From the press release desk this week…
People moves
Merian Global Investors, previously OMGI, has appointed Edward Ho has its head of sales for Hong Kong. Ho will report to Warren Tonkinson, London-based managing director for distribution. Going forward, Kylie Chan, head of sales for North Asia, and Anna Yau, sales manager, will report to Ho. Before Merian, Ho was managing director and Asia-Pacific head for client relations at Wells Fargo Asset Management…
Amundi has named Kasper Elmgreen as Dublin-based head of equity investment platform. Before Amundi, he was head of fundamental equities at Nordea Asset Management in Copenhagen since 2014, where he also led the restructuring of the firm’s investment capabilities. Before that, he held various roles at Bankinvest Asset Management , including head of equities and lead portfolio manager for an emerging Europe equity strategy…
Fund launches
BEA Union Investment has launched the Asian Bond Target Maturity Fund 2022, which is an Asian bond fund with a floating dividend mechanism to enhance yield in the rate cycle with a duration of three years. The fund aims to provide 12 quarterly dividends at an annualised rate of at least the US dollar 3-month Libor and aims to return the capital on the target maturity date…
Institutions
Institutional investors are increasing allocations to private markets amid concerns about a downturn in the economic cycle, according to a Blackrock survey of global institutions. Around 54% of global investors intend to increase exposure to real assets, 47% to private equity and 40% to real estate. In Asia-Pacific, 65% of the investors plan to increase exposure to real assets, 44% to real estate and 40% to private equity…
The global hedge fund industry ended 2018 in the red at -4.86%, according to an Evestment report. The industry’s negative performance last year was nearly on par with the industry’s second-worst year on record in 2011, when returns came in at -4.99%. The hedge fund industry’s worst annual performance came in at -15.75% in 2008…
Source: Evestment
Hong Kong’s Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) has reprimanded and fined FWD Life Insurance HK$2.4m ($310,000) for failures in complying with the key personnel requirements under the SFC Code on MPF Products and the Fund Manager Code of Conduct. The regulator found that FWD Life failed to ensure that there were at least two key personnel who meet the minimum five-year investment experience requirement in managing retirement funds or public funds. From 2012-2016, FWD Life had only one key personnel in place who met the minimum investment experience requirement. However, it was only in 2017 when the company discovered it had insufficient key personnel when the Mandatory Provident Fund Authority made enquiries at the time…
S&P Dow Jones Indices has launched the S&P Global Small Cap Select Index Series, which seeks to mitigate risks in global small-caps by excluding companies without a consistent track record of positive earnings. The indices include the S&P Global Small Cap Select, S&P Global ex-US Small Cap Select, S&P Developed ex-US Small Cap Select, S&P Emerging Small Cap Select and the S&P/ASX Small Ordinaries Select indices…
