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JPMAM latest to join scramble for Africa

Story by: Oliver Good, Investment Adviser

JPMorgan Asset Management has launched an African fund becoming the latest in a long line of fund houses turning to the continent in search of higher emerging-markets returns.

• Time published: 00:01
• Date published: 26.05.2008
• Published in: Investments

HSBC trust places 103.6m shares to pay debt

The board of the £300m HSBC Infrastructure trust has raised £103.6m by placing 103.6m new shares.

• Date published: 26.05.2008

Absolute Capital cuts ties with credit fund business

Hedge fund manager Absolute Capital has announced plans to split with its emerging markets credit fund business, Argo Capital, to disassociate itself from the European hedge firm's recent problems.

• Date published: 26.05.2008

Aima appoints Simon to board of directors

The Alternative Investment Management Association has appointed Sean Simon of alternative fund of funds company Ivy Asset Management to its board of directors.

• Date published: 26.05.2008

Knox D'Arcy urges investors to buy Eaglet shares early

Investors buying shares in the £88.6m Eaglet trust ahead of its conversion to a directors' dealing model could stand to benefit from its large cash position, activist investor Knox D'Arcy has advised.

• Date published: 26.05.2008

No rally for small caps, claims Axa manager

Watson warns analysts and managers are in denial over extent of small firms' turmoil

• Date published: 26.05.2008

Rensburg positive on mid-cap market

Now is the time for investors to revisit the mid-cap market, according to Paul Spencer, manager of Rensburg Fund Management's £74m UK mid-cap Growth fund.

• Date published: 26.05.2008

Barings sows seeds for agriculture fund

Firm to launch Global Agriculature fund in bid to profit from rising food prices globally

• Date published: 26.05.2008

F&C funds of funds analyst bids adieu

Anna O'Donoghue, funds of funds analyst at F&C Investments, has resigned.

• Date published: 26.05.2008

Expect few surprises in Russia, says JPMorgan manager

Political influence on the Russian market is likely to be limited after the election of Dmitri Medvedev as new president, the manager of JPMorgan’s £468.7m Russian Securities fund has predicted.

• Date published: 26.05.2008

Potter and Burdett slash UK exposure

Thames River multi-managers favour Japan and US over European and UK holdings

• Date published: 26.05.2008

HSBC OpenFunds hits £100m under management bullseye

HSBC Investments' OpenFunds range has crossed the £100m under management mark.

• Date published: 26.05.2008

Sector predicts crude to soar for a decade

Fund manager claims dearth of young blood and lack of training has created supercycle

• Date published: 26.05.2008

Santander looks to build weightings in pharmaceuticals

Santander Asset Management is banking on pharmaceuticals becoming a fertile investment ground, according to Hak Salih, manager of the firm's £309m Equity Income unit trust.

• Date published: 26.05.2008

Keydata extends offer period on three plans

Keydata Investment Services, the Reading-based provider of structured products, has extended the offer period on three of its plans.

• Date published: 26.05.2008

Jupiter focuses on UK and US financials

Fund will go live on 2 June and will hold around 28 per cent of assets in banking and financial-services firms

• Date published: 26.05.2008

Cazenove duo stay on a defensive footing

Cazenove Capital multi-managers Marcus Brookes and Robin McDonald have stayed on a defensive footing throughout the first quarter, resisting the temptation to participate in the bullish upswings in commodities, resources and mining shares.

• Date published: 26.05.2008

M&G manager opts to increase credit risk

Richard Woolnough adds risk to Corporate Bond and Optimal Income funds

• Date published: 26.05.2008

Goddard replaces Eadon as PFS chief exec

Fay Goddard will replace Tim Eadon as chief executive of the Personal Finance Society in July.

• Date published: 26.05.2008

UBS's Stemp joins IMA board

Matthew Stemp, UK head of UBS Global Asset Management, has joined the board of the IMA, while Schroder Investment Management institutional boss John Troiano has stepped down.

• Date published: 26.05.2008

Sector IM looks to launch unit trust

Founder and fund manager wants separate portfolio to concentrate on growing oil services sector as crude prices rise

• Date published: 26.05.2008

Alliance appoints buisiness development manager

Alliance Trust has recruited a new business development manager to look after its IFA relationships in Scotland.

• Date published: 26.05.2008

Gerber replaces Berger at Julius Baer

Private client investment house Julius Baer has revamped its London team, with Daniel Gerber replacing Juerg Berger as chief executive.

• Date published: 26.05.2008

Solus fund manager warns over corporate bonds

Fund manager urges sticking to smaller number of holdings and backing them aggreessively

• Date published: 26.05.2008

Arc to roll out latest version of Fixed Income Plan

Arc Capital & Income is launching the newest version of its Fixed Income Plan, after its most recent incarnation closed two weeks early due to a high level of demand.

• Date published: 26.05.2008

Omam predicts multinationals will act as safe haven for investors

Manager stresses importance of selective approach to traditionally defensive areas of the market

• Date published: 26.05.2008

Martin Currie Scottish trust underperforms FTSE All-Share

Martin Currie Investment Management's £124m Securities Trust of Scotland has reported a fall in NAV for the year to March, underperforming the FTSE All-Share index.

• Date published: 26.05.2008

Fidelity urges IFAs to be more tax savvy

IFAs need to be more aware of changes in the tax treatment of insurance bonds and collectives according to Paul Kennedy, head of trusts and tax planning at Fidelity FundsNetwork.

• Date published: 26.05.2008

Managers divided over financial

Star equity managers are divided on the question of financials, with Fidelity's Anthony Bolton and Martin Currie's Tom Walker clashing at the Morningstar investment conference last week.

• Date published: 26.05.2008

Bolton and Plackett clash on small caps

Industry heavyweights clash over prospects for small and medium firms

• Date published: 26.05.2008

Skylight builds property fund

Property specialist Skylight Capital is putting the finishing touches to a fund that will give investors the chance to participate in early-stage bricks and mortar developments.

• Date published: 26.05.2008

Bank left rate unchanged over inflation fears

MPC took hawkish view with only one member voting to cut interest rates

• Date published: 26.05.2008

Argonaut ups the bullish ante

Argonaut Capital Partners is more bullish on equities than it has been for 18 months, according to co-founder Barry Norris.

• Date published: 26.05.2008

Gartmore managers to retain Spanish company

Gartmore Investment's European managers Roger Guy and Guillaume Rambourg will retain Spanish company Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria as a core holding, despite an overall underweight to financials.

• Date published: 26.05.2008

Fidelity's manager warns over stagflation

Fidelity International’s Trevor Greetham is maintaining underweights in equities and property in his multi-asset portfolio, fearing much of the developed world is moving into a stagflationary phase.

• Date published: 26.05.2008

Hansard adds Aliquot Agriculture fund to platform

Hansard International has added the new Aliquot Agriculture fund to its platform, opening it up to 43,000 investors around the world.

• Date published: 26.05.2008

Human rights records big factor for ethical investors

Ethical investors are more concerned about avoiding companies in countries with poor human rights records than any other factor, an F&C report has suggested.

• Date published: 26.05.2008

Newton ups exposure to financials for bond funds

Newton Investment Management has been upping exposure to financials in its £91.8m Strategic Corporate Bond and £172.7m Global Dynamic Bond funds, believing banks have begun shifting their business models in a positive way.

• Date published: 26.05.2008

China overtaking US in global consumption says HSBC

China now has a greater impact on global consumption than the US, and is also the primary destination for the planet’s exports, according to an HSBC Global Asset Management report.

• Date published: 26.05.2008

Credit Suisse shuts Target Return fund

Credit Suisse has decided to close its underperforming £8m Target Return fund.

• Date published: 26.05.2008

Lehman launches kick-out plan

Lehman Brothers has announced the launch of its Kick-Out Performance Plan, with two index options.

• Date published: 26.05.2008

New Star fund close to threshold

New Star Asset Management's Heart of Africa fund is approaching its £100m threshold, having attracted £75m under management since opening.

• Date published: 26.05.2008

Axa rolls out MM division

Axa Investment Managers has unveiled its new multi-manager subdivision, Architas.

• Date published: 26.05.2008

HSBC rebrands asset management business

HSBC has rebranded its asset management business as HSBC Global Asset Management in a bid to broaden the scope of its fund management name.

• Date published: 26.05.2008

Senhouse managers get fund launch nod from FSA

Former Bedlam Asset Management employees Julian Pendock and Matt Jones have received FSA authorisation to launch their second fund for Senhouse Capital.

• Date published: 26.05.2008

Managers up in arms over harmonisation failure

Artemis Investment Management and Neptune Investment Management have slammed European regulators for failing to introduce harmonisation properly and allowing investors to get hit with unnecessary fees.

• Date published: 26.05.2008

S&P report shows investors stayed put in FoHFs

Retail investors stayed put in funds of hedge funds in the first quarter, despite poor liquidity and heightened volatility.

• Date published: 26.05.2008

Mirae launches range of Sicavs for European market

Mirae Asset Global Investments is making its move on the European market with the launch of a range of Sicavs.

• Date published: 26.05.2008

M&G Investments' Woolnough adds credit risk to funds

M&G Investments' Richard Woolnough has begun adding credit risk to his £1.1bn Corporate Bond and £155.3m Optimal Income funds, although he remains underweight financials.

• Date published: 21.05.2008

Crude oil prices could remain high for a decade

Years of under-investment in infrastructure and a lack of specific personnel training have created a super-cycle for crude oil that could see prices remain high for a decade, according to Sector Investment Management.

• Date published: 21.05.2008

Jupiter's Strategic Bond focuses on UK and US financials

Jupiter Unit Trust Managers’ soon-to-launch Strategic Bond fund is set to invest heavily in financials in the UK and US, despite high-profile banking woes in both economies.

• Date published: 21.05.2008

Cazenove managers retain defensive footing

Cazenove Capital Management multi-managers Marcus Brookes and Robin McDonald have stayed on a defensive footing throughout the first quarter, resisting the temptation to participate in the bullish upswings in commodities, resources and mining shares.

• Date published: 21.05.2008

Eaglet trust investors likely to benefit from cash position

Investors buying shares in the £88.6m Eaglet trust ahead of its conversion to a directors' dealing model could stand to benefit from its large cash position, Knox D'Arcy has advised.

• Date published: 19.05.2008

Framlington's Watson sceptical of rally in smaller companies

Axa Framlington investment trust manager Brian Watson has said he does not expect a rally in smaller companies sentiment for the next quarter, after a tough start to the year for his fund.

• Date published: 19.05.2008