Post-MiFID spending to rise

According to new research published by Tabb group, spending by brokers and trading venues in Europe on post-MiFID trading surveillance products will increase annually by 13 per cent from 2009 to 2012, rising to €185m in 2012.

Is the time right to consider an exposure to euro high-yield bonds? asks Arif Husain.

Pension funds are increasingly looking to outsource their over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives operations to get a better idea of counterparty risk and the true value of their trading positions.

Higher quality, better value sector and stock selection are the keys to succes in 2010, says Felix Wintle.

China’s Qualified Domestic Institutional Investor (QDII) funds suffered poor performance and significant outflows in Q4 2009, giving rise to uncertainty about future prospects, according to a report from Shanghai-based consultants, Z-Ben Advisors.

A survey conducted by Greenwich Associates found that many hedge fund managers are changing to reduce counterparty risk and become more attractive to investors.

More insulated than most developed nations from economic and political turmoil, Latin America is now the world’s investment safe haven, says Jerome Booth.

Pension funds need to take on a radical new approach to their risk management structure, according to consultants.

Asian environmental firms are seeing a boost in share prices, writes Bruce Jenkyn-Jones.

Many funds-of-hedge funds have failed to tackle issues such as the quality of their manager due diligence process. Consequently, there is still a case of ‘buyer beware’ for investors, according to David Butler, founding member of investment consultancy Kinetic Partners.

American pension funds are dramatically adjusting and rethinking their strategic asset allocations and throwing out many traditional notions of diversification and investment. While many institutions around the world are staying the course with long-term investment models, US institutions are looking at new ways to meet liabilities.

Post-Madoff, the hedge fund sector is in desperate need of reinvention, writes Henry Smith.

Will the current round of regulatory prescriptions strengthen Ucits middle office practices? asks Dario Cintioli.

A meeting this month in the heart of London’s Docklands laid out EU plans to scrutinise, limit and retain capital on securitisation exposures of investors.

Cash in money markets funds has switched to higher yielding bond funds, equity funds and balanced funds over the last 12 months, new data reveals.

Has the success story of the Ucits dictat been too widely accepted, and is the European directive on AIFM getting a raw deal? asks Yuri Bender.

Effective asset allocation is a minefield for many, but a risk parity approach could yield better results, writes Des Morris.

BNP Paribas Investment Partners chairman and CEO Philippe Marchessaux comments on the integration of Fortis Investments and outlines his development plans.

The New Zealand Superannuation Fund includes transparency and lack of government interference among its strengths, but the battle is on to avert a future pensions crisis.

Any delay in the time it takes to process a trade will cost the end investor missed opportunities and misplaced liquidity, which is why trimming latency to the microsecond is becoming a hot business. But can everyone compete in the ‘race’ to trade at the speed of light?

The draw of managed accounts include transparency, improved liquidity and greater certainty around the safekeeping of assets, and these elements, among others, have seen investment increase dramatically.

Property markets globally are experiencing varying levels of performance depending on region. Asia is currently proving attractive to investors, while Europe also offers opportunities for those who know where to look.

Bond markets have seen a flurry of sovereign nations and other investors rush to take advantage of the asset class, with corporate bond funds performing strongly.

Emerging markets have come through the global financial crisis with strong momentum, and despite concerns that the hype is inflated, walls between these and developed markets are beginning to crumble.

The supply of corporate paper is slowing, but investors continue to favour it over more volatile government debt.

The Fed’s Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility is approaching its final funding round, leading some analysts to herald it a positive step forward in helping support ABS in the US.

Despite significant outflows in recent years, cash management is still critical for institutions with liabilities to meet.

The convertible bond market experienced a dip in the wake of the crisis, but now the asset class is offering enticing opportunities.

While some global equity funds won high returns through aggressive risk-taking, more conservative investors also saw dividends from the bull market.

A flurry of fledgling hedge funds has delivered a much-needed cash injection to the sector’s service providers which, since the crisis, are now more appreciated as a crucial barrier between investors’ assets and risk.

The ghost of Bernie Madoff is haunting fund managers, causing a chain reaction of transparency, regulation and a greater administrative role.