There’s a lot to be said about getting a fund administration location correct. Get it wrong and you can damage client relationships along with your reputation. Get it right, and growth opportunities can blossom, says Dermot Butler, chairman of Custom House Global Fund Services Ltd and Custom House Group. So when I read last week that the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) was planning to strengthen the Lion City’s fund administration business, I rather welcomed it, not least because we ourselves operate there. Far from being a threat to competition, I think having a concentration of administrators will actually benefit

The Credit Suisse LAB Liquid Indices posted mostly negative performance in May, signalling a challenging month for hedge funds according to Dr Jordan Drachman (pictured), Head of Research for Alternative Beta Strategies at Credit Suisse. "The Credit Suisse Liquid Alternative Beta Index ("CSLAB"), which aims to reflect the performance of the overall hedge fund industry, generated negative performance in May, finishing down 0.90% for the month," says Drachman. "The Credit Suisse Long/Short Liquid Index, which seeks to replicate the aggregate return of Long/Short Equity hedge funds, dropped 0.93% as equity markets fell amidst downgraded economic outlooks and disappointing first quarter

Jonathan Harris, Product Manager – Global Fixed Income, Schroders, looks at the current state of the UK gilt market… Since the credit crunch, the UK economy has embarked upon a slow and steady path to recovery, despite strong headwinds, while gilt yields have struggled to return to levels that are more consistent with the current economic backdrop. Although there are some very valid reasons why UK gilts yields are so low, we are worried that the risks are skewed towards higher yields. The problem for gilt investors is that the transition from lower yields to higher yields means that prices fall,

  Amundi this week reaffirmed its position as a pioneer in the absolute return space with a strengthened range of VaR products in response to the upcoming UCITS IV Directive.     Amundi was one of the first asset managers to launch a VaR absolute return fund over 10 years ago: VaR 2. Of the EUR690billion in AUM, approximately EUR14billion is held in absolute return assets giving it a 7.6 per cent market share. VaR, or Value at Risk, was first pioneered by Long Term Capital Management in the ‘90s to calculate the probability of portfolio losses. Amundi’s VaR portfolios