes Latin American corporate debt. The two indices will be available in third quarter 2012.
06/07/2012

Strong growth in inflows in first quarter wordwide

Inflows to long-term funds worldwide (excluding money market funds) in first quarter 2012 totalled EUR248bn, compared with only EUR11bn in first quarter 2011, according to statistics released on 5 July by the European fund and asset management association (EFAMA).This development is largely due to net inflows of EUR169bn to bond funds in first quarter, compared with EUR49bn in fourth quarter 2011. Equity funds have seen further outflows of EUR6bn, which is a net decline compared with fourth quarter 2011 (-EUR52bn).Diversified funds finished first quarter with inflows of EUR44bn, compared with outflows of EUR1bn in fourth quarter 2011.Money market funds finished the quarter with net outflows of EUR52bn, whereas they had posted subscriptions in fourth quarter 2011 totalling EUR72bn. In the United States, money market funds underwent net outflows of EUR83bn, while in Europe, they have posted net inflows of EUR22bn.Total assets in investment funds worldwide as of the end of March 2012 totalled EUR20.85trn, up 4.4% compared with the end of December 2011.
06/07/2012

Two candidates to acquire CA Chevreux

Crédit Agricole will soon select the buyer of its brokerage affiliate CA Chevreux. Crédit Agricole is studying several strategic options, such as forging ahead with CS Chevreux, restructuring the firm, or selling it, Les Echos reports. According to the newspaper, the second option is considered the preferred one, as brokerage is no longer a core part of the bank’s profession. The restructuring would take the form of a total sale, and not a partnership. A decision is expected in the next few days, or by the end of July at the latest. According to one source familiar with the matter, two candidates are said to be in the running currently: Kepler Capital Markets, and another anonymous group. Viel and the US bank Jeffries have also been mentioned.
06/07/2012

Jean-François Descaves quits as chairman of Financière de Champlain

Jean-François Descaves on 27 June left his position as chairman and CEO of Financière de Champlain. For nine years, he had led the asset management firm which he founded, and which is now an affiliate of Ecofi Investissements (Crédit Coopératif group). Tristan de Vasselot, currently chief financial officer, will become chairman of the firm specialised in sustainable development. He will continue to serve in his original role in addition to serving as chairman, he has told Newsmanagers. The future development of the firm will be oriented to three major areas. The first is collective management, “which remains our core profession,” the chairman says. The second is development of private management, with the support of the Crédit Coopératif group, which will allocate a part of its private management assets to Financière de Champlain. The third area of expertise will be investment in real assets, via its affiliate Champlain Ressources Naturelles. Following the creation of Foncière Forestière in 2010, Financière de Champlain is preparing to launch an infrastructure project, which will also be in the theme of sustainable development.
06/07/2012

Norges Bank and Generali RE found a joint venture in Paris real estate

Norges Bank Investment Management (NBIM), which manages the pension fund for the Norwegian government, and Generali Real Estate, on 5 July announced the creation of a joint venture which will invest in Parisian high-end real estate. Generali has allocated a portfolio of assets to the joint venture, which includes five Paris properties with a cumulative value of EUR550m, through a sale to Norges Bank of 50% of these properties. Generali Real Estate will provide asset management services. The joint venture, which will rely on a long-term strategy and programme, will concentrate on major retail or commercial properties in Paris. The partnership may be extended to other markets in continental Europe, with the creation of similar investment platforms. For Norges Bank, the transaction is the most recent in a series which is a sign of the bank’s desire to increase the significant exposure to real estate of the Norwegian pension fund.
06/07/2012

AlphaValue and Germany's LFG Kronos sign partnership

The French independent equity research agency AlphaValue on Thursday announced that it has signed a partnership with the independent broker LFG Kronos, based in Munich and Frankfurt, to strengthen the two firms’ commercial presence in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the Netherlands.By offering LFG Kronos exclusive rights to distribution of AlphaValue research in the German-speaking countries, AlphaValue doubles its number of clients, from 170 to about 350.LFG Kronos strengthens its position serving German-speaking clients, and now has a team of 25 analysts, five of them based in Germany, and coverage of over 470 major European shares, 100 of which are in the German-speaking countries. LFG Kronos has a team of 9 experienced vendors, with detailed knowledge of institutions in the German-speaking countries.
06/07/2012

BlackFin acquires 100% of MisterAssur insurance comparison firm

The private equity firm BlackFin Capital Partners, a specialist in financial services, on 5 July announced the acquisition of 100% of the insurance product comparison company MisterAssur, founded in February 2009. MisterAssur offers a free service on the website www.misterassur.com, which allows users to compare a wide range of insurance products by price and characteristics, and to finalise subscriptions online or by telephone. MisterAssur works with a wide range of insurers and brokers with a strong presence in niche areas such as motorcycle, camping and pet insurance. The flexibility of the MisterAssur IT platform allows it to quickly offer users new products. MisterAssur becomes the sixth investment of BlackFin Partners Capital Partners, and is the second investment of the fund in online insurance comparison, after the acquisition of Chiarezza in Italy in April 2012 (www.chiarezza.it).

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