Funds
June was a choppy month with reversals and sell-offs across most asset classes as investors digested Mario Draghi’s comments on expecting high volatility for bonds followed in the second half of the month by the risk escalation in Greece.
Negative monthly returns were seen in global equities, bonds, investment grade and high yield credit, the US dollar and hedge funds.
For the first half of the year US dollar strength was notable, with the US Dollar index up 5.8 per cent. Global equities were also positive but with dispersion in performance led by Japan, China and Europe over the
Monthly average daily volume (ADV) and monthly total volume, both exchange-wide at CFE and for futures on the CBOE Volatility Index (VIX Index), rose from last month and from year-ago levels.
June total volumes hit highs for 2015, surpassing previous monthly highs set in January.

June ADV in VIX futures was 210,963 contracts, an increase of 21 per cent from both May 2015 and June 2014. Total volume in VIX futures for June was 4.6 million contracts, an increase of 33 per cent from the previous month and 27 per cent from a year ago.

Exchange-wide ADV at CFE was
Euronext posted its strongest six-month trading volume performance since the end of 2011 in the first six months of 2015, supported by favourable economic conditions.
The June 2015 average daily transaction value on the Euronext cash order book stood at EUR9,202 million (+54 per cent compared with June 2014). Activity on ETFs remained particularly dynamic last month with an average daily transaction value at EUR587 million, up 106 per cent compared to June 2014.
Cash markets saw a material increase in trading activity across the first half of 2015, with an average daily transaction value for the period up
All six of Market Vectors Index Solutions’ (MVIS) investable Long/Short Equity Indices recorded negative performance in June.
Each index is constructed using transparent, liquid ETFs and US Treasury securities to produce hedge fund-style returns without hedge fund pricing, opaqueness and redemption restrictions.
The month’s biggest loser was the Market Vectors Emerging Markets Long/Short Equity Index with a return of -1.91% followed by the Market Vectors Global Event Long/Short Equity Index (-1.42%), the Market Vectors North America Long/Short Equity Index (-1.39%), the Market Vectors Asia (Developed) Long/Short Equity Index (-1.38%), the Market Vectors Global Long/Short Equity Index (-0.85%) and the
JTC has added significantly to its global fund servicing capabilities with the major acquisition of Kleinwort Benson’s Fund Administration business in the Channel Islands and South Africa.
The transaction, which relates to the whole of Kleinwort Benson’s Fund Administration business in Guernsey, Jersey and South Africa, will give JTC its first permanent presence in South Africa, grow its global headcount by 40 per cent to a total of around 450, and augment its existing strengths across the alternative investment fund spectrum, including the private equity, debt and real estate asset classes.
Upon completion of the deal, the new business will
Titan Advisors has completed the acquisition of Saguenay Strathmore Capital (SSC), a fund of hedge funds business with a 13-year track record and an emphasis on credit-related strategies.
SSC's expertise in credit complements Titan's long history of success in the liquid long/short equity and global macro/CTA sectors. The deal brings together two highly complementary businesses where the combined entity will be an even more powerful investment engine, offering clients access to expertise, due diligence capabilities and customised solutions across long/short equity, global macro and fixed income hedge fund strategies.
SSC was founded in 2002 by former Bankers Trust executives Brian
Total trading volume in June for options contracts on Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) and C2 Options Exchange (C2) and futures contracts on CBOE Futures Exchange (CFE) was 99.2 million contracts.
This represents an increase of 16 per cent from May 2015 and a decrease of 1 per cent from June 2014.
Total options and futures average daily volume (ADV) at CBOE Holdings for June was 4.5 million contracts, an increase of 6 per cent from May 2015 and a decrease of 5 per cent from June 2014.
CBOE's ADV for the month was 4.0 million contracts, up 6
Taliance, an analytics software provider in the alternative investment marketplace, has selected Hipercept, to serve as its channel partner for North and South America.
Taliance’s software solution, GlobalAsset, complements the technology infrastructure of alternative asset investment firms through real-time, dynamic forecasting, scenario modelling, and consolidated analytics capability for the front and middle office. Using GlobalAsset, customers in over 16 countries have demonstrably improved the performance of their international investment portfolios.
“Alternative asset investment firms worldwide have long demanded fund and asset analytics technologies that are able transcend the obvious shortcomings of home-grown spreadsheets and disparate data,” says Damien Georges
CME Group saw agricultural products reached a record of 2,873,291 in trading volume on 30 June, 2015, surpassing the previous record of 2,856,869 set on 26 June, 2015.
CME Group also confirmed records in daily trading volume for the following CBOT grain and oilseed products:
• Combined Corn futures and options volume reached 1,122,398, compared to the previous record of 1,091,950 set on 26 June, 2015.
• Corn futures reached 845,770, surpassing the previous record of 796,786 on 26 June, 2015.
• Combined Soybean futures and options volume reached 722,777, compared to the previous record of 649,908 on 26 June,
Societe Generale Securities Services (SGSS) has launched “Gateway”, its Irish UCITS platform solution which is designed to support asset managers seeking to establish and market UCITS in Europe.
The solution provides access to an investment fund structure, Gateway UCITS Funds, which allows asset managers to establish UCITS compliant funds as separate sub funds within this umbrella structure. Sub funds can be established quickly and marketed independently.
With significantly lower start-up and running costs, asset managers can benefit from a model which is more cost efficient than establishing a standalone fund. The funds also benefit from an infrastructure that offers
