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The London Metal Exchange (LME) has announced plans to enhance participation and liquidity on its electronic platform, LMEselect.
The LME is focusing on increasing liquidity on standard monthly dates to provide a simpler way to trade existing LME futures.
“Our market’s unique structure is strengthened by the involvement of many types of participant. We aim to work alongside our members and our Committees to improve access to trading – particularly on our electronic platform, LMEselect – by removing any structural barriers faced by existing and potential LME users,” says Matthew Chamberlain, Head of Business Development at the LME.
Maximising monthly
Rothschild Asset Management has strengthened its alternative investment business with the appointment of Shakil Riaz as Head of US Alternative Portfolio Management and Global CIO.
In addition, Anthony Marzigliano, who has worked with Riaz since 1995, when they were responsible for managing JP Morgan's proprietary hedge fund investments, will also join as a Managing Director. Both appointments will be effective in early April 2015.
Riaz and Marzigliano's combined decades-long experience in customising hedge fund solutions for the proprietary portfolio of JP Morgan, as well as for institutional clients, will further enhance Rothschild's global reach and long-standing track record in alternative
Eurex Repo, the marketplace for international secured funding and financing, continued to grow in 2014.
Combined average outstanding volumes for GC Pooling and the Euro Repo markets reached a new record level of around EUR200 billion on an annual basis. Of this sum, the secured money market GC Pooling totalled EUR158.5 billion average outstanding volumes, an increase of 3 per cent compared with 2013. This increase was accompanied by higher transaction and quote volumes. On a monthly average basis the number of transactions grew 42 per cent year-on-year and the number of quotes by 24 per cent. Furthermore, GC Pooling
The Lyxor Hedge Fund Index was down -0.3% in December (YTD -0.2%). 3 out of 12 Lyxor Indices ended the month in positive territory, led by the Lyxor CTA Long Term Index (+3.5%), the Lyxor L/S Equity Variable Bias Index (+1.2%), the Lyxor Merger Arbitrage Index (+0.2%).
Slower and disparate global recovery. The end of 2013 optimism was tempered in Q1. EU recovery failed to gain traction under deflationary pressures. The Japanese momentum was cut short by its consumption tax. The pulse in China peaked during the summer. EM growth continued to moderate overall, with substantial country divergences. The US
Company culture is the most important factor cited in avoiding regulatory problems, according to Kinetic Partners’ survey of almost 300 financial services professionals.
More than half (53%) of financial services senior executives said culture was the most important factor to get right in order to avoid regulatory problems. Ensuring governance is a priority amongst board members – selected by 30% of c-suite respondents – was the second-most cited.
According to Kinetic Partners’ 2015 Global Regulatory Outlook (GRO) report, fewer than one in ten (9%) of senior managers polled put their faith in risk monitoring and compliance as the key
Aggregate hedge fund performance was -0.15% in December, the industry’s fourth monthly decline in the second half of 2014, according to vestments latest monthly hedge fund performance report.
The drop brought Q4 performance to a virtually flat level, 0.03%. For the full year 2014, hedge funds returned an aggregate of +2.48%.
With their best quarterly return since Q4 2010 (six months prior to the first stage of the European sovereign crisis), managed futures strategies ended 2014 as the best performing major hedge fund strategy, returning +8.63% in 2014. The last year managed futures produced industry leading performance was 2008.
Hedge
JPES Partners, a marketing and communications consultancy specialising in the asset management sector, has appointed Toby Mitchenall and Krupa Parmar to its team.
Mitchenall joins as a Client Director from BackBay Communications, where he was responsible for establishing and growing the company’s London office. He has over 10 years’ experience in financial services communications, both in an agency role and as a journalist, and has advised clients on all aspects of strategic communications, content, branding and crisis management. Toby is a former editor of Private Equity International magazine and therefore brings a detailed understanding of the issues facing the private
The CFTC has secured a court order requiring two commodity pool operators and their principal Michael J Siegel to pay restitution of USD104,684.47, disgorgement of USD86,503.36, and a civil monetary of USD259,510.08 over the misappropriation of funds.
The commodity Pool operators – TOTE Fund and MJS Capital Management – are also jointly and severally required to pay disgorgement of USD105,185.89 and a civil monetary penalty of USD315,557.67. The court order further imposes permanent trading and registration bans against all Defendants.
The order finds that Defendants violated the Commodity Exchange Act by misappropriating funds totalling approximately USD191,689 from Monarch Futures
The value of assets under custody held on behalf of customers registered an increase of 5 per cent to EUR12.5 trillion in December 2014 (compared to EUR 12.0 trillion in December 2013).
Securities held under custody in Clearstream’s international business as international central securities depository (ICSD) increased by 7 per cent from EUR 6.3 trillion in December 2013 to EUR 6.7 trillion in December 2014 – while securities held under custody in the German central securities depository (CSD) increased by 2 per cent from EUR 5.7 trillion in December 2013 to EUR 5.8 trillion in December 2014.
For 2014, yearly
London Business School and investment management firm AQR have launched the AQR Institute of Asset Management, which is looking to advance research and best practices in the global asset management community.
AQR’s 10-year commitment makes the firm one of the School’s most significant corporate partners.
The aim of the AQR Institute is to fund and generate research in asset management, equipping individuals and organisations with the insights and tools they need to preserve and generate long-term wealth. Through its research, teaching, and outreach activities, the AQR Institute will recognise exemplary scholars in the field with annual grants and awards, will
