Amundi’s assets under management hit €1.65 trillion February 12, 2020 Amundi’s assets under management (AUM) reached €1.65 trillion (£1.38 trillion) in 2019, with the French asset manager boosted by a record fourth quarter. Inflows hit a record £76.8bn during the fourth quarter, including £59.6bn received from a new pension fund mandate at Amundi’s Indian joint venture, it said. Net inflows for the entire year were [...]
Softbank profit plunges 99 per cent on heavy Vision Fund losses February 12, 2020 Softbank’s quarterly profit has been almost entirely wiped out after heavy losses from its Vision Fund hit the technology investor for the second consecutive quarter. The Japanese conglomerate’s operating profit from October to December plummeted 99 per cent to just ¥2.59bn (£18.2m) after its Vision Fund and a related vehicle recorded a $2bn loss. Softbank [...]
Put your money where your morals are: ethical ideas for ESG investing February 12, 2020 Whether or not you agree with activists like Greta Thunberg or campaign groups like Extinction Rebellion, there’s been a clear societal shift in recent years to recognise the need to tackle problems like climate change or global poverty. One aspect of that shift is the increasing trend for savers to consider the environmental, social, and governance [...]
ESG investing: The only way is ethics February 12, 2020 “Climate change has become a defining factor in companies’ long-term prospects,” wrote Larry Fink, chief executive of Blackrock, in his annual letter to global company bosses last month. “I believe we are on the edge of a fundamental reshaping of finance.” It was a big moment. Sustainability has been a growing economic issue for more [...]
UK active fund inflows nosedive on coronavirus fears February 11, 2020 Sales of active equity funds in the UK plunged over 90 per cent in January after the coronavirus outbreak led to a collapse in investor confidence. Inflows into actively-managed equity funds totalled just £78m in January, a drop of 93 per cent compared to the previous month, according to figures from fund network Calastone. “Stock [...]
Fresh blow for Woodford investors as biotech sell-off fails February 9, 2020 Investors in the failed flagship fund of Neil Woodford are facing a further blow after a £550m deal to rescue a portfolio of his stakes in biotech startups collapsed, raising concerns the holdings will be offloaded in a fire sale. WG Partners, a boutique investment bank specialising in life sciences, had been trying to assemble [...]
The £19k cost of trying to time the market February 7, 2020 | City Talk When markets fall, the natural instinct is to sell. Our research highlights how costly it can be to miss the stock market’s best days. “Buy low, sell high” – that’s every investor’s goal. However, it’s easier said than done. Especially if you’re trying to time the market, which is notoriously difficult, if not impossible. It [...]
Antler secures fresh investment from Schroders February 6, 2020 Company builder Antler have taken their total raised to $75m, after closing investment from Schroders and FinTech Collective. Antler has raised the $75m in the last six months, with the latest tranche led by British investment management company Schroders, as well as Johan Andresen’s vehicle Ferd. The investors join an existing group that includes Facebook [...]
Peter Hargreaves sells £500m worth of shares February 6, 2020 Co-founder of Hargreaves Lansdown, Peter Hargreaves, has announced he will sell £500m worth of shares in the investment platform via an accelerated bookbuild offering. The purpose of the offering is to enable Hargreaves to diversify his assets. “I have decided to sell some of my shares in Hargreaves Lansdown. This is part of a process [...]
The big freeze: Investors feel the chill in M&G’s frozen property fund February 4, 2020 December and January have been cold dark months, especially for investors whose money has been frozen in M&G’s £2.5bn property fund since the beginning of winter. The asset management company felt compelled to suspend trading on its Property Portfolio fund on 4 December, due to the high volume of withdrawals by investors in the preceding [...]