Latest News
Advent Software, a provider of software and services for the investment management industry, has launched the latest version of Geneva, its portfolio management and fund accounting solution.
Version 8.0 introduces middle office functionality, integration to counterparties and data providers, and customisable access to real-time data.
Geneva 8.0 simplifies the process of tracking varied investment classes and portfolio management activities across multiple strategies and portfolios.
By making information instantly accessible, it aims to help firms make more timely decisions to maximise performance while reducing operational risk and building investor confidence.
Enhancements to Geneva 8.0 include: real-time dashboards for monitoring counterparty exposure
Citi’s global transaction services has appointed David Martocci as managing director and global product manager of third-party securities lending and business development within its securities and fund services unit.
Third party lending programmes provide a full-range of securities lending service for clients who have a custody relationship with another institution.
Martocci will be responsible for the development, management and sales for Citi’s third-party securities lending programme, and will serve as a member of Citi’s global securities finance’s management committee.
He will work closely with Richard Ernesti, global head of investor sales, to drive the sales initiatives for the business.
"Dave
RWC Partners has appointed Peter Allwright and Stuart Frost to manage absolute return and currency funds.
Allwright (pictured) and Frost are lead managers on the Threadneedle Absolute Return Bond portfolios which have grown to more than USD3bn since launch over four years ago.
They are co-managers of the Threadneedle Absolute Return Bond Fund, which is AA-rated by Standard and Poor’s and A-rated by OBSR and also co-manage the Morningstar 5 star-rated Threadneedle Target Return Fund.
Allwright and Frost will take over the management of the RWC Strategic Reserve Fund and will be launching funds with a more flexible approach to
Interactive Data, a provider of financial market data and analytics, says its valuations service for OTC derivatives and structured products, offered in conjunction with Prism Valuation, is now being used by more than 25 financial institutions.
A wide range of institutional clients around the globe, including custodians, asset managers, hedge funds and sell-side firms, subscribe to the service, which offers a high level of transparency and broad coverage.
Transparency reports provide a breakdown of the method used to achieve a given valuation for each deal, including a detailed discussion of the models and calibration strategies selected. This level of transparency
NYSE Liffe will introduce weekly options on three of the most liquid shares traded on the Amsterdam market on 16 July: ING Group, Royal Dutch Shell and ArcelorMittal.
These contracts, which will provide investors with more opportunities to trade the major Amsterdam blue chip stocks, are the first ever weekly options on individual shares in Europe.
The key attraction of weekly options is that they cost less to trade than longer-dated alternatives. Generally the premium payable on short-lived weekly options is lower because its time value element is smaller.
For the same reason they also offer greater leverage: according
As a result of recent frauds and Ponzi schemes, a Madoff effect has developed, altering the nature and scope of investor due diligence, according to a study by Corgentum Consulting.
The data also shows that in anticipation of stricter hedge fund regulation fund of hedge funds are focusing the bulk of their due diligence efforts on legal, compliance and regulatory risks.
The study, The Madoff Effect – An Analysis of Operational Due Diligence Trends, is based on data from over 200 global hedge fund allocation organisations including fund of hedge funds, endowments, foundations, corporate pensions, family offices, large independent financial
Threadneedle has launched the Threadneedle Enhanced Commodities Fund, which will provide investors with an opportunity to invest in an actively managed long-only Ucits III fund with exposure across the commodity spectrum.
David Donora, manager of the new fund, says: “Threadneedle’s fundamentally driven investment model provides an ideal platform from which to operate this actively managed commodities fund. It is philosophically consistent with our approach of independent thinking and disciplined decision making that aims to achieve significant outperformance over passive commodity investing.
“Because the commodity markets are always evolving I believe the way forward in generating superior returns over the long
Gramercy has hired Jeffrey Grills and Gunter Heiland to establish investment management strategies focused on emerging markets debt.
Grills and Heiland join Gramercy from JP Morgan Asset Management, where they served as portfolio managers and co-heads of the emerging markets debt group.
Gramercy, a dedicated emerging markets investment manager, is headquartered in Greenwich, Connecticut and was founded in 1998. Today the firm manages over USD2.6bn in a number of emerging markets investment strategies.
On 1 July the new team will launch three emerging markets debt strategies: emerging markets US dollar sovereign debt, emerging markets local currency sovereign debt, and emerging
Quicken Loans has licensed Response Analytics’ Mortgage Asset Management solution to support its workflow for managing residential loans.
Quicken Loans, a 50-state, direct-to-consumer retail mortgage lender with more than 3,000 team members, is the nation’s largest online retail mortgage lender and the fifth largest retail mortgage lender overall.
Response Analytics’ software will be used by Quicken Loans when evaluating how to maximise the value of the loans it reviews for business partners.
“Response Analytics’ software will be very useful in helping us continue to evaluate our partners’ portfolios, while ensuring we continue to maintain the efficiency that has been
Law firm Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson has hired derivatives lawyer Robert McLaughlin as a partner in its asset management and financial services practices.
McLaughlin, whose clients include investment and commercial banks, investment management firms, individual investors, corporations and government-sponsored entities, is the author of Over-the-Counter Derivative Products: A Guide to Business and Legal Risk Management and Documentation.
McLaughlin’s practice concentrates on financial transactions with an emphasis on over-the-counter derivatives, structured products, synthetic investments and credit extensions, as well as derivatives claim trading.
He regularly advises market participants on legislative and regulatory developments.
He has extensive experience structuring and
