RIA Americana Partners has announced in a press release that Ronald E. Thacker, a veteran wealth management executive, is joining the firm as President. He will be based in Austin, Texas, and will report to Jason Fertitta, Chief Executive Officer.
“I am delighted to be joining Jason and his impressive team at Americana Partners. I see great opportunity for any advisors who want to be entrepreneurs more than employees. I am looking forward to working in the fast-growing independent space and see significant opportunities for Americana to build out its business”, Thacker said.
With 35 years of experience in the financial services industry, he is a former Managing Director and Regional Director for Morgan Stanley Wealth Management, where he worked 30 years before leaving in January 2020. Thacker led Morgan Stanley’s Central Region management team, among other numerous leadership roles.
Meanwhile, Fertitta pointed out that he has worked with Thacker for over a decade and claimed to be “delighted” to have him join Americana Partners as President. “He has considerable stature in the industry, and we are looking forward to having him work on expanding Americana Partners in Texas and beyond. Ron possesses a high level of industry expertise, respect within the advisory community, and in-depth knowledge of the needs and objectives of advisors”, he added.
Launched on April 29, 2019, Americana Partners is one of the industry’s largest breakaways and the largest single team to join the Dynasty Network. The firm has 3.5 billion dollars in client assets as February 2021, and offices in Houston, Austin, and Dallas, with longstanding ties to Texas
In Mexico, Harbourvest Partners, Spruceview México and Lock Capital are the three alternative investment issuers that have called the most capital in amount. On the other hand, Harbourvest Partners, Lock Capital and Capital Global are the three issuers with more than $1 billion USD in committed capital out of the 17 GPs that have issued CERPIs as can be seen in the following table:
CERPIs are the vehicles that allow AFOREs to invest in Private Equity globally. So far (March 2021) there are 49 CERPIs in place totaling $9.714 million USD in committed capital, of which 25% have been called.
MIRA Manager was the first in 2016 before CERPIs were allowed in 2018 to invest 90% of its resources globally and 10% in Mexico. The opportunity to invest globally promoted that, in 2018, 12 issuers issued a CERPI for the first time, standing out in committed capital: Capital Global, Lock Capital (who replaced Lexington as manager, who issued in said year) and KKR. In 2019 three new GPs were incorporated (Harbourvest Partners, Spruceview and Actis Gestor) and four GPs continued to grow their offer of CERPIs. For 2020 only Arago Capital was the new GP that was incorporated as an issuer and three reissued.
For the potential market that global Private Equity investments have, the fact that there are only 17 issuers seems to us to represent a small number and that they are only taking a breather. In Chile, the AFPs make similar investments through 45 GPs (2.6 times more than Mexico) of which five of them have issued a CERPI in Mexico.
For the AFOREs with $230.110 million USD in assets under management (as of February 28, 2021), investments in local Private Equity represent 5% and 1% in global Private Equity, which shows their growth potential.
As there are 49 emissions and 17 GPs, the average per GP is close to 3 CERPIs for each one, however 9 have more than one CERPI and 8 GPs only have one CERPI. The number of issuances has grown due to the specialization in the age of the affiliated worker and due to its orientation towards private banking clients. It should be remembered that today SIEFOREs are based on the worker’s age (Target Date Funds). Spruceview and BlackRock for example have 9 CERPIs each, while Lock Capital has 8.
The 17 issuers can be classified as:
Global GPs,
Local GPs,
GPs who are advisers and
Those that are a combination of the above.
As CERPI issuance dominates in the Fund of Funds sector it is highly likely that there are more global GPs than we currently see. However, that information is not public.
Global investments in Private Equity by AFOREs should continue to grow in both resources and managers.
Pixabay CC0 Public Domain. XP y M&G firman un acuerdo para ofrecer su estrategia insignia de bonos flexibles a clientes brasileños
XP Inc., a leading, technology-driven financial services platform, announced its partnership with M&G plc., a leading international savings and investment company headquartered in London, to offer Brazilian-based investors access to a flagship flexible bond strategy via a new XP local fund.
XP has launched the M&G Optimal Income Advisory FIC FIM IE CP, a Brazilian domiciled fund dedicated to investing into a globally diversified fixed income strategy offered by M&G Investments, which combines top-down macroeconomic approach with a rigorous bottom-up credit analysis. Brazilian investors will have access to the BRL-hedged fund.
This partnership comes in an ideal moment as the all-time-low interest rate in Brazil (2% as of September 2020) has made global funds potentially attractive as an investment option for investors seeking to improve the risk/return ratio in their portfolios.
“We are excited to bring this flagship strategy from M&G on board. Focused on identifying the combination of assets that provide the most attractive income stream within the bond universe, the strategy not only presents new sources of potential returns, but is also meant to offer downside protection through the economic cycle”, says Fabiano Cintra, funds specialist at XP. “XP continues in its plan to connect Brazilians with the best investment opportunities in the world and M&G certainly stands out as a very well-known and well-recognized manager”, adds Cintra.
Pixabay CC0 Public Domain. Azimut continúa reforzando su presencia en la región con la adquisición de MZK Investimentos en Brasil
The Azimut Group, one of the largest independent asset managers in Europe, through its subsidiary AZ Brasile Holding, signed an agreement to acquire 100% of the capital of MKZ Investimentos, an independent Brazilian asset manager specialized in Macro Strategies with more than 125 million dollars under management.
This transaction will add to the existing AZ Quest asset management proposition thus reinforcing the Group’s strong expertise across Brazilian equity and fixed income capital markets. AZ Quest and MZK Investimentos will operate as separate legal entities until all regulatory approvals are completed.
MZK, founded in 2017, has a senior and integrated management team, deriving from a joint activity developed over the last 15 years, which includes experiences in treasuries of major local and international banks, such as HSBC, Bradesco and BNP Paribas. This entire team, composed of qualified professionals and complementary profiles, will be integrated in the AZ Quest’s macro team and will be led by MZK CEO, Marco Antonio Mecchi.
This operation adds value also to MZK’s clients through the exchange of expertise from the current team with the other AZ Quest areas, such as equity, private credit and arbitrage. Moreover, MZK current team will access the competencies of over 150 portfolio managers in 18 investment hubs that make up the Azimut Global Asset Management Team. Professionals will benefit from this tremendous synergy without any changes in the current products structure.
The mutual fund industry in Brazil totals more than 1 trillion dollars with an excess of 70% of assets under management being concentrated on low-risk fixed income strategies. Local interest rates still significantly below the historical norm are conducive for a continuation in the rotation from low to medium-high risk investment strategies such those managed by MZK. In this context, the transaction strengthens the Group’s macro product proposition to local clients and underpin the potential for further organic growth capitalizing on the underlying industry trends.
Giorgio Medda, CEO and Global Head of Asset Management of Azimut Group, comments: “The investment in MZK fits well with our plans of adding breadth to our Global Asset Management Team local capabilities, particularly in a key market for global investment portfolios like Brazil. Our overall strategy to expand the Group’s integrated asset management platform in Brazil will benefit from new product development, which has been instrumental in our organic growth locally since 2015.”
Marco Antonio Mecchi, one of the MZK founder, comments: “The synergy and complementarity created by the merger of MZK and Azimut adds value and local expertise to its clients and also adds strength to the franchise. The new company will manage funds effectively using the leverage of the global structure Azimut provides and the local knowledge and experience MZK provides. We are very excited to be part of this Group and lookforward to the development of new businesses”.
Pixabay CC0 Public Domain. Un ETF para capturar la revolución energética
The crowds of tourists vanished from Venice’s historic canals. Fish were seen swimming in the city’s normally murky waterways. Then, NASA published satellite images of Earth, showing a dramatic reduction in greenhouse gas emissions across all the major cities under lockdown.
For a moment, we saw what a future low-carbon world might look like.
Demand for new energy grew in 2020
During a turbulent 2020, demand for energy generated by coal and oil fell by 8.5% and 6.7% respectively. But demand for renewable energy rose by +1%.
Renewable energy demonstrated its reliability, even in a recession. The massive stimulus response from central banks created favourable financing conditions for both wind and photovoltaic (PV) solar projects. And some institutional investors even saw new energy as a safer-haven investment, as its returns can have lower correlation to more mainstream asset classes.
This progress was happening as fossil fuel demand plummeted to its lowest level in more than 70 years. At one point, oil futures were trading at negative prices due to a massive glut in supply.
The chart below from the IEA shows the global energy demand by source in 2020:
Misconceptions persist about renewable energy
Although demand for renewable energy remained positive during the pandemic and more people are carbon-aware than ever, there are still many misconceptions about it.
These misconceptions are gradually being debunked – and new energy sources could see a major increase in investment as a result. Let’s address three common concerns about renewables and new energy now:
Misconception #1: “Renewable energy is just hype”
Renewable energy is being adopted because it makes financial sense. Over half the coal plants operating today cost more to run than building new renewable energy infrastructure instead. Even cancelling new coal power station projects today could save more than half a trillion dollars globally.
The ‘levelised cost of energy’ (LCOE), which is directly linked to the costs to build and operate an energy generator, has fallen significantly for both wind and photovoltaic solar power. Across the globe, LCOE for wind, solar and battery storage has plummeted over the past decade, led by technological advances and increasing cumulative installed capacity, which have progressively reduced costs.
The cost of renewable energy and battery storage has plummeted
The chart below from BloombergNEF shows the Global LCOE benchmarks for PV, wind and batteries:
Misconception #2: “All fossil fuel-related financing is unsustainable”
The world needs energy to power the economic growth that makes the low-carbon transition possible. While directly financing fossil fuel plants is not sustainable, the financing of energy efficiency for fossil fuels does help us transition towards a more sustainable world. Rather than stopping all investment in fossil fuel-related companies, it would be more effective to improve the efficiency of the existing energy model, even as we manage the transition to the low-carbon model.
We want to – and must – move towards the new energy model. But in the meantime, we have fossil fuels to manage, and improving the energy efficiency existing fossil fuel plants is an important part of that.
Many energy companies have been moving towards ‘combined-cycle’ power plants that use both a gas and a steam turbine to produce energy. General Electric has estimated that up to 50% more electricity using the same fuel can be produced this way.
Natural gas is still a fossil fuel, but it is cleaner. Burning natural gas for energy results in lower emissions for nearly all types of air pollutants. It also complements new energy well, because combined-cycle turbines are cheap to get going and can provide power at short notice or when renewable energy is not available. The two technologies used in combination could drastically cut greenhouse gas emissions.
Misconception #3: “New energy is only viable because of subsidies”
The new energy market has developed to such an extent that subsidies are no longer needed in most parts of the world. For instance, the feed-in tariff system used by European countries to accelerate investment into new energy technology has largely come to an end.
It is being replaced by a more dynamic power purchase agreement market (PPAs), which are agreements to supply energy at a fixed price and quantity. The result is that energy companies get a guaranteed cash flow, and clients receive a guaranteed price and supply of energy.
None of this would be possible unless new energy was cheap, reliable and profitable to produce. Thanks to technical improvements and more competitive marginal costs – led by the ‘learning curve’ of renewable energy that reduces costs as more is produced – this sector needs less and less subsidy.
In our view, this is a structural shift, because the cost of renewables will decline over time. Fossil fuel costs will not decline over time – they may even increase over time, as most of the accessible sources have already been extracted. Now, fossil fuel Exploration & Production (E&P) companies must increasingly target controversial reserves that are harder to extract, such as those in the Arctic, tar sands, or shale gas.
Finally, the EU ‘Green Deal’ will also drive capital towards new energy companies, while the EU is thinking of significantly reducing fossil fuel subsidies as they undermine the efforts to reach carbon neutrality by 2050, as enshrined in the Paris Agreement.
While we at Lyxor talk a lot about the Paris-Aligned and Climate Transition benchmarks for net zero investing, these are not the only relevant strategies. Trends to be financed by green deal are broader than that, including sustainable mobility and smarter city infrastructure.
How to get investment exposure to new energy
One way to gain a targeted investment exposure to new energy is through the Lyxor New Energy (DR) UCITS ETF. It tracks the world’s 40 largest companies operating in three key areas of the new energy industry: renewables, distributed energy, and energy efficiency.
Ørsted – Renewable energy
Danish power company Ørsted (formerly DONG Energy) is a global leader in the offshore wind market. It is in a strong position to capitalise on the soaring demand for new energy needs in Europe due to the emission quotas defined in the Paris Agreement.
What’s fascinating about this company is that it was once fossil-fuel focused. In 2017, the group sold its oil and gas business to British chemicals company Ineos. More recently, it offloaded its liquefied natural gas operations to Glencore. Instead of returning the cash from the sale of these businesses to investors, the company chose to make a big push into offshore wind.
Ørsted was one of the first energy companies in the world to have a greenhouse gas emissions reduction target approved by the Science Based Targets initiative, and it estimates its target is 27 years ahead of schedule compared to the 2°C scenario for the energy sector as projected by the IEA.
Plug Power – Distributed energy
Distributed energy is the concept of global decentralised electricity production close to the point of consumption. Hydrogen is part of this, and green hydrogen in particular can be an extraordinary zero-carbon source of electricity.
As a result, an important area of development in new energy is storage – stationary storage stations, or onboard vehicles, vessels, planes, and so on. American company Plug Power develops hydrogen fuel cells to replace traditional batteries in electric vehicles and supplies these cells to major clients including Amazon and Walmart.
Distributed energy is what can bring resilience, contrary to hyper centralised production and grid systems. It’s also a game-changer for renewables, whose main drawback is that they are intermittent, and unable to – for example – provide 24/7 power to a hospital. With distributed energy systems, renewable energy can become a more stable energy source.
NIBE Industrier AB – Energy efficiency
Swedish company NIBE builds and sells solutions to reduce energy consumption and improve efficiency. It develops, manufactures and markets a range of energy-efficient solutions for climate comfort in all types of property, plus components and solutions for intelligent heating in industry and infrastructure.
This includes heat pumps and solar cells for private houses, the renovation of old buildings, public buildings, and even development of products for efficient energy utilisation in cars, such as elements for battery heaters and interior heaters that use sources such as braking energy.
NIBE’s heat pumps are being used in a new housing project in the Kortenoord district of Wageningen, The Netherlands, where around 1,000 homes are being built without a gas pipeline. The houses have optimum insulation and are equipped with energy-saving products such as heat pumps, solar panels and solar water heaters.
A megatrend in progress
New energy is part of a megatrend – one that will radically shape the society and business models of the future, underpinned by the global effort to achieve net zero by 2050.
This imperative explains the significant amount of investment flowing into the new energy industry. $282 billion of renewable energy capacity was financed in 2019, led by onshore and offshore wind with $138 billion, followed by solar at $131 billion.
And yet, this shift is just beginning. A revolution is underway in the energy market. It wasn’t started by the pandemic – this is a structural movement towards new energy that has developed over several years, backed by falling costs. It was recently accelerated by the events of 2020, that reduced demand for fossil fuels and related industries such as steel and cement.
Ultimately, renewable energies are on a declining cost trajectory, while fossil fuels have high and fixed costs. That cost trajectory implies that renewables will be cheaper than fossil fuels, which is already true in many cases, with or without disruptive global events.
The pandemic accelerated what was already happening in the new energy industry. It has acted as a catalyst for more rapid change. For investors, the Lyxor New Energy ETF, which recently passed $1 billion in assets under management, could be a great way to get involved in this change and become part of the new energy revolution.
A column by Paloma Torres, Associate, ETF CRM and Sales for Iberia and Latam in Lyxor Asset Management
Foto cedidaSasha Evers, responsable de distribución minorista para Europa en BNY Mellon Investment Management.. Sasha Evers, nuevo responsable de distribución minorista para Europa de BNY Mellon IM
BNY Mellon Investment Management has announced this week changes in leadership roles at a global level, starting with the appointment of Sasha Evers as head of retail distribution for Europe. Based in Madrid, he will report to Matt Oomen, global head of distribution, and Ralph Elder will take over his role as head of Iberia and Latin America.
In this newly created role, Evers will be responsible for leading, defining and executing the firm’s distribution strategy in Europe’s retail segment. He will work closely with its investment firms, including Newton Investment Management, Insight Investment and Walter Scott, “to provide clients with high quality, relevant investment strategies that meet their needs and objectives”, the asset manager pointed out in a press release.
His appointment comes after Hilary Lopez, head of European intermediary distribution, announced that she has decided to leave the company after 11 years “to pursue other opportunities”.
Evers has been with BNY Mellon IM for more than 21 years and was most recently head of Iberia and Latin America. Now, Ralph Elder, formerly director of sales for the Iberian region, will assume the leadership of those businesses. Elder has been with the company two decades and has been key in the development of the Iberia business.
Strengthen European presence
“The retail market in Europe is a strategically important part of our business. Sasha has a proven track record of building successful businesses and teams, developing longstanding client relationships and growing assets. I am thrilled to be working more closely with him as we drive further growth in the segment and strengthen our presence across Europe”, said Matt Oomen, global head of distribution at BNY Mellon IM.
He also claimed to be “delighted” that Elder will lead the Iberia and Latin America businesses because he has played “an integral role” in building them alongside Evers over the past 20 years. “I would also like to thank Hilary for her many contributions to the firm and wish her the very best in her future endeavours”, he added.
Meanwhile, Evers commented: “I am very excited by this opportunity to lead our retail distribution strategy in Europe. I look forward to working with all our businesses across the Continent to drive further our growth in this key client segment. Ralph has been a key driver of our success in the Iberia region and I am delighted that he will lead our Iberia and Latin America businesses going forward.”
Many U.S. stock market benchmarks rallied to record highs during the first three weeks of January then dropped sharply at month end as the GameStop short squeeze (Tulip Mania 1636/7) dynamics unnerved investors. U.S. stocks closed mixed for the month as the annual 2020 earnings season got off to a good start.
Love Our Planet and People (LOPP:NYSE), our new actively traded non-transparent ETF for the decade of the 20s, is based on saving Planet Earth, helping people and creating the potential for saving the planet, and by focusing on the impact of climate change as well as on reducing/recycling plastic and on innovative companies that are developing new and sustainable solutions to carbon reduction.
Renewables, including wind, solar, battery storage and building infrastructure for transmission are the areas we want represented by some portfolio companies. The entire environmental ecosystem is receiving increasing investor focus.
One of the Gabelli stock ‘picks’ mentioned in BARRON’s 2021 Roundtable Part 2, published in the January 25 issue, that is directly impacting climate change is the Connecticut based sustainable energy company, Avangrid Inc. (AGR:NYSE), an energy and utility company, and a love-the-planet play. Spanish utility Iberdrola (IBE SM-Madrid), owns 260 million shares. Avangrid announced in October that it plans to acquire PNM Resources (PNM:NYSE). Iberdrola understands the renewables world and is well positioned in the U.S. Our equity research concludes the company could spinout a portion of Avangrid’s renewables business as a yield, similar to NextEra Energy’s (NEE:NYSE) spinout of NextEra Energy Partners (NEP:NYSE), and thereby create a higher valuation. The PNM deal will add significantly to Avangrid’s revenue and EBITDA, and investors will get a solid dividend with a current yield of around 3.80%.
In the world of merger arbitrage, dealmaking momentum carried into the new year, with global deal activity increasing 38% year-over-year to $300 billion.
Finally, the global convertible market followed up on a remarkable year with another strong month in January. The primary market was quite active as $12.6bn was offered globally. This new issuance performed well, despite some aggressive pricing. We expect this to continue through the year as companies can raise capital at attractive terms.
With 10 year US treasuries moving higher we are starting to hear from some investors concerned about how convertibles will act in a rising rate environment. Historically convertibles are driven more by underlying equity performance than interest rates and we anticipate this will be the case this time as well. With duration at all-time lows, there are only a few select convertibles that may be significantly impacted by rising rates. For example, since August 10 year rates are up 60 bps, however convertibles are up 31%, driven by underlying equity performance of 38%.
Overall, the investment team is enthusiastic about the prospects for further gains within convertibles while “staying” invested in equities with the benefit of asymmetric risk exposure. When equity volatility increases, convertibles’ yield advantage, maturity, and position in the capital structure help them to outperform.
To access our proprietary value investment methodology, and dedicated merger arbitrage portfolio we offer the following UCITS Funds in each discipline:
GAMCO MERGER ARBITRAGE
GAMCO Merger Arbitrage UCITS Fund, launched in October 2011, is an open-end fund incorporated in Luxembourg and compliant with UCITS regulation. The team, dedicated strategy, and record dates back to 1985. The objective of the GAMCO Merger Arbitrage Fund is to achieve long-term capital growth by investing primarily in announced equity merger and acquisition transactions while maintaining a diversified portfolio. The Fund utilizes a highly specialized investment approach designed principally to profit from the successful completion of proposed mergers, takeovers, tender offers, leveraged buyouts and other types of corporate reorganizations. Analyzes and continuously monitors each pending transaction for potential risk, including: regulatory, terms, financing, and shareholder approval.
Merger investments are a highly liquid, non-market correlated, proven and consistent alternative to traditional fixed income and equity securities. Merger returns are dependent on deal spreads. Deal spreads are a function of time, deal risk premium, and interest rates. Returns are thus correlated to interest rate changes over the medium term and not the broader equity market. The prospect of rising rates would imply higher returns on mergers as spreads widen to compensate arbitrageurs. As bond markets decline (interest rates rise), merger returns should improve as capital allocation decisions adjust to the changes in the costs of capital.
Broad Market volatility can lead to widening of spreads in merger positions, coupled with our well-researched merger portfolios, offer the potential for enhanced IRRs through dynamic position sizing. Daily price volatility fluctuations coupled with less proprietary capital (the Volcker rule) in the U.S. have contributed to improving merger spreads and thus, overall returns. Thus our fund is well positioned as a cash substitute or fixed income alternative.
Our objectives are to compound and preserve wealth over time, while remaining non-correlated to the broad global markets. We created our first dedicated merger fund 32 years ago. Since then, our merger performance has grown client assets at an annualized rate of approximately 10.7% gross and 7.6% net since 1985. Today, we manage assets on behalf of institutional and high net worth clients globally in a variety of fund structures and mandates.
Class I USD – LU0687944552 Class I EUR – LU0687944396 Class A USD – LU0687943745 Class A EUR – LU0687943661 Class R USD – LU1453360825 Class R EUR – LU1453361476
GAMCO ALL CAP VALUE
The GAMCO All Cap Value UCITS Fund launched in May, 2015 utilizes Gabelli’s its proprietary PMV with a Catalyst™ investment methodology, which has been in place since 1977. The Fund seeks absolute returns through event driven value investing. Our methodology centers around fundamental, research-driven, value based investing with a focus on asset values, cash flows and identifiable catalysts to maximize returns independent of market direction. The fund draws on the experience of its global portfolio team and 35+ value research analysts.
GAMCO is an active, bottom-up, value investor, and seeks to achieve real capital appreciation (relative to inflation) over the long term regardless of market cycles. Our value-oriented stock selection process is based on the fundamental investment principles first articulated in 1934 by Graham and Dodd, the founders of modern security analysis, and further augmented by Mario Gabelli in 1977 with his introduction of the concepts of Private Market Value (PMV) with a Catalyst™ into equity analysis. PMV with a Catalyst™ is our unique research methodology that focuses on individual stock selection by identifying firms selling below intrinsic value with a reasonable probability of realizing their PMV’s which we define as the price a strategic or financial acquirer would be willing to pay for the entire enterprise. The fundamental valuation factors utilized to evaluate securities prior to inclusion/exclusion into the portfolio, our research driven approach views fundamental analysis as a three pronged approach: free cash flow (earnings before, interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, or EBITDA, minus the capital expenditures necessary to grow/maintain the business); earnings per share trends; and private market value (PMV), which encompasses on and off balance sheet assets and liabilities. Our team arrives at a PMV valuation by a rigorous assessment of fundamentals from publicly available information and judgement gained from meeting management, covering all size companies globally and our comprehensive, accumulated knowledge of a variety of sectors. We then identify businesses for the portfolio possessing the proper margin of safety and research variables from our deep research universe.
Class I USD – LU1216601648 Class I EUR – LU1216601564 Class A USD – LU1216600913 Class A EUR – LU1216600673 Class R USD – LU1453359900 Class R EUR – LU1453360155
GAMCO CONVERTIBLE SECURITIES
GAMCO Convertible Securities’ objective is to seek to provide current income as well as long term capital appreciation through a total return strategy by investing in a diversified portfolio of global convertible securities.
The Fund leverages the firm’s history of investing in dedicated convertible security portfolios since 1979.
The fund invests in convertible securities, as well as other instruments that have economic characteristics similar to such securities, across global markets (but the fund will not invest in contingent convertible notes). The fund may invest in securities of any market capitalization or credit quality, including up to 100% in below investment grade or unrated securities, and may from time to time invest a significant amount of its assets in securities of smaller companies. Convertible securities may include any suitable convertible instruments such as convertible bonds, convertible notes or convertible preference shares.
By actively managing the fund and investing in convertible securities, the investment manager seeks the opportunity to participate in the capital appreciation of underlying stocks, while at the same time relying on the fixed income aspect of the convertible securities to provide current income and reduced price volatility, which can limit the risk of loss in a down equity market.
Class I USD LU2264533006
Class I EUR LU2264532966
Class A USD LU2264532701
Class A EUR LU2264532610
Class R USD LU2264533345
Class R EUR LU2264533261
Class F USD LU2264533691
Class F EUR LU2264533428
Disclaimer: The information and any opinions have been obtained from or are based on sources believed to be reliable but accuracy cannot be guaranteed. No responsibility can be accepted for any consequential loss arising from the use of this information. The information is expressed at its date and is issued only to and directed only at those individuals who are permitted to receive such information in accordance with the applicable statutes. In some countries the distribution of this publication may be restricted. It is your responsibility to find out what those restrictions are and observe them.
Some of the statements in this presentation may contain or be based on forward looking statements, forecasts, estimates, projections, targets, or prognosis (“forward looking statements”), which reflect the manager’s current view of future events, economic developments and financial performance. Such forward looking statements are typically indicated by the use of words which express an estimate, expectation, belief, target or forecast. Such forward looking statements are based on an assessment of historical economic data, on the experience and current plans of the investment manager and/or certain advisors of the manager, and on the indicated sources. These forward looking statements contain no representation or warranty of whatever kind that such future events will occur or that they will occur as described herein, or that such results will be achieved by the fund or the investments of the fund, as the occurrence of these events and the results of the fund are subject to various risks and uncertainties. The actual portfolio, and thus results, of the fund may differ substantially from those assumed in the forward looking statements. The manager and its affiliates will not undertake to update or review the forward looking statements contained in this presentation, whether as result of new information or any future event or otherwise.
Pixabay CC0 Public Domain. HMC Itajubá apoya a CD&R en uno de las recaudaciones de fondos de private equity más grandes de la región
Clayton, Dubilier & Rice (“CD&R”), a global private investment firm advised by HMC Itajubá, a leading financial LatAm advisory and investment firm, closed on 1.2 billion dollars from Latin America investors for the firm’s latest flagship fund. Investors from the region accounted for 7% of the new fund (CD&R XI) and the capital committed represents one of the largest fundraises for a buyout manager in Latin America to date.
The Latin America capital for CD&R fund was raised in all major markets and led by Andean Region with 74.1% of the capital, followed by Brazil with 16.6% and Mexico with 9.3%respectively. By type of investors, institutional investors, like Pension Funds and Insurance Companies, represented 70% and Private Investors, including Feeder vehicles, were the remaining 30%. The closing involves more than 90 investors from the region, demonstrating the increasing potential of the region for private equity fund investments.
“We are very proud of this closing because it shows the growth potential of Latin America into the alternatives ecosystem. HMC Itajubá team is working hard to make great things happen in this type of investment in the region,” said Ricardo Morales, Co-founder at HMC Itajubá.
“We are delighted to see how private investors move an important part of their portfolios to alternative investments and they represented a significant part of the commitments in this fundraise of CD&R,” commented Agnaldo Andrade, Co-founder HMC Itajuba.
“We are grateful to our investors in Latin America for their strong support and were delighted to work with HMC Itajubá team on this important project,” said Thomas Franco, CD&R Partner. “The success of the fundraise is a critical milestone and validates the growing and broad appreciation among asset owners for private equity-related investments in the region.”
Earlier this year, CD&R was recognized by Private Equity International Awards as the Firm of the Year in the Large-Cap North America category for 2020. “The firm has announced at least 10 new investments since March, making 2020 its most active year to date”, the Private Equity International Awards report said on the announcement. Clayton, Dubilier & Rice (“CD&R”), a global private
Pixabay CC0 Public Domain. Un gestor de activos especializado en acciones locales
The Azimut Group, one of the largest independent asset managers in Europe, through its subsidiary AZ Mexico Holding, signed today an agreement to acquire 51% of the capital of KAAN Capital, an independent asset manager and advisory firm specializing in Mexican equities. KAAN is made up of a group of senior managers and analysts with a solid track record, and offers asset management and advisory services to institutional and HNW clients. Upon completion of the transaction, KAAN will be renamed Azimut-KAAN.
Headquartered in Mexico City, KAAN was founded by Alberto Rodriguez and Josè Fierro – current General Manager and Investment Director of Azimut-KAAN – who together have over 50 years of experience in the Mexican equity market as well as in the management of local funds and mandates for institutional clients, international sovereign funds, pension funds and HNWIs.
Thanks to this partnership, Azimut enters the investment advisory sector in Mexico, thus expanding the range of asset management services for local clients and strengthening its presence in a country where it has operated since 2014 through Más Fondos, the leading Mexican multi-manager company operating through an integrated and independent business model. Más Fondos continues to grow in financial advisory through the recruitment of financial advisors. The partnership with KAAN has effectively been already in place, since KAAN is the advisor of Más Fondos’ local equity fund, AZMT – V1 launched last December, with assets of 330 million Mexican pesos. Thanks to the expertise of over 120 managers in 18 investment hubs that make up the Azimut Global Asset Management Team, Mas Fondos is about to launch three new funds that will be listed on the Bolsa Institucional de Valores (BIVA).
The mutual fund industry in Mexico totals approximately 130 billion dollars and accounts for just under 10% of total GDP, a small percentage when compared to those of the major Latin American economies. More than 70% of assets are concentrated on low-risk fixed income strategies, while exposure to local equities has reached some of the lowest levels in recent years, which can be an interesting opportunity following a value approach.
Mexico, with a population of 130 million, is the second largest economy in Latin America and the largest in Central America with a purchasing power parity GDP of approximately 1,3 trillion dollars in 2019 (15th globally). With a debt-to-GDP ratio below 60%, Mexico is among the most virtuous countries in Latin America. The Mexican economy has private consumption and high export as its main growth drivers, while more than 60% of its GDP comes from the service sector and just under 30% from the industrial sector3 .
Giorgio Medda, CEO and Head of Asset Management of Azimut Group, comments: “The transaction with KAAN confirms Azimut Group’s constant interest in investing in asset management capabilities, continuing to improve services to its customers, both locally and globally, and further consolidating the presence and skills of the Global Team in Latin America. In addition, the partnership with KAAN fits perfectly with the development of our integrated financial advisory platform in the asset management industry in Mexico “.
Alberto Rodriguez and Josè Fierro comment: “We are thrilled to join forces with one of the world’s leading independent asset managers who shares our core values and investment approach. This partnership will allow KAAN to grow at a faster pace and, above all, will benefit our customers as the global approach and expertise of the Azimut Group will complement our knowledge and experience of the Mexican market.”
Foto cedida. Santander Private Banking acuerda la compra del negocio de banca privada de Indosuez en Miami
Santander Private Banking has reached an agreement with Indosuez Wealth Management –the global wealth management brand of Crédit Agricole group– to purchase 4.3 billion dollars in client assets and liabilities. The firm has announced in a press release that the transaction is subject to regulatory approval and is expected to close by midyear 2021.
“This transaction, which leverages our geographic presence and our capabilities as a leading financial group, is another step toward our goal of becoming the best global private banking platform. We want to keep growing our business –especially in geographies where we see major commercial potential like the US– and elevate our position as a growth engine for Grupo Santander”, said the Global Head of Santander Wealth Management & Insurance, Víctor Matarranz.
Meanwhile, Jacques Prost, CEO at Indosuez, commented that, after close evaluation of a number of international bidders, Santander’s proposal for the Miami business stood out to Indosuez thanks to the bank’s high quality and strong reputation.
“We are confident that this is the right fit to meet the interests of our clients and our people in Miami, ensuring a smooth transition and building on Santander’s sizeable footprint and 42-year long experience in the region. Indosuez’s decision to leave the Miami market was carefully considered due to our longstanding presence in the region, but was made in line with Indosuez’s strategy of focusing and expanding its presence in its key markets”, he added.
Santander US CEO Tim Wennes also assessed the acquisition, pointing out that it is part of the growth strategy for Santander US, which includes organic and inorganic opportunities. “I am confident that the team will provide world-class services to our new clients from Indosuez”, he said.
The bank has explained that the transaction will be executed through Banco Santander International (BSI), part of Santander Private Banking, Grupo Santander’s business unit dedicated to the private banking segment. Santander Private Banking manages a volume of 230 billion euros in customer assets and liabilities. BSI is a wholly owned subsidiary of Santander Holdings USA, Inc., Banco Santander’s intermediate holding company in the U.S.
