Columbia Threadneedle Investments in Strategic Tie Up with Rio Bravo Investimentos in Brazil

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Columbia Threadneedle Investments has entered into an exclusive partnership with Rio Bravo Investimentos, the Brazilian independent money-management firm founded by former central bank head Gustavo Franco, to launch a Brazilian-domiciled fund available to Brazilian pension fund clients.

The fund, wholly managed by Rio Bravo and designed as a feeder, is fully invested in Columbia Threadneedle’s European Select strategy, a successful high alpha European equities portfolio. Due to current regulatory restrictions that prevent Brazilian corporate pension funds from holding more than 25% of total AUM of a fund, the Rio Bravo fund is launching with seed capital of BRL 34 million (approx. USD 8.5 million).

Joseph Sweigart, Senior Institutional Sales Director, Latin America Institutional Distribution at Columbia Threadneedle Investments said: “We are very pleased to partner with Rio Bravo Investimentos, a highly regarded, independent asset manager with long-standing institutional client relationships. We believe that Brazilian pension fund clients will be interested in funds that can generate both high alpha and geographic diversification. Columbia Threadneedle’s European equities team has the proven track record and quality focus to deliver long-term outperformance. Despite the low growth in European economies, the continent counts some of the world’s leading stocks, making it the perfect hunting ground for investors.”

Sweigart will be in Brazil to present at the 36th ABRAPP – Brazilian National Pension Fund – Congress on 8th October, talking about the benefits of global diversification for investors.

If You Want a Career in Asset Management You Should Choose One of These Schools

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If You Want a Career in Asset Management You Should Choose One of These Schools
Foto: Kevin Dooley . Si quieres hacer carrera en asset management, estudia en una de estas universidades

For students considering careers in asset management, college and university officials seeking to market their institutions, asset management firms looking for new recruits or anyone with an interest in the top schools feeding talent into the asset management industry, the 2015 eVestment Education Report is a must-read.

Institutional asset managers around the globe provide a variety of data, including the educational backgrounds and industry tenure of firms’ key professionals. The new report offers a look at the top United States schools supplying talent to the asset management industry overall, with additional rankings of key U.S. markets, firm roles, specific investment segments, year of graduation and more. The report even looks at how famous rival colleges like Harvard vs. Yale and Boston College vs. Boston University stack up against each other in placing top talent at asset management firms.

The report also notes interesting facts about employment trends at asset management firms, including that 13.9% of key professionals at asset management firms have not worked in the industry long enough to see a Fed rate hike.

The full report ranks 75 national universities and 15 liberal arts colleges in the United States. Overall, the top 20 U.S. schools, ranked by total number of alumni working as key professionals at asset management firms, are: 

  1. University of Pennsylvania
  2. Harvard University
  3. Columbia University
  4. University of Chicago
  5. New York University
  6. Stanford University
  7. Northwestern University
  8. Cornell University
  9. University of California – Los Angeles
  10. Boston College
  11. University of California – Berkeley
  12. University of Virginia
  13. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  14. University of Michigan – Ann Arbor
  15. Yale University
  16. Boston University
  17. Duke University
  18. Dartmouth College
  19. Princeton University
  20. University of Southern California

Some other interesting points from the report include:

  • The average asset management professional has 19.3 years of relevant work experience;
  • About 40% of key professionals in the asset management industry hold a bachelor’s degree as their highest educational degree;
  • About 39% of key professionals in the industry hold an MBA and about 22% have a PhD or other advanced degree.

To download a full version of the report, please use this link

 

Flexibility, Risk and Diversification: the Keys to Optimize Income

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¿Final de ciclo crediticio en Estados Unidos?
CC-BY-SA-2.0, FlickrFoto: Rob Brewer. ¿Final de ciclo crediticio en Estados Unidos?

On looking back at the asset management industry, the past few years have seen significant changes in the investment landscape. One that is affecting most investors is the levels of yield of their investments. In a world where, in many cases, interest rates are below inflation, finding sustainable sources of income is proving ever more challenging. Fixed income, the traditional source of income, has been hit particularly hard by easy monetary policies. Currently, less than 20% of the outstanding debt on the market exceeds a yield of 4%; an unthinkable scenario only a few years ago.

In such an environment, investors should look to have a more holistic approach to income generation, diversifying the sources of yield and reaching across non-traditional asset classes to achieve their income goals. For example, within the fixed income asset class, investors can diversify their holdings to incorporate sectors such as high yield corporate bonds and emerging market debt that still offer attractive yields

For those who have access to physical assets, some alternative investments carry attractive income opportunities, such as real estate or infrastructure funds due to the low correlation to the market that they offer.

However, for a successful diversified income portfolio, yield levels should not be the sole factor in defining one’s allocation. Income growth is crucial to ensure targets are reached and income growth outpaces inflation. Dividend paying companies can often play this role.

“By investing in stable companies with records of paying and growing dividends, there is a higher probability that your income portfolio can keep pace with the rising cost of living […]. In this asset class, we prefer Europe over any other developed market” highlights BlackRock.

With interest rates near record lows, investors have been looking for opportunities in these new areas. But navigating through the current environment has become more challenging. In order to make informed decisions about income-oriented strategies, it proves import to understand the key characteristics and risks of these different asset classes

Many investors reaching for higher yields have increased the risk profile of their portfolios and are often unaware that they are doing so. This is where diversification can play a crucial role in ensuring that a portfolio is not over-exposed to a particular type of risk. It is also important to be aware of new risks that need to be considered such as issuer risk for credit exposures, foreign exchange, liquidity risk and equity volatility.

According to BlackRock “Striking a balance between what investment outcome needs to be achieved and the acceptable risk level to achieve it, is arguably the single most important principle in building an income portfolio.”

This material is for educational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice nor an offer or solicitation to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any shares of any Fund (nor shall any such shares be offered or sold to any person) in any jurisdiction in which an offer, solicitation, purchase or sale would be unlawful under the securities law of that jurisdiction. If any funds are mentioned or inferred to in this material, it is possible that some or all of the funds have not been registered with the securities regulator in any Latin American country and thus might not be publicly offered within any such country. The securities regulators of such countries have not confirmed the accuracy of any information contained herein.

 

GRI Colombia, Chile, Peru: Connecting Senior Real Estate Executives Globally

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GRI Colombia, Chile, Peru: Connecting Senior Real Estate Executives Globally
CC-BY-SA-2.0, FlickrFoto: Diego F. Garcia P. . GRI Colombia, Chile, Perú: conectando a los altos cargos del sector inmobiliario

On the 11th and November 12th, the first edition of GRI Colombia – Chile – Peru will gather at the Bogotá Plaza Summit Hotel, Colombian, Chilean and Peruvian leaders of the real estate sector.

The event connects leading investors, developers and lenders to exchange ideas and deepen their business relationships during the closed-door discussions and networking sessions. It offers an effective way to identify potential partners who share common interests and enjoy doing business in a relaxed and intimate atmosphere.

At the GRI forums there’s no stage, no presentations or panels. Instead there are closed-door discussions between leaders where everyone participates.

This forum will go over the relevant issues in the market such as: Residential, joint ventures, investment vehicles, offices, hotels, next markets or Andean region big picture.

Keynote speakers include Álvaro Uribe Vélez, Former President, Colombia who will speak about “Latin America in the emerging economies century”; Sam Zell, Chairman, Equity International and Equity Investment Group to share his view on “The impact of the monetary policy on developed and emerging markets-What difference might the Pacific Alliance, MILA and TPP make?”

Other participants include: Paladin Realty Partners, USA; Terranum Corporate Properties, Colombia; TC Latin America Partners, USA; Grupo Exito, Colombia; Grupo Pegasus, Argentina; Inquietudes Inmobiliarias, Colombia; Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Colombia; Grupo Lar, Colombia; Parque Arauco, Colombia; The Blackstone Group, USA; Union Investment Real Estate, Germany; Socovesa, Chile; PSP Investments, Canada; Jamestown Latin America, Colombia; Ospinas & Cia, Colombia; Lennar International, USA; Gávea Investimentos, Brazil; Equity International, USA; and Jaguar Capital, Colombia.

Early bird offer untill October 9th.

For more information about the program and participants please download the brochure or visit our website

Standard Life Investments Creates New Tool to Manage Global Real Estate Risk

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Standard Life Investments has designed a new tool to help institutional investors manage risk and inform their decisions when investing in global real estate.

The Global Real Estate Implementation Risk tool (GREIR) can help investors find the right markets for their level of risk appetite and understand the expected returns in their global real estate portfolios. It provides an easy method for investors to assess and compare the individual risk ratings of 60 different countries.

GREIR produces a risk score for each country that can be converted into a risk adjustment factor, to achieve a more accurate comparison of the ‘at risk’ portion of expected returns from a global real estate portfolio. 

The GREIR tool aggregates three categories of global surveys, representing more than 300 data points, to evaluate and assess economic, political and real estate specific risks.

Indices from all three categories are weighted to produce a risk score of between 1 and 10 for each of the 60 countries included in the rankings.  The country with the lowest score is the least risky for real estate investment.  The seven components of the score are market size, ease of doing business, competitiveness, innovation, public sector corruption, creditdefault swap spreads, and transparency. The rankings will be updated on a quarterly basis.

Anne Breen, Standard Life Investments, Head of Real Estate Research and Strategy, said: “The level of risk in real estate investment varies enormously from country to country, and the historic measures used for these can mean investors miss changes in risk.

“Cross border investment requires a three dimensional assessment of how the mix of risks affects expected returns. The aim of the GREIR tool is to address the need for a robust framework on which to base decisions about global and regional real estate investment strategies.  It provides a more coherent measurement of the domestic risks involved, and helps investors find the right markets for their level of risk appetite.”

Over time the GREIR tool will be expanded to include leading cities within each of the countries listed.

 

Market Environment is the Determining Factor: We Must Seek New Sources of Return Beyond Traditional Assets

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Modest expected returns across a variety of asset classes, sub-par growth and a compressed outlook environment has left investors a challenge of how to maintain income when so many traditional sources of income are drying up.

The fact is that we are undergoing a drought of returns in the traditional “income” products. In order to discuss these, as well as other issues, Pioneer Investments will hold an exclusive due diligence meeting entitled “Embrace New Sources of Return” at the JW Marriott Marquis, Miami, on the 8th of October.

The event will provide attendees with the opportunity to listen to the outlook from several members of the investment team at Pioneer Investments, who will explore beyond the traditional asset classes, conventional asset allocation and risk management, identifying new and attractive solutions for investors who are looking for more flexibility, more sophistication and more active management.

According to the investment team at Pioneer Investments, trends which are changing the market revolve around three very important issues: ageing demographic, public debt and increased regulation.

All of these  factors  could jeopardize investors’ retirement and savings plans.“There is a need to consider a different way of investing that targets new sources of return, downside mitigation, and volatility management,” highlights the asset management firm.

In 1980, there were 9.8 workers at a global level for every retired person – by 2050, it is expected to drop to four workers per pensioner; and this, along with public deficits, means that in 10 to 20 years, public pension systems will encounter serious difficulties to meet the needs of its citizens.

In the past, such a scenario has led investors to run more risk yet the increase in regulation has made it harder for long-term investors to make riskier choices; and that is why the investment team at Pioneer Investments recommends the use of tools which achieve lower correlation with traditional asset classes. According to the company’s experts, this will help to maintain volatility under control and achieve higher levels of wealth accumulation over time.

To access these alternative sources of return, the industry is recording significant inflows into two types of assets: multi-asset strategies, and liquid alternative strategies.

Liquid alternative mutual funds aim to provide diversification, improve risk-adjusted returns, and may act as shock absorbers during times of market stress. They offer additional flexibility to long-only allocations as managers seek to realise opportunities from non-traditional strategies. Such flexibility allows liquid alternative strategies to seek to capture alternative sources of return while remaining relatively uncorrelated with the global equity and bond markets.

Multi-asset investments can provide different potential sources of return and a more diverse means of allocating risk than through a simple global macro strategy.

According to Pioneer, investors are increasingly inclined to invest in terms of risk-return objectives.“We believe that investors are thinking more about the risk they are willing to run and are increasingly willing to sacrifice some upside in return for better downside protection,” company sources added. Moreover, investors are adding the reliability and stability of the portfolio’s income sources to that equation , a factor that adds to the already known risk-return binomial, and the portfolio’s time horizon. 

Amongst other Pioneer Investments Portfolio Managers and Market Specialists who will be attending the “Embrace New Sources of Return” event in Miami this Thursday October 8th Adam MacNulty, will be speaking about Pioneer Funds – Global Multi-Asset Target Income, and about liquid alt strategies as well, such as Pioneer Funds – Absolute Return Multi-Strategy, and Pioneer Funds – Absolute Return Multi-Strategy Growth. Thomas Swaney will also speak on Alternative Solutions – specifically, Pioneer Funds – Long / Short Opportunistic Credit.

“If you can free up some of your assets to work harder for you, if you can accurately measure your risk tolerance and if you have trust in your asset manager to be more active in your investments, then it is our opinion that you really could have the potential to generate greater returns in this environment,” concludes the firm.

For further information on this event or Pioneer Investments’ solutions please contact: US.Offshore@pioneerinvestments.com

Luxembourg Stock Exchange and ALFI Publish a Compendium of Investment Fund Laws and Regulations

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The Luxembourg Stock Exchange in cooperation with the Association of the Luxembourg Fund Industry (ALFI) has announced the publication of a compendium of Luxembourg laws and regulations on investment funds. The compendium is currently published in English, French and German and made up of two separate publications in each language.

The first publication covers undertakings for collective investment in transferable securities (UCITS) established under Luxembourg law and contains the amended Law of 17 December 2010 on undertakings for collective investment as well as the main regulatory texts relating thereto.

The second publication covers alternative investment funds (AIFs) established under Luxembourg law and other investment vehicles which are neither UCITS nor AIFs. It contains the amended Law of 12 July 2013 on alternative investment fund managers (AIFM), the amended Law of 17 December 2010 on undertakings for collective investment, the amended Law of 13 February 2007 on specialized investment funds, the amended Law of 15 June 2004 on the investment company in risk capital as well as the main regulatory texts relating thereto.

Denise Voss, Chairman of ALFI, comments:“The publication of such a reference booklet was long overdue. The number of laws, regulations and circulars impacting investment funds is steadily increasing. Fund professionals now have access to a single source book for each particular type of fund, containing all main legal texts and accompanying circulars. I am convinced that these publications will prove extremely useful to the international investment fund community”.

Robert Scharfe, Chief Executive Officer of the Luxembourg Stock Exchange, adds:“Investment funds are the second largest segment on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange, with more than 6,500 listings. As an international exchange serving a global base, these two publications respond to a clear need from the fund industry and provide an essential reference”.

These two publications of the main legal and regulatory texts were produced by the two Luxembourg law firms, Arendt & Medernach and Elvinger, Hoss & Prussen, who have actively cooperated to select and compile the legal and regulatory texts that are relevant for the different types of investment vehicles concerned. These two law firms have also prepared the English and German translations.

Effective Communication is European Asset Managers’ Greatest Challenge

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Of all challenges facing asset managers -compliance, competition, volatile markets- Cerulli Associates believes that effective communication is the toughest. Managers are keen to restore trust and confidence in an industry tainted by the 2008 financial crisis by targeting a variety of audiences with thought leadership initiatives -sharing knowledge, developing sustained rapport- via multiple channels, finds a new report from the firm entitled European Sales and Markeging Organizations 2015.

Managers said hat they want to offer fresh perspectives and solutions to help the wider audience -some of it new to investments- which they hope will give them an edge as competition and regulatory pressures intensify. 

A total of 94% of European asset managers said that they use thought leadership initiatives to target institutional investors. And almost two-thirds of managers use thought leadership strategies to develop a rapport with consultants, while 55.6% use such initiatives to target private banks and wealth managers. And about a third of managers surveyed are focusing on platforms. A further 22.2% of managers are targeting independent financial advisors. 

But thought leadership is not about the hard sell, say managers. They want their content to be informative and educational and a softer, more discerning part of the marketing machine.

“The written word alone is not enough and the variety of message is much wider, quirkier, and colorful. It is also sophisticated and fast moving: videos and podcasts are used as a matter of course,” says Barbara Wall, European research director at Cerulli. “Training for thought leaders has also evolved as fund managers go to greater lengths to develop talent, either through third-party experts or by developing internal know-how,” she adds.

Financial marketers spend between 10% and 20% of their total budget on their content marketing in the United Kingdom alone. And Cerulli’s interviewees have also allocated logistics and time to establishing internal systems while also involving third-party expertise, such as professional copywriters and respected academics. And in return for this commitment, fund managers want effective two-way communication.

“Feedback -any reaction, in fact- is meaningful because it shows that the message that caused it was incisive and engaging enough to warrant a response,”says Angelos Gousios, senior analyst at Cerulli. “This shows that the industry is growing more open and democratic, moving away from the one-sided information mode that has characterized it for so long,” he adds.

Meanwhile, managers are developing ways to measure the success of thought leadership initiatives, including external speaking requests and press coverage. A total of 80% of managers surveyed by Cerulli measure the impact of thought leadership campaigns by counting the hits on their digital and social media sites.

Blockbuster Year for Mixed Asset Products in Europe

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Mixed asset mutual funds drove the bulk of long-term net inflows from European investors through July 31, 2015, according to new data released in two reports from Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc.

The European Fund Market Mid-Year Review and July 2015 FundFlash Monthly Snapshot reports both detail continued momentum in mixed asset products – those that invest in equities, bonds, cash and other funds –  and strengthening equity investments following June’s market correction. The reports include commentary and insight based upon a new partnership between Broadridge and MackayWilliams LLP, a leading mutual fund market analysis and research company firm for the domestic pan-European and cross-border fund markets.

Additional findings from Broadridge’s reports include:

  • Investors pumped EUR 55 billion into European investment funds including EUR 31 billion into long term funds in July
  • Mixed asset products accounted for 55% (EUR 124 billion) of total inflows in the first half and 23% (EUR 7 billion) in July
  • The top three markets by estimate net sales in July were Italy, Germany, and the United Kingdom
  • The top fund firms by sales in July were BlackRock, DeAWM, GAM Holding, Intesa and Vanguard

“It’s been a challenging year for asset managers in Europe with some periods of intense market volatility and increasing competition coming from the banks,” said Diana Mackay, chief executive officer of MackayWilliams, “But low interest rates continue to drive flows into retail funds and mixed asset funds, in particular, are having a blockbuster year.”

“Our new partnership with MackayWilliams follows our recent acquisition of the Fiduciary Services and Competitive Intelligence unit from Thomson Reuters’ Lipper division,” said Frank Polefrone, senior vice president of Broadridge’s data and analytics business. “Together, these investments demonstrate our ongoing commitment to providing our clients with innovative data, analytics and insights to enhance their sales efforts.”

Why High Yield? Significant Opportunities for Credit Selection

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Why High Yield? Significant Opportunities for Credit Selection
Foto: Lee. Los tres pilares de la deuda high yield

The high degree of idiosyncratic risk in high yield bonds means good credit analysis is rewarded, making it fertile ground for active managers.

Broader opportunity set: The growth of the market is presenting more choice when constructing a portfolio. For example, in 2005, there were 216 issues in the European high yield market; by 2015, this had grown to 7553.

Under-researched issuers: Bonds trade over-the-counter (OTC) rather than on standard exchanges. The lack of transparency in the OTC market means exchange-traded funds (ETF) and larger investors are forced to focus the bulk of their trading activity on the larger issuers in the indices. This leaves a wealth of opportunities for active investors, such as Henderson, to identify value among the smaller underresearched issuers.

Ratings mismatch: Within the credit cycle, ratings agencies tend initially to review the larger issuers in the high yield market, taking time to progress to the smaller, often lower rated issuers, so can be slow to appreciate improvements among CCC-rated companies. Henderson, historically, has held a higher-than-benchmark portion of CCC issuers in its high yield strategies, believing that many of these credits are mis-rated. We also believe that since the financial crisis ratings agencies have sought to deflect criticism that they were too generous before 2008 by applying a cautious bias to ratings in recent years. Again, this allows good credit analysis to identify mis-rated opportunities.

Accessing the asset class

Henderson offers three strategies within the high yield space: global, US and European currency, as well as offering access to the high yield market through off-benchmark exposure in investment grade strategies.

A truly global approach

Unlike many global high yield funds, which are run solely out of one location, the Henderson global high yield strategy is run jointly by Chris Bullock and Tom Ross in London and Kevin Loome in Philadelphia, together with credit analysts on both sides of the Atlantic. As the high yield market expands globally, Henderson believes it is vital that analysts are closer to the companies they research.

High conviction portfolios

Henderson’s high yield funds are run as ‘best-ideas’ funds. Rather than attempting to replicate the indices against which the strategies are benchmarked, the portfolio managers, in conjunction with the credit analysts, choose their top 75-150 issuers to include in a portfolio. This makes for a high-conviction approach that captures the strength of our analytical expertise.

Flexible and active

We believe that credit selection and analysis are key to structuring portfolios but that top-down factors cannot be ignored. Henderson’s high yield strategies, therefore, asset allocate nimbly across ratings,

geographies and industries. Henderson is also adept at using derivatives, which can be used for hedging purposes or to express short positions.

Experienced team

The Henderson Global Credit team numbers more than 30 investment professionals with an average of 13 years’ experience. Its strong performance has led to several accolades and awards.

Tom Ross joined Henderson in 2002 and has been co-managing Henderson’s absolute return credit funds since 2006.