Detlef Glow, head of EMEA Research at Thomson Reuters Lipper argues that active managers shouldn’t use ETF’s to deflect criticism of their own performance. While observing the discussion around ETFs, especially in Europe, I become a bit concerned that the critiques are getting too tired—pundits seem to be going over the same topics again and […]
Edgar Mestre, financial analyst at the asset allocation team of Summa Patrimonia outlines the fund selection strategy his team carries out, generally favouring actively managed funds. Barcelona-based Edgar Mestre is one of the 14-strong team working at the Spanish financial advisory (Eafi) Summa Patrimonia, where he works as an investment portfolio analyst focusing on equity. […]
Research from BMO Global Asset Management’s multi-manager team reveals there are distinct markets where the probability of active funds outperforming the index over the long-term is greater, while there are other markets where it has proven more challenging to generate alpha. Research from the team – co-managed by Rob Burdett and Gary Potter – shows […]
Danish equities returned 14.3% for the average equity fund investor in Denmark during the first half of 2017, according to data published by the Danish Investment Fund Association (IFB). This return rate led all sector categories – even as most equity fund categories provided positive returns. China, the Far East and the Nordic region also […]
The active versus passive debate is often presented as a schism of the investment world, involving two intractable factions. However, my view is that active and passive must not be opposing forces. While the rise of passives presents a challenge, true active managers should not fixate on the mounting forces of beta, and, instead, focus […]
How to find the right blend between active and passive? Paris-headquartered Lyxor Asset Management has tried to answer the question by conducting its annual research on best and worst performing active managers. For the 2016 edition, some 3,871 active funds distributed across Europe covering 15 asset classes and gathering almost €1.3trn in assets under management have been compared to […]
New research from Platforum reveals that while 45% of European investors say they deal with investments entirely by themselves without any expert help, in fact only 29% are fully self‐directed. More than one third (37%) of investors who say they manage their investments themselves are receiving advice – or at least paying for it – […]
Latest data from the S&P Indices Versus Active Funds (Spiva) scorecard show that a significant share of Europe and UK equity funds underperformed their benchmarks over the past year, while many continue to underperform over the longer term. First published in 2002 to measure US actively managed mutual funds, the scorecard has been extended to […]
Danish equity funds saw returns average 5.3% in December alone as both equity and fixed income asset classes provided local investors with positive returns, according to the Danish Investment Fund Association (IFB). Key gainers on the local stock market included shipping company A.P. Møller-Mærsk and energy company Dong. However, it was Eastern Europe that provided the […]
Industry body the Assocation of Professional Fund Investors has responded to the UK Fincancial Conduct Authority’s suggestions around costs and transparency in the fund industry with a cautious welcome, and a reminder that there are a number of additional factors that the regulator ought to consider on the issue. Issuing a statement on behalf of […]
Investors have helped send AUM in a Legg Mason infrastructure fund to over £140m just a month after launch. Legg Mason IF RARE Global Infrastructure Income fund, managed by infrastructure specialist RARE’s co-CEO and CIOs Nick Langley and Richard Elmslie, focuses solely on the listed infrastructure space, with the majority of assets invested in essential utilities such as water, gas […]
BlackRock’s European Absolute Return fund re-opened for further subscriptions on 29 July. The Luxembourg-domiciled fund initially closed to new investors in November 2013, after reaching £1.59bn. The fund, co-managed by Vincent Devlin and Stefan Gries, closed due to “strong levels of subscriptions over a sustained period of time”, the asset manager said at the time, […]