Archives » 2007 » May

The large number of international delegates who gathered in Hong Kong to attend the recent Fund Forum Asia conference was clear testament to the keen interest among asset managers to break into or seize new opportunities in a region with huge growth potential.

— Stephen Vineburg, First State

First State Investments is targeting growing European institutional appetite for infrastructure investment with the launch of a new fund and dedicated London-based team.

Silver Street Capital, a fully-diversified multistrategy fund of hedge funds strategy designed for institutional investors, has made a remarkable debut by picking up a $500m (€368.9m) discretionary mandate from a single undisclosed allocator.

Credit Suisse must understand the importance of maintaining staff morale during a period of change at the firm, and effectively communicate its strategy.

— Andrew Lo, CEO of Invesco Asia Pacific

Fears over whether fund managers will be shut out of the mutual funds market in China by insurance and domestic banks are unfounded, claims Invesco Asia Pacific’s CEO Andrew Lo, who believes open architecture will prevail. He talks to Henry Smith.

Open architecture is “the way forward” in the Chinese mutual fund industry despite the distribution dominance of large domestic banks and new regulations allowing local insurance companies to set up wholly-owned asset management subsidiaries.

— Mike Taylor, LPFA

Only months into the CEO job at LPFA, and Mike Taylor is already overseeing an investment shake-up which will see the fund move more towards alternatives, writes Paula Garrido.

As the European Union has expanded eastwards, the line between what is considered high yield and emerging market debt has begun to break down. What was once solely considered the domain of macro economic emerging market analysis, is now increasingly in the sights of dedicated European high yield specialists.

— Francois Mouté, ABN AMRO Funds-US Opportunities Fund

A slowdown in the US economic cycle is not, on the face of it, a positive environment for US equities. But US companies with substantial exposure to robust growth elsewhere are expected to enjoy strong returns in 2007.

— Urban Larson, F&C Emerging Equities

Latin America continues to offer opportunities to international and domestic investors in equities, despite growing signs of a slowdown in the US.

— Nick Beecroft, Japanese Equity

The global equity sell-off at the end of February served as a reminder of the potential threat arising from a significant global slowdown or a sudden reduction in risk appetite.

— Dan Draper, Lyxor

As Lyxor moves into the UK ETF market, it advises investors to watch out for expensive fees. However, they can be offset by securities lending, writes Henry Smith.

Property investment used to be a grimy business, difficult to break into and offering varying returns. Now, sophisticated products offer a more beaten track, writes Natasha de Terán.

130/30 can provide another way to leverage bets for those wary of hedge funds. However, the tag of ‘hedge fund lite’ may merely be a way of undermining what is a very different animal, writes Martin Steward.

— Blair Pollock,Citi

Blair Pollock, director, equity finance and Lee Brock, director, head of equity swaps at Citi speak to FT Mandate about how long-only managers are feeling their way into providing 130/30.

— Jean-Baptiste Gaudemet, Sophis

An ever-increasing sophistication in the equity derivatives market has made them more appealing to hedge funds seeking greater liquidity in their investments, writes Martin Steward.

Sophisticated products in Asia have led to calls for investor training, but perhaps the tendency to churn investment funds in the region is not as ignorant as it may seem. Henry Smith reports.

— Ted Lord, Barclays Capital

As demand for covered bonds reaches new heights in Europe and North America, the previous big players now seem to be in decline. Nat Mankelow reports.

— Bilal Hafeez, Deutsche Bank

FX is trying to enter the mainstream, with many suggesting a one fifth allocation to the asset class. But should investors merely be pursuing a more aggressive fund? Nat Mankelow reports.

— Ian Lloyd, Rabobank

Until recently, there was no standard definition of an enhanced cash fund, which generally vary in credit quality and volatility, but now they are falling into line. Christine Senior reports.

Teamwork between the high yield and emerging markets divisions of CIF led to the creation of the CIF Global High Yield Fund, which aims to invest anywhere in the world without constraints, Paula Garrido reports.

Electronic trading in Mexico has taken off, but whereas once the rickety system failed to handle the demands placed upon it, it is now hailed as a prime example of efficiency, writes Paula Garrido.

— Paul Scott, FIXCITY

Fragmentation in the market has formed a lot of ‘dark pools’ of liquidity, which can only be accessible through electronic means. Algo trading is making the most of them, writes Elizabeth Cripps.

— Owain Self, UBS Investment Bank, European Algorithmic Trading

In the past, many may have leapt on to the algorithmic trading bandwagon by going for the cheap option, but the demands of an ever-changing, technology-led environment have whittled away the wannabes and left only a few elite providers. Owain Self writes on what it takes to stay at the top.

— Toby Bayliss, Citi

Toby Bayliss, head of European self-directed sales at Citi speaks with FT Mandate on the reasons behind the rise in algorithmic trading and future challenges after MiFID implementation.

— Mayiz Habbal, Celent

Citi’s takeover of Bisys Group in order to gain an edge in the hedge fund and private equity sectors shows a growing trend towards acquisitions to keep up, writes Gerry O’Kane.