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Muzinich & Co. Expands European Syndicated Loans Capabilities

Corporate credit specialist Muzinich & Co. has announced that Torben Ronberg, Stuart Fuller, Sam McGairl and Alex Woolrich will be joining the firm.

These very talented investment professionals will focus on syndicated loans in Europe. “Their long-standing expertise complements our current activities in European publicly traded corporate bonds and European private debt”, says the firm in a comunication.

“This expansion of our team forms part of our global effort to invest across the capital structure and provide compelling investment opportunities for our investors”.

They will join from ECM Asset Management, a subsidiary of Wells Fargo.

The Formula to Locating, Identifying and Selling any Fund or Firm to International Investors

| By Alicia Miguel | 0 Comentarios

The world of wealth is shifting from North America to Asia-Pacific, which means fund managers need to pivot towards international investors if they want to grow their portfolios.

The latest World Wealth Report shows Asia-Pacific passed North America as the region with the largest group of high net worth individuals. The report credits the expansion of emerging economies for the rapid expansion of wealth overseas.

During my time as Managing Director with Genesis Securities and Lek Securities in New York, I had to navigate this international terrain in search of institutional investors. It wasn’t easy, but along the way, I learned a few business tactics that can help other fund managers reach international investors.

Here’s a breakdown of how I located and identified these elusive investors for potential business deals.

1. Identify Local Banks and Hook Them with Incentives – The local bank in every country is the crucial connector with high asset holders. Any fund or business pursuing international investors must establish relationships with account managers and appeal to their self-interest by explaining how this new deal will make them more profitable.

Many foreign markets have underdeveloped financial services, and the services tend to be offered by one type of institution – the bank. Most foreign investors have local business interests and are actively involved with their bankers. Thus, bankers have access to elusive high-net-worth investors, have working financial relationships with them, and are a perfect conduit for selling your investment or making introductions.

However, in the banker’s mind, a dollar invested outside of the bank is a dollar not deposited. Thus, it is important to incentivize the bank by convincing them that for every dollar their clients invest with you, the bank will make more money than it would if investors kept their assets in the bank.

Identify the spread between deposit and lending rates for a particular country. The smaller the spread, the less of an incentive the bank will need to introduce their clients to you. Countries with very low or even negative interest rates may be attractive.

2. Create a Roadshow or Seminar – This is typically where the deal falls apart because of cultural nuances and an information gap. For example, a business plan for a restaurant that compensates workers through gratuities is easily understandable in the U.S. In Japan, where tipping is uncustomary and impolite, it might need further elaboration.

Ensure that your presentations are in both English and the local language. You need to scrutinize the local translation more than the polished English one. Hire independent and separate editors and translators to recheck your editors’ and translators’ work.

Also, think of local analogies to your business. Don’t think about the products, but the principles involved. For example, when selling a fund that is trading carbon futures on an exchange, analogize to trading deep-sea fishing permits at industry meetings in maritime countries.

3. Establish Credibility – Investor’s care about your address and it impresses them when they recognize a name like Wall Street. Famous areas and buildings carry a lot of weight with international investors.

Information on trends takes a long time to permeate international boundaries. The next hot area in Brooklyn may be very prestigious and signal innovation to the insiders in New York, but investors in Dubai will not be impressed.

When investors look at a financial firm and do not see a Wall Street address, their impression of the reputability of the firm will immediately drop. Luckily, U.S. streets and landmarks are among the most well known worldwide and with the inexpensive availability of office sharing, address sharing, and other tools that provide a recognizable address, there is no need to relocate operations.

4. Form Alliances – Chambers of commerce, professional associations, and industry groups all share one trait – their members are business leaders. Partnering with these organizations will provide access to their members and interacting with them through an allied organization plants the seeds of trustworthiness.

For targeting investors in emerging economies, NGOs are your friends. They tend to know which players are large in each industry and what they are interested in. They have networks in many countries as well. An NGO trying to improve infrastructure in Sudan may bring investors from France. Funds or firms should specifically look for NGOs with a strong presence and long history in the country they are targeting.

5. Industry Specific – Most firms looking for international investors search too broadly, targeting people with the most money. If you are a real estate agency looking for international investors for development projects, target international law firms who are struggling to provide options for their clients. Likewise, hedge fund managers should target admins.

There is a dramatic amount of opportunity in emerging markets. It’s natural that firms are searching for investors overseas, but that brings new challenges. However, if there is a thoughtful plan in place and these investors are strategically targeted, they are absolutely attainable.

Opinion column by Serge Pustelnik. He is currently studying international law at Harvard and is also a legal fellow at New Markets Lab in Washington

It’s All Rate for Some in Europe

| By Gabriela Huerta | 0 Comentarios

Rating agencies, advisors, and asset managers are set to play a greater role in the world of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investing, according to the latest issue of The Cerulli Edge – Global Edition.

While Cerulli Associates, a global analytics firm, regards ESG ratings for funds as a creditable step toward improving the asset management industry’s ESG transparency and awareness, it also warns of the need for caution.

“Independent ratings will likely force managers to reveal more detail on the implementation of their ESG policies–those that fail to comply may suffer low ESG ratings, which may well result in outflows,” says Barbara Wall, Europe managing director at Cerulli. “However, these ratings may contain size or industry biases, therefore asset managers and asset owners should not unreservedly trust the accuracy or comparability of an ESG score.”

Cerulli expects that retail investors and private banks will be the main market for ESG funds ratings. “Although institutional investors are the primary drivers of demand for sustainable investment, they prefer mandates and bespoke solutions–thus generic ESG scores will be of little value to them,” says Wall.

Justina Deveikyte, a senior analyst at Cerulli, adds that rating agencies can produce very different ESG ratings for the same companies or funds. “It is therefore crucial that users understand the differences in the methodologies used by the agencies, and not blindly count on one ESG score,” she says.

Cerulli points out that a number of asset managers are launching sustainable funds across a broad range of asset classes, while ratings agencies are eyeing opportunities to provide ESG ratings for funds as well as for individual companies. “Rating agencies may well start partnering with data providers,” says Deveikyte, noting that Morningstar and MSCI recently introduced sustainability ratings for mutual funds and for ETFs.

Weak Corporate Investment Jeopardises the Potential for Economic Growth over the Medium Term

| By Gabriela Huerta | 0 Comentarios

Domestic consumption continues to be favourable but corporate investment is particularly weak, jeopardising the potential for economic growth in the US over the medium term. This is the view of Guy Wagner, Chief Investment Officer at Banque de Luxembourg, and his team, in their monthly analysis, ‘Highlights’.

US GDP data for the second quarter confirmed the continuation of stable, moderate growth despite economic activity being increasingly fragile. Domestic consumption continues to be favourable but “corporate investment is particularly weak, jeopardising the potential for economic growth in the US over the medium term,” indicates Wagner, and continues: “In Europe, political uncertainties have not so far led to an economic slowdown and growth is weak but positive.” In Japan, the government announced a new public spending programme to stimulate economic growth. In China, the short-term economic goals are reached on the back of public stimulus measures.

After the Brexit: Bank of England cuts interest rates
At the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy committee (FOMC) meeting in July, the monetary authorities left interest rates unchanged despite the recent improvement in economic statistics and the stock market rebound since the British referendum. “There is still uncertainty over a second hike in key interest rates – following that in December 2015 – due to the weakness of economic growth. The flattening of the US yield curve since the start of the year could continue”, thinks the Luxembourgish economist. The European Central Bank is continuing to execute its planned programme of buying up debt securities from corporate and public issuers in the eurozone. The Bank of England cut the interest rates to 0.25% to offset the unfavourable economic and financial impact of ‘Brexit’.

Equity markets have fully recovered from Brexit decision
In July, the main stock markets posted gains. Guy Wagner: “Paradoxically, the British decision to leave the European Union has had a positive impact on share prices due to the central banks declaring that they would introduce support measures in the event of unfavourable economic and financial repercussions from Brexit.” The recent improvement in US economic statistics also boosted risk assets. The S&P 500 in the United States, the Stoxx 600 in Europe, the Topix in Japan and the MSCI Emerging Markets (in USD) gained during the month. Given the central banks’ strategies to support equity markets and the lack of alternatives, share prices are continuing to rise despite less than encouraging economic prospects and a proliferation of political risks.

Euro appreciated slightly against the dollar
In July, the euro appreciated slightly against the dollar. The recent improvement in US economic statistics helped the dollar strengthen slightly at the beginning of the month. But the Federal Reserve’s decision to leave interest rates unchanged subsequently put pressure on the US currency.

Political Risk is Here to Stay

| By Fórmate a Fondo | 0 Comentarios

The Brexit lesson has been learned: political risk is here to stay, and should be treated with caution. The good news for the coming quarter, according to Gaël Combes, Equities Fundamental Analyst, and Florian Ielpo, Head of Macro Research in Cross Asset Solutions at Unigestion, is that growth across developed economies should be slightly better, as consumption should remain supportive.

Emerging economiesare still set on an improving trend and the combination of improvements in both sets of countries is an encouraging sign for financial assets correlated to growth. However, politics is not the only risk: China’s gigantic level of debt is a natural source of concern as well. Risks are not off the table, but the outlook for the quarter to come is slightly better than for the previous one. That will be contingent on central banks’ planning – but that is business as usual.

Enlarge

Growth in GPD per capita (left) and country shares in global GDP (right). Source: IMF and Unigestion

For now, the first of the potential market stress triggers is, naturally, political risk. There is a rise in anti-establishment votes across developed economies, reflecting the perceived failure of liberal capitalist economies to keep their promises of a better tomorrow. Globalization fears and a slower rate of improvement in standards of living have been two salient features of the past three years. Increasing wealth and income inequality or the migration scare are also factors in this new political situation.

The good old left and right parties’ political system is struggling to adjust to this new political map as populism no longer belongs specifically to one of the two sides. A similar situation has occurred over the past 20 years – the Greek Syriza party is probably the best example of all – but never did one of the 10 biggest countries show such an endorsement for an anti-establishment electoral proposal. Indeed, the Brexit vote shows two things: first, what has long remained a minority of unhappy voters using political extremes to show their disgruntlement may now become an actual governing force.

Second, it is also a demonstration to other countries – especially in Europe – that the vox populi can turn institutions upside down: “if they did it, so can we”, a message of hope for other dissident political parties. After the Brexit vote, the next political event to watch will be the Italian referendum in October and then the US elections in November.

The success of the Italian referendum is a condition for the current Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi not to step down from his current position: the vote will offer leverage against the political establishment, creating the temptation to express frustrations. It is not an event on the scale of Brexit, but it could be another hint of what is happening across Europe: Eurosceptics are on the rise.

The US election could be a more significant step in this process, and the battle stands a good chance to be close: wealth and income inequality are particularly strong in the US, and the social unrest that it creates is supportive of Donald Trump. This list of events will extend itself next year, with the French, Dutch and German elections. The Netherlands is a country particularly at risk, with the PVV party enjoying strong success: an eventful political perspective for the quarters ahead.

Markets Should Not Be So Disappointed at Japan’s Policy Measures

| By Gabriela Huerta | 0 Comentarios

A year ago, I attended a conference organized by one of our clients, and all the talk was about China, oil, Fed rate hikes and the dollar. Japan was never mentioned. A couple of weeks ago, I attended the same event and there was no other topic of conversation but Japan—zero interest rates, the state of the banks, “helicopter money”, the strong yen.

It’s not difficult to explain the shift in focus. On top of all of those subjects, July 29 saw the announcement of a new set of stimulus measures, 19 days after elections had delivered a stronger mandate for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s LDP-led coalition and, of course, his “Abenomics” project. Moreover, there was a growing sense that governments may be getting ready to loosen fiscal policy as central banks reach the limits of effective monetary policy, and that Japan is at the vanguard of this development.

No Eye-Catching Headlines…
That notion took a bit of a hit in the week following the July 29 announcement, however. While the Bank of England managed to surprise positively with its first post-Brexit rate cut and QE boost, the market was disappointed with what the Bank of Japan (BoJ) unveiled. The yen strengthened sharply and Japanese equities swooned. Perhaps all the talk of helicopter money had raised expectations too high.

But there are many things the authorities can do before they have to deploy helicopter money, which as we know by now would require enabling legislation to become legal in Japan, and the new package of policies includes meaningful steps in the right direction.

To start with, the economic stimulus package was big, if not earth-shattering: more than ¥28 trillion, of which almost half would come in fiscal measures. On the monetary-policy side, QE was held steady, rates were kept negative and ETF purchases are set to double.

Other details were arguably more interesting, however. We found out that there would be more coordination between the BoJ and finance minister Taro Aso, for example. There will be a review of the effectiveness of the BoJ’s QE program in September, which might also be a hint of the shift from monetary to fiscal stimulus to come.

…But Plenty of Eye-Catching Details
Fiscal stimulus works best when accompanied by significant structural reform. Again, we see encouraging signs in the new package from Japan. Effective structural reform differs from one country to the next. The U.K. has a flexible labor force, but lacks housing and energy infrastructure strategy; in the U.S., bridges, airports and highways are falling apart and the tax laws are labyrinthine; in Italy, governance needs serious reform.

Japan has no shortage of great infrastructure. It is, however, acutely exposed to the developed-world problem of a shrinking and aging workforce. Effective labor-market reforms can make that shrinking workforce more productive: You can enlarge it by incentivizing people to enter or reenter the workforce, and by welcoming more workers from outside; you can support those unable to enter the workforce to consume more.

The new stimulus package did not contain headline-grabbing helicopters or immigration-policy overhauls, and that might explain why the market has expressed disappointment. But it quietly ticked a lot of these boxes. Wages for teachers are going up, for example, creating more disposable income and investing in future productivity. There are plans to spend more on childcare availability and quality to enable mothers to reenter or remain in the workforce. Tax rules that penalize families’ second earners will come under review, and welfare spending for those on lower incomes will go up to incentivize consumption.

Where Japan Leads, the Rest of the World Follows
What happens if policies such as these succeed where bridge-building and QE have failed?

Japanese government bond markets may have offered a signal. Long-dated bond yields made their biggest jump in three years. It’s a good idea not to read too much into the movements of such a thin market, but we should take this kind of thing seriously nonetheless: With yields at current levels, a drop in principal value like this wipes out almost a decade’s worth of cash flows. The marginal seller was making a pretty clear vote for future inflation. The investors who failed to turn up for the government bond auction on the Tuesday following July 29 had the same thing in mind.

The end game for this unprecedented policy path is far from clear, but it probably includes abandoning the Japanese government bond market to the BoJ’s swelling balance sheet (it’s already on course to own half the market within two years); a plummeting yen; and high inflation gnawing away at the country’s 230% debt-to-GDP ratio. In turn, that could give the government much more leeway for fiscal expansion than seems evident today.

So far, this appears to have been lost in translation for many market participants. But the hints are very real in the recent news out of Japan—and there is no reason to assume that where Japan leads, much of the developed world won’t eventually follow.

Neuberger Berman’s CIO insight by Brad Tank

David Kowach Named President and Head of Wells Fargo Advisors

| By Fórmate a Fondo | 0 Comentarios

Wells Fargo & Company announced on Thursday that David Kowach has been named president and head of Wells Fargo Advisors (WFA), the company’s national retail brokerage, effective immediately. Kowach will report to David Carroll, senior executive vice president and head of Wells Fargo Wealth and Investment Management (WIM). He succeeds Mary Mack, who was named head of Community Banking for Wells Fargo effective July 31.

Kowach has worked in the financial services industry for 25 years and has been with Wells Fargo and its predecessors for almost his entire career. Since 2012 he has served as head of WFA’s Private Client Group, WFA’s largest business channel with nearly 11,000 financial advisors who serve clients in all 50 states. Kowach will continue to be based in St. Louis and will lead the WFA Operating Committee. The company will address the matter of Kowach’s successor shortly.

“Ever since he began his career as a financial advisor, David Kowach has been focused on what is best for clients,” Carroll said. “David is well known and highly respected for his industry knowledge, deep relationships and proven results. He has a demonstrated track record of creativity and a vision for the evolution of the advisory business that is so important to our future competitiveness.”

Prior to leading the Private Client Group, Kowach led WFA’s Business Development Group where he was responsible for financial advisor recruitment and retention, growth strategies and national sales. He began his career as a financial advisor in the Philadelphia area.

“I’ve always believed that Wells Fargo’s advisors and team members are the best in the industry when it comes to serving clients,” said Kowach. “I’m so proud and honored for the opportunity to work with them and our partners to take care of clients and prepare our business for the future.”

Kowach is a graduate of Villanova University with a degree in finance. He actively supports several St. Louis-area charitable organizations, including the St. Louis Zoo, United Way, Forest Park Forever and Central Institute for the Deaf. Kowach and his wife Kerrin have two daughters.

Bill Miller Leaves Legg Mason Acquiring Legg Mason’s Stake in LMM

| By Gabriela Huerta | 0 Comentarios

Legg Mason, announced on Thursday that it has reached an agreement with Bill Miller for the acquisition by Miller of all of Legg Mason’s interests in LMM LLC.

Miller will be no longer tied to Legg Mason and as a result of the operation he, together with companies he controls, will own 100% of LMM. The firm provides investment management services to Legg Mason Opportunity Trust, Miller Income Opportunity Trust and related strategies. There will be no changes to the investment team or portfolio management responsibilities as a result of the transaction, company said in a press release.

Bill Miller, Chief Investment Officer of LMM, said: “This transaction affirms my ongoing commitment to managing our funds and to our investors. I am excited about the future of LMM, and our team is dedicated to our long-term, value-driven approach and to true active management. I am thankful to Legg Mason for our 35-year relationship and to the many great people I’ve worked with along the way.”

“Bill has been an important part of the growth and success of Legg Mason over the years and we appreciate his many contributions. We wish Bill and his team continued success in the future. Today’s announcement is consistent with Legg Mason’s strategy of focusing on our nine diverse managers with size and scale that can be leveraged across global distribution,” said Joseph A. Sullivan, Chairman and CEO of Legg Mason.

Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.The transaction is expected to close on or around the calendar year end, subject to customary conditions and regulatory approvals.

LMM LLC is a registered investment advisor founded in 1999. LMM’s long-term, value-driven investment approach produces flexible strategies with high active share. LMM is headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland, and has $1.8 billion in assets under management as of July 31, 2016

The Global Private Credit Market is Flourishing

| By Gabriela Huerta | 0 Comentarios

The global private credit market, an alternative source of financing for small and medium sized enterprises, is flourishing, with institutional capital supporting increased lending in Europe in particular, according to a report by the Alternative Credit Council (ACC), a private credit industry body affiliated with the Alternative Investment Management Association (AIMA), and Deloitte, the business advisory firm.

The private credit market has grown from $440 billion last year, to $560 billion today. The research, Financing the Economy 2016, found that institutional capital is boosting lending in Europe and much of this growth has been driven by demand from European businesses. However, the US still remains the largest private credit market, both in terms of overall assets under management, and new assets raised in 2015.

The research is based on a survey of alternative lenders, representing assets under management totalling $670 billion, of which $170 billion is allocated to private credit strategies.

Stuart Fiertz, the Chairman of the ACC and President of Cheyne Capital, said: “As the recovery from the financial crisis continues, business innovation and demand for credit shows no signs of slowing. Alternative lenders are primed and ready to continue to fill the lending gap, but this is not necessarily at the expense of the traditional lenders. We see a cooperative relationship occurring between banks and alternative asset managers.”

Floris Hovingh, Head of Alternative Capital Solutions at Deloitte, said: “In the last couple of years, alternative lending has seen huge growth in Europe and is likely to accelerate over the next 24 months as a result of Brexit. As trade negotiations get underway, alternative lenders could be well positioned to navigate the increased risk in the market and price this accordingly.”

87% of global alternative lenders surveyed prior to the UK’s referendum said that the best lending opportunities are currently in the UK. This is followed by France (62%), Germany (54%), Spain (54%) and the US (50%).

Pension funds were cited by 57% of respondents as the biggest investor category, while a further 30% said pension funds were their second biggest source of capital. Insurance companies, endowments, foundations and sovereign wealth funds were other investor types cited as sources of capital for private debt funds.

The research found that most financing is going to businesses with pre-tax profits of $10 million or more. Most loans are greater than $5 million in size and half are in the $25m-$100m range. In comparison, bond market financing, a common form of non-bank finance for larger corporates, is in the $100m-$300m range.

The research also found that most private credit funds use little or no leverage, have low default rates and are structured in a way to prevent liquidity mismatches, bank-style runs and other financial stability problems. Fund managers said growing demand was partly driven by the flexibility, responsiveness and expertise of alternative lenders.

To view the full report, please click here.

Jupiter Hires Magnus Spence for New Alternatives Role

| By Alicia Miguel | 0 Comentarios

Jupiter has announced the appointment of Magnus Spence as Head of Investments, Alternatives. In this newly-created position, Magnus, who joins on 30^th August 2016, will be responsible for developing and expanding Jupiter’s capability in this strategically-important asset class.

Magnus will focus initially on the current range of Jupiter long/short equity UCITS products: Sicav funds Jupiter Europa and Jupiter Global Absolute Return, and a UK domiciled absolute return unit trust fund. In the medium term, Magnus’ focus will be on broadening Jupiter’s alternatives product range across asset class, region and country. He will report into Stephen Pearson, Chief Investment Officer, and work closely with James Clunie, Head of Strategy, Absolute Return as well as the rest of the investment team.

Magnus has 15 years’ experience in the alternatives asset management industry. Most recently, he has worked as Head of Product at Fidante Partners (formerly Dexion Capital plc) since early 2015. His role there involved the development of a liquid alternatives investment management platform. Prior to this, Magnus was Chief Executive and Managing Partner of Dalton Strategic Partnership LLP from 2011-2014, a specialist equity firm which he co-founded in 2002. In this position, he was instrumental in the development of the firm’s hedge fund, specialist equity fund and segregated account business aimed at both UK and international clients.

Stephen Pearson, Chief Investment Officer said: “We are very much looking forward to welcoming someone of Magnus’ experience and calibre to the investment management team we are building at Jupiter. Magnus will be working closely with me, James and the fund management team to strengthen and broaden our presence in the alternatives sector. This is an asset class which is highly sought after and important for the future development of our investment proposition’’.

Magnus Spence said: “This is an exciting time to join Jupiter. There is great potential for growth in the alternatives space both domestically and internationally. Jupiter, with its reputation for investment excellence, has the right ingredients to become a leading player in alternatives and I look forward to the opportunity of working with the entire team to meet this objective.