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24/01/2011

Pension funds concerned by insider trading investigation

p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } The Wall Street Journal reports that Phil Roblee, head of alternative investments for the School Employees Retirement System of Ohio pension fund (USD10bn) has asked the hedge funds Level Global Investors LP (USD4bn) and Diamondback Capital Management LLC (USD5bn), who are among the asset management firms involved in a wide-ranging investigation by the SEC and the FBI of possible insider trading, for an explanation. They have not learned anything so far, and Diamondback has replies that it cannot provide any information while the investigation is underway.Roblee has hot withdrawn the money invested in the fund, nor has the Public Employees Retirement System of Pennsylvania, which has also maintained its allocation to Diamondback. The fund, which will have to handle redemption requests of USD400m by mid-February, has offered its clients a discount on management commissions to 1.75% from 2%. It is also planning to charge 1% on redemptions, to pay for potential sentencing that could require disgorgements.
24/01/2011

Morgan Stanley named in Galleon insider trading

A Morgan Stanley banker allegedly leaked details of Advanced Micro Devices plan to buy ATI Technologies, which was ultimately passed to Galleon Group co-founder Raj Rajaratnam, prosecutors say, according to the Financial Times. A spokesman for Morgan Stanley said that the banker has been placed on leave and that the bank is fully co-operating with the government’s investigation.
24/01/2011

SG Private Banking announces a new executive board

p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } Société Générale Private Banking has created a new executive boards, whose mission will be to “guide strategy and development and the private bank.”The division will be led by Daniel Truchi, director of Société Générale Private Banking, and from 1 February will include Yves Thieffry, deputy director of Société Générale Private Banking, who will oversee private banking activities in Switzerland, Luxembourg, Monaco and the Middle East; Patrick Folléa, director of Société Générale Private Banking France, who will also oversee activities in Belgium; Eric Barnett, director of Société Générale Private Banking Hambros, who will oversee activities in the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States; Bruno Lèbre, director of the investment solutions department, who will oversee activities in Asia (Singapore, Hong Kong, continental China and Japan); and the new director of sales and marketing, who will be appointed in the coming weeks.
24/01/2011

Isabell Mössler joins Scott Thompson as head of European distribution at ETF Securities

p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } The former head of European distribution at iShares, Isabell Mössler, has been recruited as co-head of European distribution at ETF Securities LLP, where she joins Scott Thompson. She will be in charge of the German-speaking markets (Germany, Austria, and Switzerland), northern Europe, and the Iberian peninsula. She will report to Mark Weeks, partner at ETF Securities Marketing, and replaces Tim Harvey, who will join the New York office to develop distribution in North America.
24/01/2011

Aberdeen satisfied with 2010 results in Germany

p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } Aberdeen Asset Management Deutschland on 21 January announced that its fiscal year to 30 September brought gross subscriptions to EUR1bn in Germany and Austria. As of this date, assets totalled EUR8.1bn, of which EUR3.8bn were in securities funds, and EUR4.5bn in the distressed real estate branch (redemptions from two DEGI funds are frozen, while a third is to be liquidated).Since the beginning of October, Aberdeen AM has won mandates totalling about EUR300m.Among plans announced for 2011 by CEO Hartmut Leser are the launch of institutional real estate funds (see Newsmanagers of 18 January). In terms of sales, Aberden AM will emphasize emerging markets funds, global equities, European corporate bonds and pan-European institutional real estate funds.
24/01/2011

Sicavs have more than doubled their investments in bank savings accounts

p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } Retail investors are earning “succulent yields” thanks to the ongoing pitched battle between financial institutions to get their hands on liquidity, Cinco Días reports. According to statistics from the Bank of Spain, the interest being offered by banks and savings banks for savings accounts has risen by 20.8% since the end of 2009. Banks are offering an average of 3.14% on one and two-year products.Since then, managers of about 3,200 Sicav funds registered with the CNMV did not pass up the opportunity to allocate EUR3.59bn to bank savings accounts as of the end of September. That represents 13.7% of their assets, whereas the percentage was only 6.6% as of the end of third quarter 2009. This increase has come largely to the detriment of listed bonds and investment funds, particularly money markets.
24/01/2011

Swiss & Global sells its stake in Atlas Capital

p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } The fund management firm from Julius Baer, Swiss & Global Asset management, has sold the 31% stake it had held for seven years in the Spanish independent private bank Atlas Capital. Expansión reports that the transaction will take place at book value, while the stake was purchased for EUR3m. As of the end of 2010, Atlas Capital had assets of EUR660m, managed on behalf of 2,400 clients. Net profits totalled EUR1.14m. Following the exit of Julius Baer, the group’s capital is controlled by its 14 managing partners, with the largest shareholder being deputy director Jorge Sanz.
24/01/2011

Barings plans rare additions to product range

In theory, Barings has already largely covered its areas of excellence well with appropriate products. The British asset management firm, whose funds dedicated to emerging markets represent about EUR16bn, out of a total of EUR37bn, already include heavyweight players such as the Hong Kong China fund, with EUR3.36bn, Eastern Europe (EUR2.41bn), and Global Emerging Markets (EUR1.63bn), as well as Global Resources (USD1.23bn), Marino Valensise, CIO, announced on Friday.In these conditions, the need for new products is not urgent. Barings may, however, soon fill a gap in its product range with an Asian emerging market bond fund, to take advantage of appreciation of local currencies and the fact that Asian and Middle Eastern investors, including sovereign funds, are seeking local investment opportunities, which ultimately carry less risk than US Treasuries.Asset allocation mandates and funds which have been offered by Barings hitherto have aimed at returns 400 basis points higher than the Libor or the consumer price index. The management firm will also add to its range of products of this type. The British asset management firm has not ruled out the possibility of releasing a more aggressive product, which would aim to achieve returns 600 basis points higher than the Libor.
24/01/2011

Carmignac Gestion appoints a head of sales for Switzerland

p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } Carmignac Gestion on Friday, 21 January announced the arrival of Marco Fiorini as a member of the sales team at the management firm. He will serve as director of professional clients for Switzerland, and will aim to develop the presence of Carmignac Gestion in the professional client segment. Fiorini will report to Davide Fregonese, director of professional clients for Europe, a statement says.Fiorini, 40, previously served as CEO and head of professional clients at Clariden Leu Asset Management.
24/01/2011

DNCA Finance unifies its brand in Europe

p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } The French firm DNCA Finance (Banca Leonardo group) has brought all of its funds on sale in Europe together under its own brand name with immediate effect. Products on sale in Germany will drop the Leonardo Invest name, and the Luxembourg Sicav will change names to become known as DNCA Invest. Five DNCA Finance funds managed in Paris (Europe, Evolutif, Centifolia Europe, Infrastructures, and Convertibles) have been available in Germany since September 2010, says Jan Schünemann, director of sales for Germany.
24/01/2011

Citi Private Bank adds to family office worldwide

p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } Citi Private Bank will soon launch its family office in Hong Kong, to serve the north Asian region. The new activity will be directed by Richard Straus, Asian Investor reports. According to a spokesperson for the bank, plans to serve south-east Asia are also in preparation, and recruitments are underway. Earlier in the week, Citi Private Bank announced the appointment of James Holder as director for its family office for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
24/01/2011

Investors worried by inflationary risk

Some of the world’s biggest investors have turned increasingly negative on government bonds from developed countries as they warn of the growing danger of inflation, according to the Financial Times. “Why would you want to be a bondholder with bond yields so low and that sort of inflationary trend,” Bill Gross, who runs the world’s largest bond fund at Pimco, asked the Financial Times. Jim Rogers, the investor based in Singapore, said western governments were concealing the extent of inflation, leading him to avoid bonds and continue his preference for commodities.
24/01/2011

Asset management profits down at Bank of America

p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } The Global Wealth and Investment Management unit of Bank of America has earned net profits of USD1.34bn for the 2010 fiscal year, compared with USD1.71bn the previous year. In fourth quarter alone, net profits fell by nearly USD200m compared with the previous year, to USD332m. As of 31 December 2010, assets under management totalled USD643.9bn, compared with USD749.8bn one year earlier. The decline in assets under management is due to the sale of Columbia to Ameriprise in autumn 2009.
24/01/2011

Barings assets in France up by half once again

p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } As of the end of December, Barings had assets in France of about EUR1.2bn, or about EUR400m more than one year previously; once again, assets at the French arm of the British management firm increased by nearly 50% (see Newsmanagers of 8 December 2009). Half of this increase, or EUR200m, is due to positive market effects, while the remaining 50% come from net subscriptions, while gross subscriptions totalled EUR600m, Benoît du Mesnil du Buisson, president of Baring France SAS, tells Newsmanagers. A net total of about EUR120m has been collected for the Global Emerging Markets fund (USD2.18bn as of the end of December); sales to European specialist multi-managers have been good for the German Growth fund (GBP277.4m).
24/01/2011

Fidelity becomes single manager for HP retirement savings plans

p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } HP has decided to extend and expand the management mandate for its corporate savings plans to Fidelity Investments, which has been in place since 1991.From 1 January 2011, the management firm will also take charge of 162,500 members of the EDS (Electronic Data Systems) program, who were previously mandated to other management firms. Fidelity will thus become the single manager for HP retirement plans, including 135,000 defined-contribution and 192,000 defined-benefit clients. As of 30 November, assets un defined contribution plans totalled USD14.2bn.
24/01/2011

Asset managers required to pay for failure of structured product provider

p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } The Financial Services Compensation Scheme in the United Kingdom has asked fund management firms to compensate investors who lost money in the bankruptcy of Keydata, a provider of structured products, the Financial Times reports.Ordinarily, reimbursements in such a case would have been the responsibility of financial advisers, but the amount of money in question is so large (GBP326m) that the FSCS has had to turn to asset managers to provide part of the amount (GBP236m). The cost will be shared between management firms who sell products to retail clients.
24/01/2011

Sara Lee aiguise les appétits

Le groupe américain va selon des sources concordantes étudier cette semaine une offre le valorisant à près de 13 milliards de dollars et émanant d’un consortium de sociétés de capital-investissement. Les offres étaient attendues par Sara Lee jusqu’à vendredi dernier. Apollo Global Management, Bain Capital et TPG offriraient ainsi ensemble jusqu’à 20 dollars par titre, contre un cours de clôture vendredi de 18,70 dollars.
24/01/2011

Les investissements immobiliers se reprennent en Europe

Les investisseurs ont réalisé des transactions pour 96 milliards d’euros dans l’immobilier d’entreprise européen en 2010 d’après le conseil en immobilier DTZ. Le volume a donc doublé par rapport à 2009. Au quatrième trimestre, les marchés français et allemands ont été les plus dynamiques. Pour 2011, DTZ table sur 123 milliards d’euros d’investissement, soit une progression de 28 % par rapport à 2010.
24/01/2011

La SEC en faveur d’une norme fiduciaire

L’autorité américaine des marchés plaide pour la mise en place d’un standard fiduciaire commun s’appliquant aux courtiers et aux conseillers financiers enregistrés. Selon la SEC, cette uniformisation se justifie en raison de la confusion dans laquelle sont plongés nombre d’investisseurs particuliers face aux rôles joués par les conseillers en investissement et les broker-dealers.
24/01/2011

Permira et Axa PE visent Opodo

Le quotidien britannique croit savoir que les sociétés de capital-investissement britannique et française vont officialiser demain mardi une offre commune de 500 millions d’euros sur le spécialiste du service au voyage en ligne. Opodo, détenu pour l’heure à 99,4% par le groupe espagnol Amadeus, pourrait être fusionné avec eFreame et Go Voyages afin de former selon la volonté de Permira et d’Axa Private Equity le numéro un européen des services de réservation de voyages en ligne. Amadeus contrôle Opodo depuis 2004 mais ne le considère pas comme stratégique. Les deux prétendants seraient favoris, mais pourraient subir la concurrence de Carlyle, qui détient déjà le voyagiste espagnol Orizonia.
24/01/2011

La Fed face au rebond des taux longs

La Réserve fédérale ne devrait pas modifier mercredi son programme d’assouplissement, alors que la courbe des taux américaine affiche une pente record.

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