Gemini Fund Services has launched its third shared mutual fund trust, Northern Lights Fund Trust III (NLFT III). The new fund trust was established in response to increased demand for assistance from small- and mid-sized funds. NLFT III, like its two predecessors, is a shared mutual fund trust of independent and separately managed funds. The original Northern Lights Fund Trust has grown to include 83 funds and more than USD7 billion in assets under management. Northern Lights Fund Trust II, launched in June 2011, now includes 12 funds and USD243 million in assets under management. Advisors who join NLFT III

Managing risk more dynamically is becoming an increasingly vital function of the investment management process. Those that can demonstrate their effectiveness at reacting quickly to volatility are held in high regard. Performance is still vital, that’s why investors pay inordinate fees. However, risk-adjusted returns can improve over time by managers taking a multi-dimensional approach to managing risk as opposed to viewing it merely as a support function. At least that’s what Dr Matthieu Vaissie (pictured), a research associate at EDHEC-Risk Institute and senior portfolio manager at Lyxor Asset Management and co-author Serge Darolles have found in their latest research paper:

The Life and Longevity Markets Association (LLMA) has launched its own set of four longevity indices. The LLMA Longevity Indices will be used as a global reference for the transfer of longevity risk from hedgers to investors and other counterparties.   The LLMA Indices will act as a robust reference for longevity and mortality contracts between counterparties. The four Indices cover England and Wales, Germany, the Netherlands and the USA; and can be accessed on the LLMA website (www.llma.org). The Indices will be launched on the Bloomberg platform later this year.   The LLMA’s various member firms have between them

Chris Cummings, CEO of TheCityUK, welcomes UK Chancellor George Osborne’s Budget Statement… The reductions in both corporation tax and personal tax announced today send a strong signal that the ‘open for business’ sign over the UK is well and truly lit. Announcing a future reduction in the top rate of tax to 45p is a step in the right direction. The high personal tax rate is the number one issue on everyone’s lips wherever I am in the world. The Chancellor must do all he can to create a competitive, business friendly environment to attract global firms to the UK. 



Founded by Thomas Walek in 1998, Walek & Associates is a multi-million-dollar public relations consultancy with offices in New York, Boulder and Hong Kong, and clients in every key market arena. From defining market position to managing media visibility, taking charge in crisis situations, supporting portfolio holdings, improving investor outreach, safekeeping reputations and handling the needs of highly successful hedge fund executives, Walek & Associates has pioneered the design and execution of public relations campaigns to support hedge funds.   The firm uses what it calls a ‘global boutique’ business model, combining the professionalism and results-driven approach of larger firms

Netherlands-based Saemor Capital was established in 2008 with the backing of insurance company Aegon, where a number of Saemor’s team previously worked. Founder and chief executive Sven Bouman was head of equities at Aegon, while chief financial and operating officer Patrick van de Laar was head of derivatives and hedging. The Saemor Europe Alpha Fund is a market neutral long/short equity strategy that focuses on European equities and equity-related securities. It currently manages USD650m of assets in the portfolio, which contains 250 positions, and limits each position size to a maximum of 3 per cent of the fund’s NAV.  

The PIMCO Multi-Asset Volatility Fund treats volatility as an asset class and targets net annualised returns of 10 to 15 per cent with equivalent volatility, independent of broad measures of market return. Positions span interest rates, equities, commodities and currencies, and reflect structural, opportunistic and tail-risk hedging dimensions. Josh Thimons, Josh Davis and Matt Dorsten, the fund’s portfolio management team, are supported by PIMCO’s extensive firm-wide resources across trade operations, portfolio management/analytics and product management. PIMCO combines its deep understanding of volatility markets with a robust macroeconomic investment process. The portfolio is designed so that no single theme dominates. Within

London-based Peregrine Communications is one of Europe’s most successful specialist financial public relations agencies. Established in 2003 by partner and chief executive Anthony Payne (pictured), Peregrine has built an award-winning reputation based on proven results and first-class client service. Reflecting on 2011, Payne says the firm focused on pulling intellectual capital out of managers to package and translate their investment edge. This was helped by the hiring in June of partner and head of research Ermanno Mattio, who previously worked in research and business development for institutions ranging from Commerzbank to Credit Suisse. “We’re putting together messaging that communicates the