Photo: Mortime, Flickr, Creative Commons. Standard Life Investments Launched the Enhanced Diversification Multi-Asset SICAV
Standard Life Investments launched the Enhanced Diversification Multi-Asset (EDMA) SICAV on July, 20th, 2016 in response to a growing client demand for multi-asset funds that manage downside risk.
According to a press release, “EDMA is part of our multi-asset range for investors who want to balance capital growth against volatility in financial markets. With EDMA, we aim to generate equity-like returns over the medium term with less volatility.” EDMA targets equity-type returns over the market cycle (typically five to seven years in duration) but with only two-thirds of equity market risk.
The Fund differs from many traditional diversified growth approaches. Standard Life Investments holds a range of market return investments (such as equities, bonds and listed real estate), however, they also use enhanced diversification strategies to provide additional sources of return and high levels of portfolio diversification.
“EDMA benefits from the expertise of our established and award-winning multi-asset investing team. By exploiting our resources and capabilities we believe we can offer enhanced, lower-risk performance that is cost-effective for our clients.” They conclude.
CC-BY-SA-2.0, FlickrPhoto: Foxspain, Flickr, Creative Commons. Nearly 16,000 Pass the Level III CFA Exam
CFA Institute, the global association of investment professionals that sets the highest standards of ethics, education, and professional excellence, announced that of 28,884 candidates who sat for the Level III CFA exam in June 2016, 54 percent passed the third and final exam. Pending experience and membership requirements, these successful candidates will become CFA charterholders starting in early October, and begin their journey as investment management professionals whose mission is to raise standards in the industry.
In addition, of 50,230 candidates who sat for the Level II exam in June 2016, 46 percent were successful and of 58,677 candidates who took the Level I exam, the pass rate was 43 percent. Globally, a total of 64,020 candidates passed Levels I, II and III, with the overall pass rate for all three levels at 46 percent. (View historical pass rates.)
“Congratulations to the successful candidates who have demonstrated their commitment to the highest standard of professional knowledge and ethics,” said Paul Smith, CFA, president and CEO of CFA Institute. “At CFA Institute, we aspire to develop future investment management professionals for the global financial markets. These candidates have taken the first step to earn the CFA designation and to join us in our pursuit to build professionalism, market integrity and a more trustworthy industry that puts clients’ interests above their own interests.”
To earn the CFA charter, candidates must pass all three levels of the exam which is considered to be the most rigorous exam in the investment profession; meet the work experience requirements of four years in the investment industry; sign a commitment to abide by the CFA Institute Code of Ethics and Standards of Professional Conduct; and become a member of CFA Institute.
“We applaud CFA Institute for its continued efforts to strengthen the professional and ethical foundations of our industry by upholding the highest standards in their certification process,” said Ronald P. O’Hanley, President and CEO of State Street Global Advisors, “and we congratulate all successful candidates. As an organization that is proud to partner with CFA Institute, we strongly encourage everyone to avail themselves of the many opportunities it provides for continuing education and certification to improve our industry and the quality of service and engagement for our clients.”
Successful candidates study approximately 1,000 hours on average to master 8,500 pages of curriculum. The CFA curriculum includes ethical and professional standards; financial reporting and analysis; corporate finance; economics; quantitative methods; equity, fixed income, alternative investments; derivatives; portfolio management; and wealth planning. Its depth and breadth provides a strong foundation of advanced investment analysis and practical portfolio management skills, which gives investment professionals a career advantage.
“The CFA designation is widely recognized as the gold standard of professional knowledge and business ethics in the investment industry,” said Yimei Li, CFA, Deputy CEO of China AMC. “We encourage and support our staff to pursue the CFA charter, as it demonstrates our commitment to our clients that we bring in the best talent to serve their needs.”
New candidates entering the CFA Program in this year’s exam cycle grew by 15 percent to 102,514 candidates, which reflects growing interest in building professionalism in the investment management industry. The growth has been strongest in Mainland China where Level I candidate registrations reached a record high of 22,999, surpassing the number of registrations in the United States for the first time.
The June 2016 Level I, II and III exams were administered in 258 test centers in 197 cities across 91 countries worldwide. The top 10 countries and territories with the largest number of candidates tested are the United States (31,501), Mainland China (26,758), India (12,117), Canada (11,136), United Kingdom (9,717), Hong Kong (5,359), Singapore (3,433), Australia (2,915), South Africa (2,006), and France (1,784).
CC-BY-SA-2.0, FlickrFoto: Hernán Piñeira. Los sectores bursátiles de infraestructuras, seguros o inmobiliario cotizan muy por encima de la media
Columbia Threadneedle Investments announces the introduction of the Threadneedle US Investment Grade Corporate Bond Fund to its SICAV range.
The UCITS fund, co-managed by Minneapolis-based portfolio managers Tom Murphy, CFA and Tim Doubek, CFA, aims to generate a total return from income and capital appreciation by seizing opportunities in the US investment grade corporate bond market, focusing on security selection and industry rotation as the primary sources of value added with a constant focus on downside risk.
The fund mirrors the existing investment grade corporate fixed income strategy managed by the duo for US investors with a strong track record over the last seven years. The fund’s benchmark is the Barclays US Corporate Investment Grade Index and the fund’s performance target is +100 to 150 bps over the index (gross) over a full market cycle of five to seven years.
The fund follows a rigorous, independent, bottom-up fundamental research process resulting in a deep understanding of issuer and industry dynamics. Experienced and dedicated portfolio managers and analysts are full partners in the portfolio construction and monitoring process allowing the team’s best ideas to emerge with a constant focus on maximized return and reduced volatility.
Initially registered in Luxembourg, the fund is intended for distribution across other markets (UK, Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland and Sweden) pending regulatory approval in each country.
Gary Collins, Head of Wholesale Distribution for EMEA and Latin America at Columbia Threadneedle Investments said: “In a low yield environment, exposure to corporate credit can provide an effective way for investors to preserve capital and generate income whilst diversifying their portfolio away from equity markets. Columbia Threadneedle manages c. US$24 billion in US investment grade and we also have successful European and Global investment grade corporate bond strategies available through our SICAV.”
Tom Murphy, CFA, Columbia Threadneedle’s Head of Investment Grade Credit and co-manager of the Fund, said: “Given solid fundamental credit insights, a reasonable time horizon, and the ability to withstand short-term volatility, we believe credit opportunities in the US investment grade corporate bond market can be exploited to achieve attractive risk-adjusted returns. Tim and I have close to 30 years’ experience each and a real focus on finding the best business models with the best management teams that offer solid relative value.”
CC-BY-SA-2.0, FlickrPaul Quinsee / JP Morgan AM. Paul Quinsee, New Global Head of Equities at JP Morgan Asset Management
Paul Quinsee, until now managing director and chief investment officer for U.S. equities at JP Morgan Asset Management, will replace Martin Porter as the firm’s global head of equities.
The appointment will be effective in the fourth quarter, after Porter’s retirement. He will split his time between New York and London and report to Chris Willcox, CEO of global investment management.
Quinsee will oversee a team of more than 400 investment professionals and $430 billion in assets under management. As of June 30, JPMAM had $1.693 trillion in assets under management.
CC-BY-SA-2.0, FlickrPhoto: Quinn Dombrowski. Making Sense of Misalignment
Old Mutual has agreed to sell Old Mutual Wealth Italy to ERGO Italia, owned by Cinven, the European private equity firm. The consideration for the transaction is €278m in cash, plus interest to completion.
The transaction is subject to usual regulatory approvals and customary conditions and is expected to complete within six months. The sale is the final part of the divestment of Old Mutual Wealth’s continental European businesses allowing it to focus on its core UK and cross border markets.
As reported previously, Old Mutual is working on a wider plan to break up its business, cut costs and revamp earnings. On March 11, Old Mutual said it would split into four businesses: a South African bank, an emerging markets unit, a US asset manager and a wealth manager in Britain.
Old Mutual Wealth Italy was established in 1997 and accounted for less than 5% of Old Mutual’s overall wealth management activities.
The business employs 110 people and manages €7bn for more than 53,000 affluent and high net worth customers. The post-tax adjusted operating profit for the year ended 31 December 2015 was €22m.
“We are pleased to announce the acquisition of Old Mutual Wealth Italy. This transaction is the result of a clear vision, whose goal is to create a leading player through consolidation in the Italian life insurance market. We look forward to building on Old Mutual Wealth Italy’s capabilities to enhance our distribution network and our product line, gaining access to a high-growth market,” said Erik Stattin, CEO of ERGO Italia.
CC-BY-SA-2.0, FlickrPhoto: Dennis Wong. What Will the Asset Management Industry Look Like in 2030?
A change in wealth allocation and investor attitudes is set to redefine the asset management industry according to the latest paper published by the Association of the Luxembourg Fund Industry (ALFI) and Deloitte Luxembourg, “How can FinTech facilitate fund distribution?”
The paper found that Millennials and Generation X will account for half of assets under management by 2030 and that their attitudes towards saving and investment will result in asset managers adjusting their future offerings to adapt to and facilitate a new way of investing.
ALFI and Deloitte have identified in their latest report new approaches towards investment and the implications these will have on the asset management industry. New thought patterns, standards and expectations which are substantially different from previous generations will lead to a boom in robo-advice, a change in tailoring portfolios, and a shift in marketing strategies.
Denise Voss, Chairman of ALFI, says: “These behaviours will be a driver for change and the investment management industry has a unique chance to respond to these positive opportunities. Asset managers not only have to consider their offerings in the future, but we are also currently seeing an increasing number of Baby Boomers being influenced by the younger generation’s fresh perspectives. This will result in today’s asset managers having to clearly understand and address the needs of each generation individually.”
In addition, the paper found that the new set of investors is seeking to further align their investment portfolios with their social and economic values. Issues such as global warming sit at the forefront of what is important to younger investors, and the report forecasts a sharp movement away from traditional investment in oil and gas to clean-energy industries such as solar and wind. The research also found that Millennials are often willing to accept lower returns in exchange for greater social and environmental impact compared to previous generations.
The DIY attitude of the Millennial investor will also see an important leap in assets under management in the robo-advice space. Over 50 per cent of investors interviewed as part of the research paper cited a lack of trust in advisers and belief in better performance from self-directed investment as the reasons for why they are turning away from traditional advisers and towards robo-advisers. Total assets under management that are managed by robots currently represent less than 0.1 per cent of the €29 trillion investable assets in the US. However, the report predicts this to grow to 10 – 14% by 2025.
Simon Ramos, Partner of Deloitte Luxembourg, says: “The emergence of algorithmic-driven, so-called “robo-advice” and enhanced distribution platforms offer great opportunities for traditional asset managers to re-think their business models. The robo-advisor phenomenon will be a game changer that could result in an overall reduction of fees and create a new digital experience for the end investor. We will continue to see robo-advisers entering the fund distribution ecosystem and Luxembourg’s strongly connected industry players are well-positioned to ensure that Luxembourg remains at the forefront for innovation. Luxembourg’s fund industry must play a leading role in this shift in order to address the future of investment management.”
MFS will present in Quebec its Annual Risk Management Conference on August 10-12th.
In the 18th Edition of the Conference, MFS will explore the drivers of volatility across borders and markets, delving into the issues it presents for DB pension plans.
Plan sponsors will have the opportunity to look closer at these drivers, the risks they pose and strategies, tools and arrangements they’re using to manage these risks.
CC-BY-SA-2.0, FlickrPhoto: Dennis Jarvis
. Are Emerging Markets Becoming Safer than Developed Markets?
When looking at global growth expectations for the near future, we continue to see a confirmation of the increasing weight of emerging markets (EMs) in the global economy and further divergences in the growth path between them and developed markets (DMs).
According to Matteo Germano, Global Head of Multi-Asset Investments at Pioneer Investments, all in all, EMs appear to be in a more resilient position, but they are still exposed to major risks, with a slowdown in China being the most significant. While China continues to play the most relevant role in the emerging space, other countries, such as India, continue to increase their relevance.
India’s economy experienced outstanding economic performance in Q1 2016, when GDP grew by 7.9% YoY, the most in two years. Going forward, Pioneer expects continued positive momentum in economic activity but much more moderate than in Q1 2016. For calendar year 2016, we expect GDP will grow a bit more than in 2015, at around 7.5% YoY on average.
“India is a relatively protected economy with respect to the damage that could come from a further slowing in global trade induced by the Brexit vote. Gross Exports as size of GDP at around 20% are on the lower side of the range for Asia Pacific countries.” Says Germano
The recently announced departure of Central Bank Governor Raguram Rajan is raising some uncertainty with respect to the way the new Governor will conduct monetary policy, starting from a revision of the inflation target, viewed by many as too low for a country such as India.
At the political level, preparation for next year’s elections is gaining momentum; recently, Prime Minister Modi decided to reshuffle his Cabinet after a careful screening process based on merits. The aim is to push ahead his program, changing ministers in favor of a more reform-oriented group of people, with an eye on the next electoral contest at the state level.
For the Pioneer expert, Post-Brexit vote, the focus has shifted towards the potential spillover of a slowdown in Eurozone and UK growth to other EMs. Obviously, the close economic, social and political linkages of Emerging Europe to the Eurozone and UK, the CEE4 countries (Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Romania) are expected to be the most impacted within EMs.
“From an investment perspective, we believe that the attractiveness of EM assets is increasing. EM bonds, having proven to be quite resilient during the recent stress phase, offer additional yield versus the compressed returns in developed markets.” He says.
Germano believes the dovish monetary policy stance prevailing in advanced economies could be supportive for EM currencies. “In EM bonds, selection will be key, as different economies are at different stages of their development process and face different challenges. EM equities also proved to be resilient in this market phase, outperforming the global equity market year-to-date. Within EM equities, we maintain our positive view regarding India’s and China’s “new economy” sectors, which could benefit from the move towards a more service-driven economy.” He concludes.
CC-BY-SA-2.0, FlickrPhoto: Verónica Díaz Mateos
. Which Ones are the Top Alternative Asset Managers?
Total assets managed by the top 100 alternative investment managers globally reached $3.6 trillion up 3% on the prior year, according to research produced by Willis Towers Watson. The Global Alternatives Survey, which covers ten asset classes and seven investor types, shows that of the top 100 alternative investment managers, real estate managers have the largest share of assets (34% and over $1.2 trillion), followed by hedge funds (21% and $755bn), private equity fund managers (18% and $640bn), private equity funds of funds (PEFoFs) (12% and $420bn), funds of hedge funds (FoHFs) (6% and $222bn), infrastructure (5%) and illiquid credit (5%).
The research also lists the top-ranked managers, by assets under management (AuM), in each area. Data from the broader survey (all 602 entries) shows that total global alternative AuM is now $6.2 trillion.
Luba Nikulina, global head of manager research at Willis Towers Watson, said: “Institutional investors continue to focus on diversity but not at all cost. While inflows into alternative assets continue apace, investors have become more mindful of alignment of interests and getting value for money. This has contributed to a further blurring between individual ‘asset classes’, as investors increase their focus on underlying return drivers with the ultimate objective of achieving true diversity and making their portfolios more robust in the face of the increasingly volatile and uncertain macroeconomic environment.”
The research – which includes data on a diverse range of institutional investor types – shows that pension fund assets represent a third (34%) of the top 100 alternative managers’ assets, followed by wealth managers (19%), insurance companies (10%), sovereign wealth funds (6%), banks (2%), funds of funds (2%) and endowments & foundations (2%).
The research shows, among the top 100 managers, that North America continues to be the largest destination for investment in alternative assets (50%), with illiquid credit and infrastructure being the only asset classes where more capital is invested in Europe. Overall, 37% of alternative assets are invested in Europe and 8% in Asia Pacific, with 5% being invested in the rest of the world.
According to the research, Macquarie Group is the largest infrastructure manager with over $95bn and tops the overall rankings, while Blackstone is the largest private equity manager with over $94bn and the largest real estate manager with also almost $94bn. In the ranking Bridgewater Associates is the largest hedge fund manager with $88bn and Blackstone is the largest FoHF manager with almost $68bn. Goldman Sachs is the largest PEFoF manager with almost $45bn and M&G Investments is the largest illiquid credit manager with over $33bn. PIMCO is the largest commodities manager with $10bn, the largest manager of real assets is TIAA with over $7bn and LGT Capital Partners is the largest manager of Insurance-linked investments.
CC-BY-SA-2.0, FlickrPhoto: Krzysztof Belczyński. Columbia Threadneedle Unveils Low-Cost, Diversified Liquid Alternatives Fund
Columbia Threadneedle Investments has launched a new, innovative absolute return strategy in form of the Threadneedle Diversified Alternative Risk Premia Fund, following regulatory approval by the CSSF (Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier) in Luxembourg.
The strategy is designed to capture the excess returns arising from exposure to market anomalies (the ‘alternative betas’ or ‘risk premia’) across all major asset classes (equities, fixed income, credit, currencies and commodities) and all major investment factors (value, style, curve, carry, short volatility and liquidity).
The daily liquid, transparent and diversified UCITS fund is managed by Dr William Landes, Marc Khalamayzer and Joshua Kutin, out of Boston, US, who between them have close to 50 years of asset management experience. The fund managers benefit from access to non-traditional sources of returns as well as macro inputs from Columbia Threadneedle’s wider asset allocation team, meaning that liquid risk premia exposures are tactically adjusted where macro events are believed to influence the holdings.
William Landes, Head of Alternative Investments & Deputy Head of Investment Solutions at Columbia Threadneedle Investments, said: “In the search to maximise and diversify their portfolio returns, institutional investors have often turned to multi-strategy or fund of hedge funds. This strategy offers many of the risk premia attributes present in multi-strategy hedge funds at a much lower cost. Now that tools have been developed which allow financial market anomalies to be cost-effectively packaged, alternative risk premia strategies present an attractive investment solution for institutional investors.”
Dominik Kremer, Head of Institutional Distribution in EMEA and Latin America at Columbia Threadneedle Investments, said: “We believe this is a truly unique offering in the marketplace. Our portfolio managers use advanced portfolio construction techniques, invest in a wide array of different risk premia across all major asset classes and combine this with an active, macro-driven tactical approach. In our minds, our strategy is an innovative solution for institutional investors seeking to both enhance portfolio returns and provide true diversification at a time when economic and financial conditions make investing increasingly challenging.”
