A survey by the Financial Services Authority of wealth managers based in the United Kingdom has shown that about 80% of retail clients had been sold a product which was not suitable for them, the Financial Times reports. Many advisors recommended products which involved more risk than was appropriate to the client’s situation. Others had information about clients which was so incomplete or outdated that it was impossible to say whether the advice was appropriate.

At the AGM of Inverco, the Spanish association of management firms, on 14 June, Miguel Angel Rodriguez of Ahorro Corporación and Fermín Alvarez of Fonditel Pension, were elected as chairman of the group of collective investment organisms and chairman of the pension fund group, respectively, replacing Carlos Pérez Parada (Barclays Wealth Managers España) and David Carrasco (BBVA Pensiones).The AGM also voted to modify the rules relating to associate members joining the association. An initial list of 25 members in this category has been approved, which includes, among others, Accenture, BNP Paribas Securities, Bolsas y Mercados Españoles (BME), Deloitte, KPMG, Garrigues, Linklaters, Moody’s, Morningstar, PwC, S&P and VDOS Stochastics.

The Australian bank Macquarie and a branch of the China – Everbright financial group have created an investment fund with USD729m in assets, to profit from increasing strain in the financing of infrastructure projects in Greater China, the Financial Times reports. The Macquarie Everbright Greater China Infrastructure Fund will focus on about 150 infrastructure projects, and aims to be in pole position for potential sales of government holdings in those assets.

Henderson Global Investors has announced that some of its funds have recently acquired 0.4 million shares in Liontrust Asset Management, putting the management firm’s total stake in its competitor at just above 3.92 million shares, or 11.1% of capital.

Bank Julius Baer, which aims to make Asia its second home market, has announced that it continues to strengthen its Investment Solutions Group (ISG) in Asia with the appointments of Mark Matthews as head research, Asia and Dr Lee Boon Keng as sole head investment solutions group, Singapore. Reporting to Dr Lee, Mark, who is a specialist with more than 18 years experience in financial and investment sector, will be based in Singapore with a regional mandate.

The wealth of the 611,000 Italian families with assets of over EUR500,000 as of 2010 totalled EUR896bn, according to Il Sole – 24 Ore. The percentage of these portfolios invested in equities is only 11.3%, compared with a European average of 14%. These high net worth investors place most of their assets in bonds, at 48%, more than double the European average. A growing number of investors are placing their assets with private bankers. The sector manages 47% of assets, a 6.8% increase over 2010.

The British asset management firm M&G Investments is planning to merge two income funds dedicated to UK equities, the M&G Income Fund, with assets under management of slightly over GBP200m, and the M&G Dividend fund (GBP521m).Pending the approval of shareholders, the smaller of the two funds will be merged into the larger one in mid-August.Alex Odd, who has managed the two funds since July 2010, applies the same investment approach to the two vehicles. Hence the idea of merging the two portfolios, whose structures have recently become increasingly similar.

Fund Strategy reports that Henderson is to merge three Gartmore multi-manager funds on August 12, 201. The Gartmore Active Fund will be merged into the Henderson Active Fund, while the Balanced fund will be merged into the Henderson Managed Fund, and the Multi-Manager Cautious Fund will be merged into the Multi-Manager Income and Growth Fund.

The alternative management firm Polar Capital has reported an increase of 11% in its assets under management in the past two months, to USD4.3bn, the news agency Reuters reports. Polar Capital had already reported a 53% increase in its assets under management as of 31 March 2011, at USD3.87bn.Though long-only funds have posted net subscriptions for the year to 31 March of USD950m, for a total of USD3.1bn, hedge funds have posted an outflow of USD229m for the year to 31 March, to USD771m, and this trend is continuing, Polar Capital admits, though it says it would like to increase the weight of this unit, which currently represents about 15% of total assets.

As of the end of May, assets under management in ETFs worldwide totalled USD1.4466trn, 1.6% lower than at the end of April (USD1.4698trn), but 10.3% higher than at the end of December (USD1.3113trn). By comparison, assets as of the end of May 2010 totalled USD1.0441trn, according to statistics from BlackRock.The US asset management firm counted a total of 2,747 ETF funds as of the end of last month, listed 6,079 times on 49 stock markets, from 142 providers. Since the beginning of 2011, the number of ETF funds has increased by 11.7%, with 313 fund launches, 7 funds removed from trading, and 19 mergers. There are currently plans to launch 1,022 new ETF funds.The top three providers remain unchanged: iShares (BlackRock) remains the largest by far, with 470 ETF funds and USD628.5bn in assets, followed by State Street Global Advisors (SSgA, 134 products and USD203.4bn), and Vanguard (69 funds and Usd177.6bn). These three firms represent a market share of 69.8%, with 43.5% for iShares, 14.1% for SSgA, and 12.3% for Vanguard. The next two providers in the rankings are Lyxor Asset Management (Société Générale) and db x-trackers (Deutsche Bank), with respective market share of 3.8% and 3.6%, corresponding to USD54.5bn and USD52.6bn.

Stewart Cowley, head of fixed income at Old Mutual Asset Managers, is recommending avoiding the US dollar. At a conference organised by Expert Investor last week, Cowley claimed that it is time to start preparing for a fall in the value of the US currency, as the country is very far from having resolved its deficit problems. “The Fed looks like a leveraged hedge fund,” he says. However, although all eyes are currently on Greece, Cowley considers that the European restructuring plan is “credible.” Cowley had previously been avoiding the euro, but now he is gradually returning to the European currency. The head of fixed income at OMAM, who is also avoiding the Japanese yen, prefers commodity currencies, such as the Australian dollar, the Canadian dollar, and the South African rand. Cowley also states that he is avoiding government bonds, leaning toward a negative duration, and preferring businesses with low gearing and unique product positioning.

Investors have scaled back risk taking in the past month, reducing exposure to equities and commodities while upping allocations to cash and bonds, according to the BofA Merrill Lynch Survey of Fund Managers for June, completed between June 3 and June 9 and covering 282 managers, with assets under management totalling USD828bn. Asset allocators have been adjusting portfolios in the face of falling world markets, significantly reducing their holdings in equities. The net percentage overweight equities fell to 27 percent from 41 percent in May, with Europe leading the way. The proportion of investors underweight eurozone equities rose to a net 15 percent from a net 1 percent. The proportion of investors overweight commodities fell to a net 6 percent from a net 12 percent. A net 18 percent of asset allocators are now overweight cash. This represents the highest cash overweight level since June 2010 and a sharp move upwards from last month’s reading of a net 6 percent. Bonds, unloved throughout much of the past two years, have enjoyed a recovery during the past two months. A net 35 percent of asset allocators are underweight bonds, compared with a net 58 percent in April and 44 percent in May. Behind the shifts in allocations are concerns about sovereign debt funding in Europe, which investors have named as the biggest tail risk in this month’s survey. Investors have also lowered expectations of strong growth in global profits, but broad sentiment towards the global economy has stabilized. While economic optimism is down, investors are not pessimistic enough to be calling for a third round of quantitative easing (QE3). Investors are struggling to form a clear and consistent view towards emerging markets. While optimism towards emerging market equities as a whole is on the up, concerns over the direction of China’s economy continue to grow. Allocation to emerging market equities fell in June, with a net 23 percent of asset allocators overweight the region, down from a net 29 percent in May. Looking ahead, however, emerging markets could become the preferred destination for investment once again.

La boutique espagnole Abante Asesores vient d’annoncer le lancement d’un fonds Ucits III global macro à rendement absolu, rapporte Citywire. Le Maral Macro FI fund sera géré par le nouveau gérant recruté par la société, Juan Manuel Mazo.

Lors de l’assemblée générale de l’association espagnole Inverco des sociétés de gestion, Miguel Angel Rodríguez, d’Ahorro Corporación, et Fermín Alvarez, de Fonditel Pensiones, ont été élus, le 14 juin, respectivement président du groupement des institutions de placement collectif et président de celui des fonds de pension, en remplacement de Carlos Pérez Parada (Barclays Wealth Managers España) et de David Carrasco (BBVA Pensiones).Par ailleurs, l’assemblée générale a voté une modification des statuts permettant l’adhésion de membres associés. Un première liste de 25 membres dans cette catégorie a été validée. Elle comprend entre autres Accenture, BNP Paribas Securities, Bolsas y Mercados Españoles (BME), Deloitte, KPMG, Garrigues, Linklaters, Moody’s, Morningstar, PwC, S&P et VDOS Stochastics.

Le gestionnaire britannique commercialise en Allemagne et en Autriche un fonds luxembourgeois d’actions de sociétés de matières premières, le Schroder ISF Global Resources Equity, qui est censé regrouper les meilleurs idées des spécialistes de la maison dans le monde entier au sein d’un portefeuille de seulement 35 à 55 lignes. La gestion de ce produit lancé le 17 mai 2011 est confiée à l’Australien Sam Catalano, assisté de John Coyle et de Matthew Franklin. L’indice de référence est composite : il utilise pour 35 % le MSCI AC World Energy et pour 65 % le MSCI AC World Materials. Schroders propose une classe de parts libellées en dollars et une en euros couverte du risque de change.Caractéristiques :Dénomination : Schroder ISF Global Resources EquityCode Isin : LU0507597176 (classe A en dollars)Droit d’entrée : 5 %Commission de gestion : 1,5 %Souscription minimale : 1.000 euros

Edmond de Rothschild Asset Management vient de recruter Thomas Vlieghe en tant que gérant diversifié au sein de son équipe allocation d’actifs. Cette équipe, dirigée par Françoise Rochette, se compose de huit gérants. «Ce recrutement s’inscrit dans la volonté d’Edmond de Rothschild Asset Management de renforcer son équipe d’allocation d’actifs en réponse à la croissance des encours, qui totalisent fin avril 2,7 milliards d’euros», explique un communiqué.Thomas Vlieghe, 33 ans, travaillait depuis 2005 chez Allianz Global Investors. Il a exercé pendant 6 ans la fonction de gérant diversifié de fonds ouverts et de mandats dédiés pour le compte de clients institutionnels, d’entreprises et d’organismes de prévoyance.

Le suisse Lombard Odier est en train de renforcer ses forces de vente à destination de la clientèle institutionnelle en Asie. Par ailleurs, il envisage de constituer une équipe d’experts sur les actions long/short, le crédit et les devises et de recruter un responsable régional de l’investissement, rapporte Asian Investor.Le groupe, qui a nommé en mars dernier son premier responsable Asie en la personne de Vincent Duhamel, gère quelque 158 milliards de dollars, dont 7 milliards (4,4%) issus de la clientèle asiatique. Lombard Odier souhaite doubler les actifs sous gestion d’origine asiatique dans les cinq prochaines années.

Julius Baer, qui veut faire de l’Asie son deuxième marché domestique, a annoncé le 14 juin un renforcement de son Investment Solutions Group (ISG) dans la région. Mark Matthews a été nommé Head Research, Asie, et Lee Boon Keng Head Investment Solutions Group, Singapour. Mark Matthews, directement rattaché à Lee Boon Keng, jouit de plus de 18 ans d’expérience dans la finance et le secteur de la banque d’investissement.

The Luxembourg investment fund association (ALFI) has claimed in a statement released on 14 June that the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) in the version passed by the US government in March 2010, which is set to come into force on 1 January 2013, may drive European management firms into a long and costly series of adaptations, whose costs would be paid by clients (experts estimate a cose of USD40 per investor), at a time when US investors are hardly invested in European funds at all. Charles Muller, deputy director of ALFI, says that the association does not oppose FATCA, but that some concessions and a longer transition period should be allowed, while retaining the objective of the bill, namely to combat tax evasion in the United States. The law affects all funds which invest in the US market: providers of financial services, investment funds, management firms and foreign banks are required in their annual reports to declare US taxpayers’ earnings to the US authorities, or to pay the US tax authorities a withholding tax of 30% on gross revenues, dividends and interest.

L’AMF a infligé une amende de 50.000 euros à B*Capital, filiale de courtage de Cortal Consors (BNP Paribas). L’AMF lui reproche des insuffisances relevées en 2008 dans le contrôle d’opérations suspectes et dans la traçabilité des ordres, et d’avoir laissé des comptes clients en défaut de couverture. Des mesures correctrices ont été prises depuis lors.

Les députés ont adopté hier par 310 voix contre 220 le projet de loi de finances rectificative qui allège l’impôt de solidarité sur la fortune (ISF) et supprime le «bouclier fiscal», dispositif plafonnant l’imposition des revenus à 50%. Cette réforme, que le gouvernement entend faire adopter définitivement avant la mi-juillet, sera examinée à partir du 21 juin par le Sénat.

Lors d’un discours à Bruxelles, le président de la République a insisté hier sur le lien entre les pratiques spéculatives et la volatilité constatée sur les marchés de matières premières. Nicolas Sarkozy a dit soutenir la création d’un registre des transactions sur les marchés des dérivés, ainsi que l’introduction de limites de positions et de limites à l’effet de levier.

L’autorité américaine des marchés à terme, la Commodity Futures Trading Commission, a proposé de reporter des mesures de régulation du marché des swaps au plus tard à la fin de l’année. Ces exigences devaient entrer automatiquement en vigueur le 16 juillet, un an après l’adoption par le Congrès de la loi Dodd-Frank. «Six mois donneront à la CFTC l’opportunité de réexaminer le statut de la règlementation finale à la lumière de l’évolution du paysage réglementaire », a justifié Gary Gensler, le président de la CFTC. Une seconde partie de cette proposition est destinée à permettre temporairement que les swaps de produits financiers ou énergétiques continuent à être négociés directement entre les acheteurs et les vendeurs après la date du 16 juin. La loi Dodd-Frank prévoit que la plupart des swaps passent par des chambres de compensation et soient échangés via des plates-formes de négociation.

Dans le cadre de son offre de gestion flexible, Groupama AM a collecté 200 millions d’euros en 2010, alors que la décollecte totale avait été de 1,9 milliard d’euros, et 300 millions d’euros depuis le début de l’année, ce qui a représenté l’essentiel de sa collecte hors fonds monétaires, a indiqué hier à la presse Jean-Marie Catala, directeur général délégué.

A dix jours d'un Conseil européen décisif, les ministres des Finances européens ont exposé leurs divergences sur l'implication du secteur privé

Comme au mois d’avril, leur collecte explique à elle seule la croissance du marché des OPCVM dans l’Hexagone

L'émission Deco 2011-CSPK de Deutsche Bank marque la réouverture du marché, mais elle ne fait pas l'unanimité

En dépit des évolutions du marché et de la disparition de certains acteurs, les lignes bougent peu dans ce métier en France

Les montants à engager en cas de débouclage des CDS sur la Grèce sont sans commune mesure avec le poids de la dette réelle

La participation des investisseurs privés a cristallisé les divergences entre partenaires européens