Financial Times Mandate articles from March 2009

Financial Times Mandate archives from March 2009

Analysis: Russia suffering liquidity shortages.
March 1, 2009... Byline: Nat Mankelow The absence of a domestic pension fund base and the collapsing wealth of Russia's oligarchs have left serious liquidity shortages in both long-only and alternative investments, according to Moscow-based money managers....

In brief.
March 1, 2009... Muzinich & Co has launched a socially responsible high yield bond fund. The fund will invest in US dollar denominated bonds issued by companies with strong environmental, sustainable and governance policies as well as solid creditworthiness and...

Analysis: Market analysis - Europe.
March 1, 2009... Byline: Dr Katharina Lichtner The current environment for European buyouts has been challenging and existing portfolios have experienced a lot of downward pressure. This trend is likely to persist for some time and will happen in three...

Analysis: Market analysis - North America.
March 1, 2009... Byline: Scott Simon US government policies and programmes enacted to support the housing market may have given us our first glimmer of hope in years for an end to plummeting home prices. The government's multifaceted action is likely to...

Analysis: Hunger for government bonds remains high.
March 1, 2009... Byline: Nat Mankelow The appetite for government debt from investors is as strong ever, despite fears that a huge rise in issuance could swamp the market after new plans to rescue banks was announced. According to debt management...

Analysis: Equities continue to lose out.
March 1, 2009... Byline: Spencer Anderson Investors fled equity and bond funds in the first week of March, opting to transfer their money to money market funds. According to research from Emerging Portfolio Fund Reseach Global (EPFR), investors...

Analysis: Market analysis - South America.
March 1, 2009... Byline: Jose Costa Buck Latin America saw a strong start to 2009; in particular we will focus on the divergent performance witnessed by its two main markets, Brazil and Mexico. Fourth quarter data coming out of Brazil showed that...

Analysis: Barings calls for regulatory easing.
March 1, 2009... Byline: Henry Smith Baring Asset Management has called for an immediate suspension of pensions accounting standard, FRS17, following the Bank of England's announcement that it is going to buy up to GBP150bn (EU167bn) of government and...

Comment: The Consulting Room - Ensuring independence.
March 1, 2009... Byline: Patrick McCoy Pension scheme trustees need independent investment advice more than ever in the current volatile economic climate because few trustees have the legal qualifications to permit them to make investment decisions for...

Comment: The Bender Agenda - Waving goodbye to traditional fund management.
March 1, 2009... Byline: Yuri Bender Recent antics in the investment industry have included banks swapping capital markets chiefs for fund bosses, merging asset managing capabilities and holding last-ditch summits with distributors to stem outflows. ...

Interviews: The chief - Staying on the front foot.
March 1, 2009... Byline: Nat Mankelow Stoxx, the European index provider, held its tenth anniversary last year with modest celebration against a backdrop of unprecedented volatility and downright misery in the marketplace. Perhaps significantly however was...

Interviews: FTM interview - The successful approach to SWFs.
March 1, 2009... Byline: Spencer Anderson For a while it seemed they were coming to rescue the financial system, but after suffering massive losses, sovereign wealth funds (SWFs) around the world have suddenly fallen silent. Perhaps one of the biggest...

Interviews: In the spotlight - Keeping a level head.
March 1, 2009... Byline: Spencer Anderson Compared to many of its peers, Aberdeen Asset Management fared relatively well in 2008. While full year results will not be revealed until May, the firm had been holding up through the first three quarters of...

Features: Time for a new model?
March 1, 2009... Byline: Spencer Anderson Despite one of the worst years on record, few pension funds have dramatically altered their investment strategies. Unlike many investors, these funds are clinging to the luxury of long term liabilities. One bad...

Strategies: Covered bonds - German issuers pin hopes on the long view.
March 1, 2009... Byline: Nat Mankelow Better known as pfandbrief, Germany's EU850bn covered bond market, and Europe's biggest, is facing the sternest test of its 250-year history with investors switching money into rival instruments such as...

Strategies: Socially responsible investing - Keeping an eye on the big picture.
March 1, 2009... Byline: Henry Smith The furore over pay and bonuses in the banking sector, fuelled by the persistent practice of rewarding success and failure in equal lavish measure, has added red hot chili spice to the responsible investing debate. With...

Strategies: Structured investments - The proactive approach to structured investments.
March 1, 2009... In an environment of highly correlated asset classes, finding diversifying investments is not an easy task. The alternative investment industry has shown relatively resilient performances but has not escaped being penalised by recent market...

Fund performance overview: Performance - Asia - Ex-Japan equities - The benefits of a cautious approach.
March 1, 2009... Byline: Spencer Anderson It's not often that the best performing funds yield between -19 per cent and -28 per cent, but that was the case for last year's Asia ex-Japan equity funds. Even when measured on a three year basis, the...

Technology: Hedge fund platforms - A platform for greater transparency.
March 1, 2009... Byline: Henry Smith With the list of victims of Bernard Madoff's alleged $50bn (EU39.9bn) fraud comprising a veritable who's who of the investment and celebrity worlds, anxious investors are seeking greater hedge fund transparency and...

Technology: Risk management - Evaluating data to manage risk.
March 1, 2009... Byline: Nat Mankelow In 2007 a hedge fund client of Linedata Services, the financial software provider, revealed it had coined around $750m (EU595m) in performance fees following stellar returns made from a series of market bets placed in...

Technology: Client reporting - Keeping customers in the loop.(Company overview)
March 1, 2009... Byline: Nat Mankelow In a bull market, the focus on good client reporting - what asset managers deliver to their pension fund customers in terms of quarterly or monthly updates - may not be on the radar of a hard-pressed trustee. As...

Analysis: Market analysis - Asia Pacific.
March 1, 2009... Byline: Hiroshi Yoh Asian markets, like much of the rest of the world, have been heavily impacted by the upheaval in developed country markets, yet despite these setbacks still offer considerable opportunities. Credit and liquidity...