Beyond the bottom line: UK asset managers aren’t ready for new stewardship rules – should we be worried? February 19, 2019 From questionable corporate incentives to excessive risk-taking, there were plenty of red flags that should have warned asset managers of the impending financial crisis in 2008. And yet, many turned a blind eye, ultimately choosing to risk people’s pension savings for the sake of short-term gains. Since then, codes of practice have been introduced around [...]
Should investors be more concerned about China’s slowdown? February 18, 2019 The rise of China has been astonishing and its growing influence on the world is one of the economic forces discussed in our inescapable investment truths for the decade ahead. But economies don’t grow in a straight line. China is facing a transition period. It is a country we monitor closely and we believe its [...]
Mark Kleinman: Aviva’s missed deadline ensures brickbats February 15, 2019 Viva Aviva? For such a stalwart of blue-chip boardrooms, Sir Adrian Montague suddenly can’t put a foot right. Four years after taking over the chairmanship of Aviva when John McFarlane scuttled off to Barclays, he’s ended up in a rather large pickle of his own making. Sacking Mark Wilson as the insurer’s chief executive last [...]
You can now trade London skyscrapers on a real estate stock exchange – here’s how it works February 12, 2019 Down the years, through booms and busts, investment in property has always meant one thing – buying buildings. And whether it be a corner shop or a skyscraper, the principle has always been the same – it’s the whole building that you buy. We take that for granted. Read more: Sharp rise in property values [...]
Asset managers call on index providers to drop controversial weapons firms February 11, 2019 More than 140 asset and wealth management firms have signed an open letter calling on global index providers to remove controversial weapons companies from mainstream benchmarks. Companies including Man Group, Credit Suisse and Pictet Asset Management are among those to sign up to the initiative calling for a boycott of manufacturers of weapons such as [...]
Three themes for 2019 – and some black swans February 8, 2019 | City Talk 2018 was a challenging year for investors with US equity and government bond markets both returning less than cash. Two factors were instrumental in delivering this outcome: disappointment with global growth and less cash flowing through the global economy (tighter liquidity). These factors will continue to influence markets in the year ahead. We have identified [...]
UK’s assets under management growth to outperform US and EU over next seven years February 6, 2019 The UK asset management industry is expected to outperform both Europe and the US over the next seven years despite Brexit, new research shows. Assets under management in the UK are forecast to grow 22 per cent by 2025, according to a survey by Bloomberg Intelligence and Simmons & Simmons. Read more: Janus Henderson Group's assets [...]
The yield curve explained: is it predicting recession? February 6, 2019 | City Talk The yield curve has been a reliable predictor of US recessions over the last four decades. Each time the yield curve has inverted, the US economy has entered a downturn within 18 months. At the start of 2019, the curve is precipitously close to inverting again. The yield curve is the difference between the interest [...]
FCA fines former Newton fund manager Paul Stephany for IPO misconduct February 5, 2019 Former fund manager Paul Stephany has been fined by the UK’s financial watchdog for misconduct related to On the Beach’s initial public offering (IPO) in 2015. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has fined Stephany, a former employee of Newton Investment Management, £32,200 after it was found that he had contacted rival fund managers to influence [...]
Janus Henderson Group’s assets under management fall in volatile market February 5, 2019 Assets under management (AUM) at Janus Henderson Group plummeted $50bn (£38.43bn) last quarter amid volatile markets. The company, which was formed through the 2017 merger of Henderson Group and Janus Capital Group, saw AUM fall 13 per cent from $378.1bn to $328.5bn in the three months to the end of December. Read more: Blackrock assets [...]