In order to gain from a major technological and social shift that is still under-exploited by investors despite its strong value creation credentials, Edmond de Rothschild Asset Management, a pioneer in investment themes like healthcare – EdR Fund Global Healthcare has just celebrated its 30th birthday- is launching Edmond de Rothschild Fund Global Data.
The fund takes a stock-picking approach across all capitalization sizes and geographical zones, investing in growth stocks which have only limited exposure to global economic conditions.
Jacques-Aurélien Marcireau, the fund manager, has isolated several different but complementary stock profiles. Some companies (infrastructure) collect data and sell them to clients; others (analytics) develop software which analyses data while the third category concerns data users, or non-tech companies which have already integrated big data into their main business so as to achieve competitive edge.
The fund is a balanced blend of core holdings (51% minimum) in established big data players and companies which are capable of using big data to transform their business model. To mark the launch of EdR Fund Global Data, the international equity team has just been reinforced with the arrival of Nan Zhang, a junior fund manager and analyst.
A New Value-Creating Investment Opportunity
The arrival of big data is ushering in major social changes and forcing companies to adapt their strategy. The concept emerged at the beginning of the decade and covers two key areas: technological innovation to facilitate data storage but also, and perhaps more importantly, new developments tied to the rapid increase in connected objects which are bringing billions of people together.Huge sections of the economy are concerned by a development which seeks to turn data into a key decision-making tool, thereby creating value for companies.
Harnessing exponential flows of data (Volume) from different sources (Variety) which are most often cross-referenced in real time (Velocity) allows companies to better understand their markets, boost organisational efficiency and generate robust revenues. The financial gains from such large-scale analysis based on the 3V concept could run into billions of US dollars in coming years.Economic players will benefit from as yet largely untapped growth from digital data reckoned to hit 35,000 exabytes in 2020, or twenty times more than in 2010. According to the International Data Corporation (IDC), only 0.5 % of global data is currently being analysed.
Giants like IBM, Cisco and Microsoft as well as start-ups have big ambitions in data analysis which they see as a value-creating tool.A good number of sectors like insurance or autos are making huge efforts to collect as much data on customer behaviour as possible to optimise risk analysis and identify new markets. Growing use of big data should also radically transform the healthcare sector with the emergence of personalised medicine. Companies, governments and entire cities will see real benefits from this development. Estimates suggest that the smart city market, for example, will be worth USD 100 bn by 2030.
Catalonia is voting to renew its parliament this Sunday. Contrary to other regions, attention was not focused on emerging parties like Podemos and Ciudadanos but completely monopolized by the independence question. Debates have mostly opposed the pro-independence list “Together for Yes”, led by current President Artur Mas, to the rest of parties that defend the unity of Spain. “We expect the current uncertainty to ease in the medium term, in particular after the general elections of December, since the next central government should take note of the Catalan elections and start negotiations for additional political and fiscal autonomy”, explains Jean-Alexandre Vaglio, member of the Research team at AXA IM.
The Catalan political landscape is facing an almost unprecedented situation. The ruling Convergence and Union (CiU), that federated the Democratic Convergence of Catalonia (CDC) and the Democratic Union of Catalonia (UDC) since the first post-Franco elections, was dissolved due to diverging opinions regarding the Catalan independence process. Artur Mas, President of Catalonia and leader of the CDC, is now running the pro-independence joint list “Junts pel Si” (JS, Together for Yes) that gathers the centrist CDC and the Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC). In addition to this move, Mas directly called for a plebiscitary vote to turn this regional election into the referendum he wanted last year and that he had rebranded in a “participation process”, to abide by the Spanish Constitution.
As yet, polls suggest that JS will not be able to get the absolute majority, even though it is leading polls and that the Catalan system favours more than proportionally the party that ends up with the most votes. The Popular Unity Candidacy (CUP), an emerging extreme-left party, chose not to ally with JS but might support it just for the sake of the unilateral independence declaration, such that latest polls found JS-CUP might get a short absolute majority (set at 68 seats). Parties opposed to independence, Popular’s Party (PP), Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE) and Ciudadanos gather roughly the same votes than three years ago, though the breakdown is different, to the advantage of Ciudadanos and mostly at the expense of PSOE. Lastly, Podemos joined ecologists to form Catalunya Si que es Pot (“Catalonia Yes we can”), with a moderate stance as regards independence, not supporting it but letting voters decide through a referendum. However, to the contrary of what happened in Barcelona, Podemos does not seem to get much traction, since this joint list currently polls at 13-14%, while its allies already got 10% in the 2012 elections.
“Overall, such reshuffle of parties casts some shadow on the final output of these elections which look like a very close call, in a very fragmented context.
As for last year’s “participation process”, debates have experienced a significant escalation, with strong stances adopted by opposing parties in the run-up to elections. Hence, if the situation is to remain volatile in the short term, it may ease and stabilize in the medium term once negotiations are engaged with the central government, probably about additional political and fiscal autonomy. The stability of the forthcoming government will also be questioned as electoral themes outside independence were neglected while they can differ very significantly between the parties that have similar positions on independence, in particular for JS and CUP, which would find very difficult to coordinate and rule Catalonia together”.
Old Mutual Global Investors announced that the Old Mutual Absolute Return Government Bond Fund, which is a UCITs fund, and the Old Mutual Liquid Macro Fund, which is a Qualifying Investor Alternative Investment Fund (QIAIF), will be launched on 7 October 2015, with US$ 150 million of seed capital from Old Mutual plc.
The funds will be managed by Russ Oxley and his team, who joined Old Mutual Global Investors from Ignis Asset Management earlier this year. Russ Oxley, the lead manager, and co-managers Adam Purzitsky and Paul Shanta, will be supported in their portfolio management and trading by Huw Davies and Jin Wong, and in systems development by Josh Heming.
“This is a very exciting development for our company as a lot of work has been undertaken to prepare for the launch of this range. We have had a lot of interest from investors as Russ and his team are highly respected, having one of the best track records of managing absolute return government bond funds in our industry. We are therefore confident that demand will be strong from our global client base”, said Warren Tonkinson, managing director of Old Mutual Global Inverstors.
The objective of the funds is to seek to deliver positive total returns on a rolling 12-month basis with stable levels of volatility uncorrelated to bond and equity market conditions. The Old Mutual Absolute Return Government Bond Fund will be managed to a volatility target of 4%-6%, with expected annualized returns of cash plus 5%. The Old Mutual Liquid Macro Fund, which will also offer investors daily liquidity, will be managed to a volatility target of 7%-9%, with expected annualized returns of cash plus 8%. The funds aim to be diversified from global fixed income markets by employing a highly distinctive investment strategy focused on expressing views on macro themes through exposure to forward interest rates, inflation expectations and foreign exchange.
The low correlation with global bond markets is likely to be appealing at a time when the traditional safe-haven role of government bond markets is increasingly questionable. Due to the distinctive process and avoidance of credit and credit-like assets, and of emerging market debt the Fund is also expected to exhibit low correlation with other absolute return investment strategies (including global macro hedge funds, fixed income, equity and multi-asset based strategies), making it a potentially attractive addition to a portfolio. The portfolio managers will place a strong emphasis on investing in highly liquid assets, in which the market has historically remained liquid, even in the most extreme periods, including for example the global financial crisis.
“We are delighted that Old Mutual will be supporting the strategy with US$ 150 million of seed capital at launch. This demonstrates the belief we have in the strategy and our commitment, to both these Funds, and to the development of the Alternatives business within Old Mutual Global Investors. We have successfully delivered uncorrelated returns in our highly liquid Global Equity Market Neutral strategy, which now has over US$ 4.5 billion in client assets under management, and we hope for similar investor support for this highly liquid, uncorrelated, strategy”, commented Donald Pepper, managing director of Alternatives.
“Our investment philosophy hinges on the belief that, through a detailed understanding of forward interest rates, it is possible to express views on global macro trends in a very precise way. Through our approach to investing, we are able to target specific risks and opportunities, without “inadvertently” taking economic exposures to those risks we would rather avoid. At the core of our approach is the understanding that forward rates are influenced by very different factors depending on their location on the curve. We believe we have the potential to deliver positive returns for investors within clearly defined volatility parameters irrespective of the direction of interest rates. Our investment track record of successfully managing these strategies is clear evidence that our process if very effective”, commented Adam Purzitsky, co-manager of the fund.
Paul Shanta, co-manager of the fund, also added: “We have developed a unique investment strategy over a period of many years and a product that we think plays a valuable role in our clients’ wider portfolio. Joining Old Mutual Global Investors has given us the opportunity to further enhance our processes and technology and to prepare a bespoke platform for the launch of our new funds. We are excited about being part of an organization that shares our ambition and now look forward to working with investors.”
Foto: Giuseppe Milo
. Morningstar 2015 ETF Conference: soluciones estratégicas, tácticas o de gestor, a discusión
Morningstar has announced the speakers and agenda for its sixth annual ETF Conference, Sept. 29-Oct. 1 at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel and Towers. The conference features experts from across the exchange-traded fund (ETF) industry including Morningstar analysts, who will provide in-depth knowledge and perspective for financial advisors.
“With more than $2 trillion in assets under management in the growing U.S. ETF industry, investors and their advisors face myriad options when it comes to ETF investing,” Ben Johnson, CFA, Morningstar’s director of global ETF research, said. “Our sixth annual ETF Conference will gather industry experts to discuss and debate three key areas of ETF investing—strategy, tactics, and managed-portfolio solutions—to help investors achieve better outcomes.”
Joe Davis, Vanguard principal and chief economist, will deliver the keynote opening address on Tuesday, Sept. 29. Charles Ellis, founder of Greenwich Associates and author of Winning the Loser’s Game and Falling Short: The Coming Retirement Crisis and What to Do about It, will give the keynote luncheon address on Wednesday, Sept. 30.
General session speakers on Wednesday, Sept. 30, are Andrea Frazzini, Ph.D., AQR; Jason Hsu, Research Affiliates; and Mark Kiesel, PIMCO. Jim Crowley, Pershing; and Jon Stein, Betterment, will address attendees on Thursday, Oct. 1.
The popular “Meet the Pundits” panel will close the conference on Oct. 1. Morningstar’s Johnson, ETF.com’s Matt Hougan, and ETF Trends’ Tom Lydon will engage in a no-holds-barred discussion of the latest trends in the ETF industry, moderated by author and journalist John Wasik.
The conference offers 15 breakout sessions focusing on strategic, tactical, and managed-portfolio solutions. Speakers from BlackRock/iShares, Eaton Vance, Envestnet, Fidelity, Invesco PowerShares, J.P. Morgan, MSCI, Windham, and WisdomTree, among other firms, will cover an array of timely topics, including:
Strategic beta abroad;
Currency-hedged ETFs;
The active/passive debate and the future of active ETFs;
Tactical asset allocation;
Accessing alternative strategies and niche markets through ETFs; and
Managing interest-rate risk and the role of fixed income.
Morningstar will offer two preconference workshops from 1-4 p.m. on Sept. 29. Attendees will be able to choose one of two workshop tracks. The first workshop, “The ABCs of ETFs,” will cover the evolution of ETFs as an investment vehicle and provide a practical review of ETFs by asset class, along with their benefits and limitations. The other workshop, “An Overview of the Trends Shaping the ETF Market,” will offer Morningstar analysts’ insights on key topics including strategic beta, active ETFs, and the opening up of onshore Chinese stock markets.
To register for the conference, please follow this link
JP Morgan Asset Management has appointed Alex Stanic as a Portfolio Manager. Alex is based in London and joins the Global Equities Team, led by Howard Williams.
Alex has 20 years experience in the asset management industry, specialising in global equities. He spent over a decade at Newton, leading the global team, and the last six years at River & Mercantile as Head of Global Equities. Alex’s experience and track record in managing global portfolios will further strengthen an already strong team. He will work closely alongside the team managing JP Morgan Asset Management’s range of Growth equity strategies.
Commenting on the appointment, Alex Stanic said “I am thrilled to be joining JP Morgan Asset Management and to be working alongside a well-established, experienced team of portfolio managers as we look to expand the suite of global equity strategies.”
CC-BY-SA-2.0, FlickrPhoto: Heribert pohl. Misperceptions of Thailand
Nikko Asset Management has launched a Luxemburg domiciled Asia ex-Japan Equity UCITS fund. The fund is managed by Nikko Asset Management’s experienced Asia ex-Japan equities team headed by Peter Sartori and Eng Teck Tan as lead portfolio managers. Its active Asia ex-Japan equity strategy has been managed by the team since 2006.
The Asia ex-Japan strategy aims to achieve long-term capital growth by investing in a portfolio of 40- 60 mid- to large-cap stocks issued by companies in the Asia ex-Japan region. The team takes an active investment approach based on thorough fundamental research, taking advantage of mispricings in Asian equities.
The fund provides access to Nikko Asset Management’s proven Asia ex-Japan team and market leading resources in Asian fund management. The company has approximately 200 investment professionals operating in 11 countries, nine of which are based in Asia.
This latest fund launch builds on the success of Nikko Asset Management’s launch of the Global Equity and Global Multi Asset UCITS earlier this year. The firm continues to expand its range of UCITS funds for sophisticated global investors, providing access to a broad range of exposures across developed and emerging markets.
“We have launched the fund in response to investor demand for specialist expertise in actively managed investments in Asia ex-Japan,” Sartori commented. “The need for a highly skilled active fund management team with on-the-ground resources, and experience in different market conditions is increasing.”
“Our experienced Asia ex-Japan team has worked closely together since 1999, and they have a proven track record of long term outperformance through the different market cycles across Asia. This expertise is invaluable in delivering alpha in the fast evolving Asian markets.”
Nikko Asset Management will launch further UCITS funds later in 2015 to meet investors’ demands for access to specialist investment strategies.
OppenheimerFunds announced a strategic partnership in which Apollo Credit Management, which is an affiliate of Apollo Global Management, LLC, will serve as sub-sub-advisor to the Oppenheimer Global Strategic Income Fund (GSIF).
“As a progressive money manager, OppenheimerFunds consistently strives to add value for our clients. Apollo Credit Management offers a wide range of alternative investment credit strategies that complement our strong in-house fixed income capabilities, which will help us continue to deliver a very compelling offering,” said Art Steinmetz, Chairman, CEO and President of OppenheimerFunds.
“Continuing the fund’s history of innovation, we wanted a quality partner in terms of performance, investment team and most importantly, one that shares our cultural viewpoint on serving investors first. We are launching our relationship via our marquee fixed income product, and will explore other potential initiatives over time.”
“We are delighted to partner with OppenheimerFunds on this innovative approach to provide their investors with access to Apollo’s flagship liquid alternative credit solution. These credit exposures, which have historically only been available to Apollo’s institutional investors, offer significant yield advantages and diversification to the individual investor,” said Marc Rowan, co-founder and senior managing director of Apollo.
“Similar to Apollo, OppenheimerFunds is focused on delivering investment excellence to its clients, and we look forward to a long and prosperous partnership with such a high-caliber institution.”
Global Strategic Income Fundis dedicated to providing current income from diversified sources of fixed income investments while maintaining low overall volatility relative to the multi-sector fixed income category. GSIF utilizes the complete set of OppenheimerFunds’ taxable fixed income capabilities, and the new partnership will help the Fund access non-traditional fixed income market opportunities – including structured credit, middle-market loans, direct real estate investments and insurance-linked securities – to improve yield and overall risk-adjusted performance, diversify the fund to minimize volatility, and advance the firm’s history of innovation.
“Our partnership with Apollo Credit Management is very exciting as it gives us access to different areas of the credit markets that can provide low-correlated, diversified sources of high income for our fund shareholders,” said Michael Mata, portfolio manager of GSIF at OppenheimerFunds. “Our shareholders will receive the benefits of our scale and service without paying extra to reach these non-traditional asset classes.”
Robeco Group and RobecoSAM have announced that they have been awarded A+ scores by the United Nations-supported Principles for Responsible Investment (UN PRI) for their overarching approach to responsible investment. Of the 681 investment managers that are signatories of the UNPRI, only 16% received A+ scores for their overarching approach. Robeco has been a signatory of the UNPRI since 2006, RobecoSAM since 2007.
Roderick Munsters, CEO of Robeco: “I am delighted that Robeco has achieved A+ scores for all the different modules assessed by the UN PRI. It is testimony to our approach to Sustainability Investing; we were one of the first larger asset managers to make Sustainability Investing a strategic priority over a decade ago, and today Sustainability Investing is one of the strategic pillars of our 2014-2018 strategy. The high scores we have been awarded for all the modules confirm our leadership in Sustainability Investing across all asset classes. I’m convinced that the importance of sustainability investing will continue to increase and that our expertise in this area will continue to benefit our clients and us.”
Michael Baldinger, CEO of RobecoSAM: “We are proud to have been awarded such outstanding scores by the UN PRI. RobecoSAM has shaped the Sustainability Investing landscape over the past 20 years and these strong results reflect our unwavering conviction that financial analysis without ESG integration is incomplete. Our focus over the last two decades has helped us develop A+-rated knowledge, tools and best practices which are of benefit to both current and future clients. “
Although RobecoSAM’s scores are partly reflected in Robeco’s group score, the company was also assessed separately since it is a UN PRI signatory in its own right.
Foto: ChristianFraustoBernal. Deutsche AWM ficha a Pascal Landrove como managing director y SRM de su negocio de banca privada en México
Deutsche Asset & Wealth Management (Deutsche AWM) has announced that Pascal Landrove has joined the Bank as a Managing Director and Senior Relationship Manager for Mexico. Based in Geneva, Landrove reports locally to Matthias Musch, Head of Wealth Management, Latin America within Switzerland and directly to Felipe Godard, Head of Wealth Management, Latin America.
“We have been focused on strategically building out our Private Bank in Latin America, and believe Pascal will play a significant role in expanding our business in Mexico,” said Godard. “His deep, local relationships and extensive experience will help grow Deutsche’s Wealth Management platform’s market share in the region.”
Landrove has over 15 years of wealth management experience, and joins the Bank from Lombard Oddier, where he spent seven years as a Managing Director and Relationship Manager, covering Mexico. Prior to Lombard, Landrove spent over a decade at UBS, where he spent most of his tenure covering Latin America as a Relationship Manager and Desk Head for Mexico.
Over the past year, Deutsche AWM has expanded their private banking presence in several key markets including Latin America, the West Coast, Texas, and Miami. Earlier this year, Dessy Arteaga joined the Bank as a Senior Relationship Manager, Santiago Trigo joined as the Head of Central America, Andean and Southern Cone regions, and most recently, Francesca Boschini joined as an International Wealth Planner with a focus on Latin America.
Other private bank hires have included Lee Hutter, who was appointed Head of the US Western region last September, and Mark Laroe, who was hired to start the Dallas Private Banking office. In addition, Deutsche AWM hired private banking teams in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles throughout 2014.
deVere Group, one of the world’s largest independent financial advisory organizations, has named Peter Hobbs as its Chairman. Mr Hobbs joined deVere Group’s Board of Directors in June 2013 in a non-executive role. He was previously a former director of Generali International and Generali Pan Europe and ultimately responsible for the Generali Group’s strategic innovation programs and developments in more than 60 countries worldwide.
Effective immediately in his new position, his primary focus will be working with Nigel Green, deVere Group’s founder and chief executive, and Beverley Yeomans, the Chief Operating Officer, to effectively guide, review and further develop the Group’s global strategy and business plans.
Of the appointment, CEO Nigel Green, comments: “In a stellar international financial services industry career, Peter has enjoyed a long list of key accomplishments and, clearly, he has an abundance of top level experience. He has a robust record in managing and leading organizations, a thorough regulatory understanding of the sector and, through his role as a non-executive director, a strong empathy with our culture and commitment to serving clients. We’re thrilled he has decided to take on the role of deVere Group chairman.”
Commenting on his Chairmanship, Peter Hobbs affirms: “deVere Group has grown substantially over the last few years to become one of the largest financial advisory companies of its kind. Since joining the Board I have seen the organisation’s management adapt and take advantage of the challenges and opportunities companies of its size and type face in respect of both the market and regulatory challenges.
New sources of business and revenues through organic growth, including the examination of the value chain, and acquisitions of brands like Acuma and Workplace Solutions are bringing greater diversity, and the Group will further capitalise on the exciting business opportunities that will present themselves over the coming years. Many challenges remain, but with the prudent deployment of future capital, linked to a disciplined approach to corporate governance and marketing initiatives, I would expect the Group to continue its successful upward curve.”
