Morgan Stanley today announced the expansion of its longstanding partnership with Feeding America through a new $8 million commitment to its Fill the Plate program and an expanded employee volunteer initiative with the organization. Feeding America is the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief charity and partners with Morgan Stanley on a range of programs including:
Individualized awards to local food banks over the next four years, including grants given this spring to 27 food banks, tailored to best serve the child and family nutritional health needs in each community;
Financial support of cutting-edge research to evaluate and improve the effectiveness of child hunger-relief programs;
Continuing assistance for the National Produce program that helps bring fresh produce to families in need across the United States through a network of 61,000 Feeding America partner agencies such as soup kitchens, food pantries and shelters; and
Continuing assistance for the BackPack program that provides free backpacks with food staples so children who usually receive reduced or free lunch at school can get the nutritious meals they need over weekends or long school breaks.
In this latest phase of Morgan Stanley’s Fill the Plate initiative, awards to local food banks will total more than $1 million each year for the next four years. The innovative design for this grant-giving allows individual food banks to select hunger-relief programs that most effectively match their local population and capabilities. The awards provide groundbreaking flexibility to Feeding America and its hunger-relief network of over 200 food banks nationwide.
“With more than 16 million children in the United States in danger of going hungry, we know that we can’t solve this issue alone,” said Bob Aiken, President and CEO of Feeding America. “This historic gift by Morgan Stanley shows the true commitment they have to help us fight hunger in all of our communities. We are proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with them in looking for ways to solve this problem.”
For 50 years, the Morgan Stanley Foundation has supported employee communities and innovations in pediatric health through initiatives such as its Global Alliance for Children’s Health. Through Fill the Plate, Morgan Stanley is dedicated to addressing food insecurity. Currently, one in five children in the U.S. does not have enough to eat, according to Feeding America’s 2010 Hunger Study.
Wikimedia Commons. El Diario Las Américas, de vespertino a matutino después de 60 años
“Diario Las Americas” announces that beginning May 21, 2013, it will become a 24/7 publication. Originally an evening publication, it will now become a morning newspaper and its subscribers will have access to the news early in the morning and it will now be published seven days a week, Monday through Sunday.
Furthermore, with the goal of becoming closer to its readers each passing day, the newspaper will increase its number of pages and sections.
Considered by many to be the most influential daily newspaper within the Spanish-speaking community in South Florida, “Diario Las Americas is capable of influencing the political agenda and becoming the main source of information about what is taking place in the Miami-Dade Hispanic community”. Moreover, it is a publication recognized with significant prestige throughout the rest of the United States and Latin America, said the paper in a statement.
“The future of the print media rests on three fundamental pillars: exclusive content, investigative reporting and opinion from renowned columnists. At Diario Las Americas we are working earnestly with the goal of making a difference in terms of our competition,” said Manuel Aguilera , Editor of Diario Las Americas. “The option of being present every morning, 365 days a year, is going to allow us to become even more indispensable in the life of the people of South Florida. We aspire to be a necessity in the daily life of the Hispanic family.”
Founded in 1953, Diario Las Americas has written the history of daily events in Spanish in South Florida, the United States, Latin America and the world. The Diario has been and will continue to be an indispensable source of information for the Hispanic community, which represents 17% of the population in the United States. Under the leadership of its Editor, Manuel Aguilera – previously editor of renowned newspapers in the Spanish and American markets – the newspaper is published in Miami and works with a group of highly regarded national and international correspondents.
The content of Diario Las Americas includes opinion articles, investigative reports, information about the South Florida community, society, daily classified ads, and special offers, among others. Its sections include politics, finance, sports, entertainment, interviews with personalities, theme reports, popular music, books, fashion, health, beauty, theatre, fine arts, calendar of events, night life and social events.
Foto: Mauro Cateb. Bestinver y la estrategia de dividendos de ING IM, las más “value” para invertir en Europa
What is pure value and what is pure growth when we are talking about investing in European equities?
amLeague summarizes the information derived from the AlphaValue rankings in order to have a clear overview of the Growth and Value profiles of the 22 asset managers present on the Euro and Europe Equities mandate.
For the European equities mandate the Spanish value asset management team led by Francisco Garcia Paramés from Bestinver leads the value ranking, followed by Federal Fianance Gestion. On the growth side, more heavily tilted toward the extremes of the diagram, we find another French asset manager, Delubac Asset Management, followed by BNP Paribas IP.
Looking at the Euro mandate, ING IM is leader on the value side with the team formed by Nicolas Simar and Manu Vandenbulck focused on dividend sustainability. The second most value oriented portfolio within the 22 mandates followed by amLeague is managed by Marc Renaud and Yohan Salleron in Mandarin Gestion. On the growth side, the leader is Jeremy Whitley and his team, from Aberdeen, and Roche-Brune Asset Management.
According to amLeague, the assessed indicators emphasize the specific approaches adopted by each asset manager and therefore provide investors with comparable, transparent and up-to-date information. The assessment is held by Alphavalue which analyses variables such as fundamental upside, dividend yield, and return on equity of the portfolio for the value score, and operating cash flows, EPS growth, sales growth, book value per share growth of the portfolio for the growth score.
Wikimedia CommonsFoto: Raygeorge. Morgan Creek Capital Management adquiere el negocio de alternativos de Signet Capital Management
Morgan Creek Capital Management today announced it has reached an agreement to acquire the Alternative Funds business of Signet Capital Management Ltd., a European-based institutional fixed income investment firm. Signet’s Alternative Funds business has approximately $700 million in assets under management.
Under the agreement, Signet will contribute its funds and senior investment management team to Morgan Creek’s platform, where they will apply their global fixed income experience for the benefit of Morgan Creek clients.
The current senior management team at Signet—including the firm’s Founder and Co-Head of Investment Management, Mr. Marquardt, and CEO and Co-Head of Investment Management, Dr. Serge Umansky—will join Morgan Creek and continue their current roles serving clients of Signet’s funds as well as complementing Morgan Creek’s fixed income capabilities. Signet’s offices in London, and Lausanne, Switzerland, will become part of Morgan Creek’s global network.
“We are excited to have Bob, Serge and the entire Signet team join Morgan Creek, a union that will benefit both our present and future clients,” said Mark W. Yusko, the Chief Investment Officer of Morgan Creek. “This agreement represents a major achievement in our overall strategy to expand our global footprint and bring on talented investment professionals to help address the increasingly complex global investment environment.”
Photo: Thomas.fanghaenel. Can we rely on China’s official statistics?
For a country the size, state of development and complexity of China, the speed with which they produce certain statistics, such as quarterly gross domestic product (GDP) growth, is surprising. In fact, some analysts have gone so far as to question the fundamental accuracy of the numbers themselves.
There are a number of reasons for questioning the integrity of the data. Some claim that the highly top-down political system and China’s once-in-a-decade leadership change may have increased pressure on Communist Party officials to report strong numbers. China’s legacy of a state-controlled economy may be poorly set up to accurately gauge and measure the burgeoning and evolving consumer demand and importantly, the service sector where output is less about measurable goods. Economists worry that the numbers fail to reflect the new economic reality, or rather that they reflect political imperatives. However, China’s National Bureau of Statistics does not make it easy for independent outsiders to cross-check its work.
So, how do we, as fund managers, get around this issue? We look at the trends in macro data but rather than relying on ‘official’ government statistics, we prefer to use lower level data, such as power consumption growth, refinery throughput and manufacturing purchasing managers’ index (PMI) surveys to assess the strength of economic growth. Meanwhile, across all emerging markets, auto sales provide a useful barometer of consumer demand.
Figure 1: China auto market monthly sales overview
By combining several alternative data sources and importantly, continuously meeting many companies, we are able to form a composite picture of the overall economy.
Foto: Haitham Alfalah . BlackRock, a por los mercados de bienes raíces de Asia y Europa tras la compra de MGPA
BlackRock today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire MGPA, an independently-managed private equity real estate investment advisory company in Asia-Pacific and Europe, significantly extending BlackRock’s real estate investment capabilities in these regions, said the firm in a statement.
The planned acquisition of MGPA’s complete business makes BlackRock a truly global real estate investment manager, with pro forma AUM of approximately $25 billion as of March 31, 2013 and substantial investment teams in the world’s top six markets, which represent 75% of the commercial real estate investable universe. It adds further best-inclass investment teams and capabilities to the BlackRock platform and demonstrates the Firm’s strong commitment to being a leader in real estate solutions.
“Today’s agreement advances BlackRock’s growth strategy in Asia-Pacific and Europe, where we are seeking to enhance our local offerings and build on the Firm’s real estate experience,” said Jack Chandler, Global Head of Real Estate for BlackRock. “It further strengthens our ability to offer clients an unrivaled set of solutions to the challenges of a low-return, high volatility environment, including access to MGPA’s top-performing investment teams and exceptional capabilities in key markets.”
MGPA’s offerings complement BlackRock’s existing real estate investment solutions, with virtually no overlap of people or products. The combined platform will also créate the potential to accelerate growth of MGPA’s business by leveraging BlackRock’s distribution capabilities for institutional and retail clients.
MGPA is focused on real estate funds management, co-investments and separate account mandates for institutional investors, offering products across the risk/return spectrum, including development, and has $12 billion in AUM as of March 31, 2013.
With an on-the-ground presence in 13 offices in Asia-Pacific and Europe, MGPA will augment BlackRock’s real estate investment platform with its pan-Asian and pan-European investment capabilities and complementary geographic footprint.
The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2013, subject to customary regulatory approvals and closing conditions. The financial impact of the transaction is not material to BlackRock earnings per share. Terms were not disclosed. MGPA was advised by Berkshire Capital Securities LLC.
Wikimedia CommonsFoto: PENG Yanan. Los chinos de alto patrimonio, más preocupados por preservar su riqueza que por aumentarla
The number of Chinese high net worth individuals (HNWIs)—defined as individuals with at least 10 million RMB (approximately $1.6 million) in investable assets—grew to more than 700,000 at the end of 2012, more than doubling since the end of 2008, and on pace to increase an additional 20 percent this year; this according to the far-reaching findings of the China Private Wealth Report 2013, co-presented at a press conference today by Bain & Company, the global business consulting firm, and China Merchants Bank. The leading report of its kind is the third biennial collaboration between the two firms on the outlook for private wealth and HNWI attitudes in China, having launched their first joint report in 2009, and then again in 2011.
“High net worth individuals in China have been very successful in creating wealth,” said Jennifer Zeng, Bain partner in Beijing and co-author of the report. “But as wealthy Chinese age, they now face a dilemma in how to preserve wealth and leave it to their families. This presents many opportunities for banks serving the private wealth market in China, if they can effectively respond to these emerging needs.”
Wealth in China is growing and expanding, the report finds. Average individual investable assets per HNWI were 29 million RMB at the end of 2008 and are estimated to grow to 31.8 million RMB by the end of this year, an increase of nearly ten percent. Further, there are now 20 provinces in China with HNWI populations exceeding 10,000, with five new provinces joining the ranks since 2010:
Heilongjiang—benefitting from natural resources and the reform and development of industrial bases
Chongqing—benefitting from the development of central and western regions and Eastern businesses that have relocated to the west
Shanxi, Shaanxi and Inner Mongolia—HNWI increases resulting from the growth in the coal and natural resources industries
As the ranks of China’s HNWIs have grown, investment behaviors continue to evolve. “Quality of life” and “children’s education” followed “wealth preservation” on the list of top wealth management objectives. “Wealth creation,” which topped the list of wealth management objectives in the 2009 survey, dropped to fourth place in the report released today.
“With the developement of China’s private wealth management market and proliferation of investment channels, HNWIs’ demans in investment management have become more sophisticated,” said Sameer Chishty, Bain partner in Hong Kong and global head of the firm’s wealth managament and private banking practice. “They have stronger needs in mid- and and long- term wealth planning, and have rising demands in wealth preservation and inheritance.“
Wikimedia Commons. Matteo Vanzi is Crowned the Bombay Sapphire World's Most Imaginative Bartender
Matteo Vanzi of Italy is the winner of the BOMBAY SAPPHIRE® World’s Most Imaginative Bartender competition. Matteo Vanzi took home the top honors at the global final in Tuscany, Italy, which saw him compete against professional bartenders from around the world for the accolade and a prestigious prize. The world’s fastest-growing gin brand by volume and value challenged the competitors to create a cocktail inspired by Tuscany, the home of the juniper berries, which lies at the heart of Bombay Sapphire gin.
The bartenders took part in a four-day event, in and around the historical city of Florence where they experienced the region. The winner, Matteo Vanzi of Italy was chosen from 11 finalists from around the world.
The Pastorini (Perfect Lady) – Matteo Vanzi’s Winning Co
Overall recipe ingredients
50ml Bombay Sapphire gin
10ml St Germain infused jasmine green tea and pink grapefruit peel
15ml Martini Bianco
20ml White Balsamic Vinegar with verbena and camomile
Homemade shrub
1tsp juniper berry meringue
Overall method
Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker
Shake, fine strain and serve in metal picnic mugs
Homemade Shrub
1 cup caster sugar
1 cup white balsamic vineger
Method for homemade shrub
Heat vineger and allow sugar to disolve and then filter
Infusion
375ml St Germain
3 tbs Jasmine green tea
Peel of one pink grapefruit
To make the infusion
In a Vienna coffee machine lightly infuse the green tea and pink graprefruit peel with the St Germain
Juniper Berry meringue
125g egg white
125g caster sugar
5 whole fine gounded juniper berries
Method for meringue
Whisk to mergine
The Finalists:
Austria: Markus Altrichter , Hammond Bar , Viena
Canada: Franz Swinton , Cube Tasting Lounge, Calgary
Denmark: Niklas Frank , The Union, Copenhague
Germany: Mathias Noori , Roomers Bar, Frankfurt
Italy: Matteo Vanzi, Stravinskji Bar hotel de Russie, Roma
Japan: Mai Seike , Cellar Bar, Rihga Royal Hotel, Tokio
South Africa: Assaf Yechiel, Orphanage cocktail bar, Ciudad del Cabo
Spain: Joao Eusebio , Magatzem Escola Borne, Barcelona
Switzerland: Nico Colic, Hotel Rivington & Sons, Zurich
UK: Joe Wild , Berry & Rye, Liverpool
USA: Rustyn Vaughan-Lee , The Sporting League, Las Vegas
Wikimedia CommonsBy Merlix. The Industry of Luxury Goods, driven by HENRY's
Worldwide luxury goods market revenues will grow as much as 50 percent faster than global GDP, with an expectation of four to five percent growth in 2013 and five to six percent annual average through 2015, on track to break the €250 billion sales threshold by mid-decade; this according to Bain & Company, the leading advisor to the global luxury goods industry, in the Spring 2013 update to its industry bellwether “Luxury Goods Worldwide Market Study;” unveiled today at a conference hosted by Fondazione Altagamma (the Italian luxury goods industry trade association).
Bain confirmed that luxury revenues grew by 10 percent in 2012 (at current exchange rates), given the strong growth tailwinds present in the first half of last year. All growth estimates for 2013 and beyond are at constant exchange rates.El estudio que lleva por título “Luxury Goods Worldwide Market” fue presentado este jueves en una conferencia organizada por la Fundación Altagamma, la asociación italiana de las empresas de la industria de bienes de lujo.
Bain’s spring update sees the key drivers of the luxury goods market as:
WHO
Tourists are changing their consumption habits, seeking out new destinations (e.g., Dubai, South East Asia, Australia) and showing more savvy in the items they purchase
Each year, more “HENRYs” (High Earnings, Not Rich Yet) become potential customers, with ten times as many HENRYs as ultra-affluent individuals
The rise of the middle class in emerging countries is polarizing the competitive arena, becoming a “new baby boom sized generation” for luxury brands to target
WHERE
High consumer confidence among the affluent, increased store openings in American cities, and intensive investment in linking physical and digital shopping are all fueling United States sales growth
The impact of 12 percent sales growth across Central and South America (notably Brazil and Mexico) will result in overall growth of five to seven percent in the Americas
In Asia, growth in China is stabilizing to an expected seven percent, while South East Asia will experience 20 percent growth driven by a wave of new store openings, and increasing strength and relevance of second-tier markets
Japan returns to a strong growth story of five percent as the country’s monetary policy depreciates the yen and pushes local consumption
Europe remains a challenge for the industry; as tourism slows, as tourists spend less per visit, and as Europeans, especially in southern Europe, curtail spending—Bain expects flat-to-two percent growth
Middle East is growing at a steady pace, with Dubai continuing as the center of gravity and the only city attracting foreign luxury consumers (e.g. Russians, Indians, Africans)
“We are seeing a more even distribution of global growth,” said Claudia D’Arpizio, a Bain partner in Milan and lead author of the study. “In turn, brands are refocusing from short-term, reactive hot spot thinking to long-term sustained growth strategies.”
Over the long term, Bain estimates that the global luxury goods market in 2025 will likely be more than five times larger than it stood in 1995. The key for winning in the luxury market over the next 10 to 15 years, says Bain, is “to get ready for Luxury 2.0.”
Foto cedidaFoto: Ronald Doeswijk. World economy inching forward
The global economy has had some of the wind taken out of its sails. One illustration of this is the decline in the US ISM manufacturing index.
But there are no major causes for concern according to Robeco Chief Strategist Ronald Doeswijk as “the underlying movement is more favorable than one headline figure suggests”. It was mainly the inventory component of the ISM index which caused the fall, which means production can take off more quickly once demand gets into gear.
Furthermore improving labor and housing market data indicate ongoing recovery. The self-reinforcing economic recovery here means that the US is still Robeco´s favorite region for equities.
Europe – positive news is hard to find What Ronald Doeswijk describes as the “most striking development in Euroland” is the weakening German economy, marked by a significant decline in producer confidence over the last few months. It is reasonably quiet on the periphery but unemployment is ticking up. A preference for structural reform over austerity measures and stays of execution when it comes to budget-deficit reduction are the order of the day. Therefore a new chapter in the debt crisis is even possible.
Central bankers keep reins loose In both the US and Europe central banks are inclined towards more monetary easing. President Ben Bernanke of the Federal Reserve Bank has kept the doves happy by implying in his press conference that the door is still open for further easing. And in the Eurozone deflationary risks are likely to increase, according to Doeswijk. “Although we are not expecting this in the near term, additional easing may come in the form of a negative deposit rate”. Last but not least the BoE will continue its efforts to stimulate lending to the real economy.
“Below-trend growth but positive developments in the US economy and increasing optimism about Japan”
Japan – light at the end of the tunnel? While on the subject of monetary easing, it is important to figure out the effects of Abenomics. Has Abenomics given Japan a bit of its sparkle back? Perhaps. Japanese consumers seem to think so as their household spending jumped 5.2% in March reflecting new optimism also underscored by solid stock market gains. Before he can take a positive view on Japan, Doeswijk would like to see “more evidence of an economic rebound to support the stock price rises”.
Growth momentum slowing in Pacific Elsewhere in the Pacific the growth momentum is slowing – here too inflation is stable or in a downward trend. Our view on the region is neutral.
Equities – defensive sectors outperformance set to continue Equities are beneficiaries of the current low interest rate scenario. Corporate earnings are more or less flat and have given few surprises. Valuation remains neutral but the appetite for riskier asset classes is unlikely to wane until quantitative easing moderates – something unlikely to occur in 2013.
Defensive sectors have outperformed over one and three month periods. Their earnings revisions are also more favorable than their cyclical counterparts. According to Doeswijk and his team the relative performance of these stocks tends to be strong in the May-October period.
Real Estate – valuation is high but upside potential remains Global REITs continue to perform strongly, rising 14% over the last three months. The current environment enables low cost refinancing and yields are attractive. The earnings outlook is more realistic than for equities but a “clearly negative factor” according to Doeswijk is valuation; Japanese REITs rose 48% in the first quarter (prices are now 50% above their NAV).
High yield and emerging market debt favored The outlook for credits and high yield is positive. High Yield in particular offers decent absolute returns in the current low-interest-rate environment. Spreads for high yield are now close to those for the mostly investment grade local currency emerging market debt. Doeswijk is positive on both and summarizes the difference as a “trade-off between a lower rating (HY) and currency risk (EMD)”.
Commodities and government bonds are lagging in the search for yield The outlook for commodities remains weak. Basic metal inventories are high and weaker economic activity in China and a faltering Eurozone have depressed oil prices. Geopolitical risks could cause upside surprises for oil. The outlook for gold remains bleak after its steep decline (prices fell 14.7% on April 15th) triggered by ongoing outflows from gold ETFs, lower physical demand and lower inflation expectations.
The current scenario of falling or low inflation, easier credit and moderate economic growth mean that there are few reasons to hold government bonds. Yields are too low to be tempting – there are more attractive, albeit riskier opportunities to generate returns elsewhere.
