Managers
Jeff Sica has launched Circle Squared Alternative Investments, a firm dedicated to providing financial advisors with access to alternative investments previously available only to institutions and ultra-high net-worth investors.
Sica’s approach to simplifying alternative market investing – investments that “touch the real economy” – is intended to give advisors and their clients greater confidence in their financial future.
In addition to offering access to alternative investments, Sica and his team will serve as coaches and mentors to advisors, helping them to better understand and communicate to their clients the role and advantages of alternative investments in a portfolio. Much
Kate Storey (pictured) from Appleby assesses how insurance linked securities are a growing alternative asset classes for investors, including investment funds…
Insurance linked securities (ILS) are growing as an alternative asset class for a diverse group of capital markets investors, including investment funds. Further, the sponsors of ILS products are showing increasing interest in Guernsey as the jurisdiction in which to establish their ILS structure (where Bermuda has traditionally dominated).
ILS products typically include catastrophe bonds (Cat bonds), industry loss warranties (ILWs) and sidecars. Cat bonds are risk-linked securities that transfer catastrophe risks to capital market investors. ILWs enable a
Running a successful hedge fund trading strategy requires high levels of skill, research, idea generation and a clear understanding of market dynamics. Such perspicacity, however, is becoming just as important in how a fund’s operations run.
Regardless of how complex the operational infrastructure, quality data is the lifeblood on which a fund’s day-to-day success depends. Indeed, in the opinion of Bennett Egeth, President of Broadridge Investment Management Solutions, data is the buy-side community’s new KPI. “It impacts every aspect of a firm’s alpha generation, operational efficiency, regulatory compliance and risk management.”
Fund managers are becoming mindful of the fact that
BlackRock has launched the BlackRock Multi-Manager Alternative Strategies Fund, offering individual investors the opportunity to access multiple alternative investment strategies in a single open-end mutual fund.
The investment objective of the fund is to seek total return.
The fund extends BlackRock's alternative mutual fund platform to seven funds.
The fund leverages the industry knowledge of BlackRock Alternative Advisors (BAA), BlackRock's hedge fund solutions platform.
"Following the market volatility of recent years, it is critical for investors to understand that exposure to a wider range of investments is necessary as part of a core investment strategy," says Ken
Buttonwood Group Advisors is to list on the FNEX online alternative investment platform via its placement agent, affiliated broker-dealer Joseph Gunnar & Co.
FNEX.com provides accredited investors, investment advisors, family offices and institutions access to private investment opportunities offered by investment banks and funds across the US.
The distribution platform lists offerings and provides investors with the necessary tools to educate themselves on alternative investment opportunities. To date, FNEX has integrated with custodians, trusts and self-directed IRA platforms that represent over 400,000 accounts and over USD40 billion in assets under management, with more than 200 investment banking offices and
Carey Group has become the first listing agent in the world not based in the Cayman Islands to become a Cayman Islands Stock Exchange (CSX) listing agent.
Being based in the same time zone as London gives the Carey Group Guernsey team a significant advantage over all other CSX listing agents with respect to servicing European and MENA based clients.
As both a listing agent of the CSX and a listing member of the Channel Islands Securities Exchange (CISE), Carey Group’s Guernsey fund services business now has the unique capability to offer clients the choice of two recognised stock exchanges.
Alternative UCITS funds absolute were slightly down in July with the UAI Global index losing 0.33 per cent according to Alix Capital, the index provider.
Commodity and equity focused funds were the hardest hit because of challenging conditions in their respective underlying markets – the DJ UBS Commodity Index fell 4.99 per cent and the MSCI World fell 1.67 per cent. As a result, the UAI Commodity lost 1.45 per cent in July while the UAI Long/Short Equity was down 0.66 per cent, the UAI Event Driven lost 0.59 per cent and the UAI Equity Market Neutral lost 0.45 per
Dean Newman (pictured), Head of Emerging Markets Equities at Invesco Perpetual, comments on a perceptible shift in economic power due to emerging markets’ growing share in global GDP…
Since the Bretton Woods agreement in 1944, the world’s economic order has been US-led, highlighted by Washington being the location for global institutions such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank. However, times are changing and new rising economic powers are questioning the current status quo.
A couple of weeks ago the leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) met at a summit to agree
Fortress Investment Group has held the successful close of Fortress Worldwide Transportation and Infrastructure Investors (FTAI) at its cap of USD995 million in total commitments.
FTAI was originally raised as a USD395 million fund; this was followed by a subsequent “top up” private capital raise of USD600 million of additional capital commitments.
FTAI brings together a diverse mix of high yielding transportation assets and value-add infrastructure projects. Its portfolio includes aviation, shipping, offshore energy and rail assets and infrastructure, including airplanes, jet engines, shipping containers, intermodal equipment, offshore energy vessels, as well as railway lines, railcars and terminals.
“The environment
Lyxor Asset Management has continued its growth momentum, recording a 7% increase in AuM since the end of 2013 thus reaching EUR 86bn of assets under management.
This success is principally supported by two main factors.
First, Lyxor posted a 14% growth in its ETF Business, ranking No2 in Europe with inflows of EUR 2.5bn. During this period, new ETF equity assets were mainly raised in Emerging Markets and European single country ETFs exposed to Italy, the UK and Spain. In Fixed income, main inflows went to Euro Government bonds and Euro High Yield.
Second, Lyxor also posted a 3%
