Latest News
Luxembourg-domiciled VAM Funds is launching an enhanced equity fund, which targets absolute returns, on 8 November 2013.
This addition will further strengthen the range of funds available on VAM’s UCITS IV regulated platform, which is focused on providing investors with funds that incorporate all asset classes – including equities, commodities, bonds and multi asset portfolios.
As with its existing 13 funds the VAM Enhanced Equity Fund will tap into VAM’s distribution, marketing and administration network. Key features will include daily dealing, liquidity and transparency with no exit or redemption fees. It will be available through the usual life company
Paris-based Axiom Alternative Investments has strengthened its institutional business by hiring Christina Perri as director of international business development.
Perri, previously worked at Winton Capital Management as vice president in charge of business dedicated to institutional customers in the UK, Canada and the US, a position she held from 2012 to 2013.
She was previously head of institutional development with Financière de l’Echiquier within the UK and the US from 2009 to 2012.
Perri began her career in 2008 at the Royal Bank of Canada, Capital Markets within the hedge fund team in New York.
Ignis Asset Management has appointed Eric Stobart and David Watts as non-executive directors.
On the board, Stobart will chair the audit and risk committee and Watts (pictured) will chair the investment committee.
Stobart currently holds non-executive roles at Throgmorton Trust, Utilico Investments and Capita Managing Agency and senior trustee positions on the pension schemes of Lloyds Banking Group, Anglian Water, Dixons Store Group and Lloyd’s of London. He began his professional career at Coopers & Lybrand and latterly worked for what is now Lloyds Banking Group from 1977 to 2008. At Lloyds Banking Group, Stobart held various senior positions
Adam Levinson, chief investment officer of Fortress Investment Group Inc. (FIG)’s Asia Macro funds, is in talks with the USD58 billion alternative-asset manager about starting his own hedge-fund firm, according to one person familiar with the matter, as reported by Bloomberg.
No decision has been made and a possible spinoff may not take place until early 2015, said the person, who asked not to be identified because the information is private. Fortress would probably own a portion of the firm and provide back-office support and research, according to the person.
The move would mark the first time Fortress, the first publicly
AllianceBernstein has launched a digital education campaign to equip financial advisors with the right tools to help their clients navigate the growing liquid alternative investments category.
The cornerstone of AllianceBernstein's education initiative is an interactive website designed to demystify the array of liquid alternative strategies available to retail investors, illustrate how they might fit into diversified portfolios, and explain how they may be used to either mitigate risk or enhance returns.
The site also features a 12-question challenge called "Bring your 'A' Game" that assesses one's knowledge of liquid alternative investments and is designed to guide advisors in helping
The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has filed a complaint against AlphaMetrix, a Chicago-based commodity pool operator and commodity trading advisor.
The complaint alleges that AlphaMetrix misappropriated funds belonging to commodity pools it operated and sent false or misleading account statements to at least some of the pool participants.
On 5 November 2013, Federal District Judge Joan H. Lefkow issued a consent restraining order that freezes AlphaMetrix’s assets, protects books and records, and appoints a corporate monitor to oversee the distribution of pool funds to participants.
According to the CFTC complaint, AlphaMetrix operates approximately 90 pools that
The board of the London Metal Exchange (LME) has approved the proposed changes to its warehousing policy designed to cut queues at warehouses, following a three-month consultation with the global metals industry.
The LME has closely engaged with the FCA to ensure that the changes are consistent with the LME's regulatory requirements.
"As the world's leading base metals exchange, the LME has a duty to the entire metals community to run a fair and orderly market. We had a responsibility to examine concerns raised about lengthy warehousing queues, as these pose a range of issues in terms of price
Azad Zangana (pictured), European Economist, Schroders, comments on the ECB’s surprise cut in interest rates…
The European Central Bank has surprised the market by cutting the main interest rate from 0.50% to 0.25%. The cut appears to be in reaction to the early estimate of annual inflation for October, which was much lower than expected at 0.7%.
While leading indicators suggest the Eurozone economy is recovering, the ECB is clearly concerned about the recent strength of the Euro, and the way it has lowered import prices and local inflation.
The problem of low inflation and higher loan interest rates to
A total volume of 22.5 TWh was traded on PEGAS, the natural gas platform formed by cooperation between the European Energy Exchange (EEX) and Powernext, and cleared by European Commodity Clearing (ECC) in October 2013.
In the framework of this cooperation, EEX and Powernext have combined their natural gas market activities to create a pan-European gas market.
Overall, trading volumes on the spot markets amounted to 15.2 TWh in October 2013 which represents an increase of 43 per cent compared to September 2013 (10.6 TWh).
The German spot markets (GASPOOL and NCG market areas) registered a volume of
Kingdom Trust Company’s accredited investors will now have access to FNEX.com through the Kingdom Trust Company platform.
Investors on the FNEX platform have the ability to source, review and invest in a variety of alternative investments and will be able to invest through their select Kingdom Trust IRA accounts.
FNEX is a web-based platform that 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.
“Kingdom