Opalesque UCITS intelligence
Transcription
Opalesque UCITS intelligence
1 Issue 02 | July 2013 In This Issue SPECIAL : Assets and performances for 6 UCITS platforms Latest statistics ....................................................... 3 Introducing the Intelligence UCITS Newsletter: Leader interview: Dear new readers, Michael Sanders CEO of Alceda explains how Alceda provide AIF solutions ..................................... 6 Opalesque is delighted to announce the launch of this new publication in collaboration with Sophie van Straelen, focusing on the universe of our Alternative UCITS database. Feedback from managers: Opalesque UCITS Intelligence is a quarterly publication providing comprehensive analysis on product trends, distribution and market initiatives. Sophie has a long track record of market research in European Alternative Investments and has analysed the evolution of the UCITS market since its early stage development in the year 2000. Why UCITS Intelligence? We believe that both fund managers and investors worldwide are interested in regular statistics on this universe of funds to understand market dynamism and regulatory changes. Despite criticism of low performances, the UCITS format is fulfilling new investors’ constraints in term of transparency and regulatory requirements. Therefore the future of Alternative UCITS Continues to be bright. The challenge is always to define which type of funds are Alternative UCITS, and each database has its own criteria. The Opalesque UCITS FUNDS Database already lists 800 Alternative UCITS funds. Please contact db@opalesque.com to make sure your fund is listed. Our existing database has been tested and reviewed by several professionals and continues to add new funds. The Alternative UCITS fund universe is quite concentrated - about 60% of the assets raised by the top five funds. Similar to the hedge fund universe, we have seen since 2008 a major concentration of assets into a smaller numbers of players. Investors choose security and allocate mainly with mainstream funds and large brands. Exploring costs, risks and asset raising .................. 9 Regulation: How the AMF is responding to AIFMD? ............. 11 News round up: News selection from Alternative Briefing on UCITS ................................................................................. 12 Exclusive: Opalesque Fund Table YTD June 2013 ............... 14 KEY FIGURES end of JUNE 2013: (figures provided by Nara Capital) AUM Alternative UCITS : EUR 163 billion Number of fund stracked by Nara : 864 EstimatedAUM in UCITS platforms : EUR 11,8 billion UCITS Alternative Index Blue Chip June 2013 : -1,78% UCITS Alternative Index Blue Chip YTD 2013 : 1,82% Matthias Knab Opalesque About your editor: Sophie van Straelen and Asterias Ltd: Sophie van Straelen started her professional career in investment banking spanning derivative markets and hedge funds. Her 12 year experience in investment banking provided a strong base to found Asterias Ltd, the consultancy located in London, specialised in delivering strategic insight in distribution for service providers and hedge fund managers. Listed in 2009 by EFinancial News as one of the top 100 most influential women in finance in Europe, she is a recognized, valuable and independent source of analysis for the media, lobbying groups and investors. Copyright 2013 © Opalesque Ltd. All Rights Reserved. EDITORIAL Issue 02 | July 2013 22 In its latest report, the hedge fund research firm PREQIN had some interesting research on Alternative UCITS (the report is freely available). Highlights included: • • • • • 86% of investors in UCITS hedge funds are based in Europe Long/Short equity has been the most commonly sought UCITS by investors in the last 12 months Half of the UCITS hedge fund pursues a Long/Short strategy 12% of UCITS funds are managed by US based fund managers UCITS hedge funds returned 2.46% in Q1 2013 compared to 3.22% for hedge funds First, I would like to outline the difficulty to analyze the funds and strategies universes which combine hedge fund managers and long only firms. Is the biggest fund under that category ( ie Standard Life Global Absolute Return Strategies Fund)– suitable under Alternative UCITS? With $25 billion under management is its weight appropriate ? It makes sense to divide Alternative UCITS in two universes: Hedge funds and long only in order to identify the style of management and compare funds that are using similar investment guidelines. Some allocators such as Daniel Capocci, CIO at Archidas selecting UCITS, explains that combining the brand of long only managers with specific Long/Short skills in hedge fund managers gives a good mix to investors, especially retail investors. Yes indeed, Long/Short equity strategy is the strategy that probably fits the best under a UCITS format. We have addressed this issue in our interview with event driven managers. Most asset allocators and investors recognize that the pool of talent is mainly European. See PSAM’s comment in this edition on their experience in bringing their US expertise under a UCITS format. Finally, the levels of returns are still a critical aspect of UCITS funds at a time where retail and institutional investors are looking for yields! However, investors in general are aware that liquidity and regulation are limiting their investment processes and therefore their upside in performance. I remain extremely prudent on the level of communication to investors on strategies such as Risk Parity, especially when the performance volatility, ; as experienced in May and June, could have a negative impact on the UCITS brand. When Matthias and I were at the GAIM Conference, we met several investors and asset allocators who were pleased to read more about the UCITS platforms and their models. Consequently, we have decided to provide even more insight on this specific universe and we will continue to follow in our coming editions. We wish you a happy reading and are look forward to hearing your feedback ! Have a lovely summer ! Sophie sophie@opalesque.com Copyright 2013 © Opalesque Ltd. All Rights Reserved. opalesque.com MARKET STATISTICS Issue 02 | July 2013 33 Alix Capital Q2 2013 report Key findings: • UCITS absolute return fund’s assets under management increased by 5.60% during the second quarter of 2013 and by 17.85% since the beginning of the year reaching a new high of EUR 163 billion. • Five out of eleven strategies display positive performance since the beginning of the year, Long/Short Equity being the best performer with +3.39%. • The best performing UCITS absolute return funds since the beginning of the year are the ML Pegasus UCITS Fund, a long/short equity fund managed by Clareville Capital up 28.22%, followed by the Odey UK Absolute Return Fund, also a long/short equity fund managed by Odey Asset Management, up 23.92% and the ML DUNN World Monetary and Agriculture Fund, a CTA fund managed by US based manager Dunn Capital up 21.10% since the beginning of the year. • The Plurima Unifortune Global Strategy Fund is the best performing fund of funds since the beginning of the year with a performance of 5.53% at the end of June while the Credit Suisse Prima Multi-Strategy is the largest one by assets with EUR 619 million. • The Morgan Stanley Fund logic and the Merrill Lynch Invest platforms are the largest fund platforms in term of number funds with 18 single UCITS absolute return funds while Deutsche Bank DB Platinum is the largest platform in term of assets with EUR 2.56 billion at the end of June 2013. Louis Zanolin, CEO of Alix Capital, says: “UCITS absolute return fund assets continue to grow during the second quarter of 2013. This is explained by several factors. The continuous shift from long only to absolute return fixed funds is probably the most important reason currently. Given the size of the long only fixed income market, one can expect this trend to continue if not to accelerate during the next quarters. Other key important drivers are linked to more secular trends such as the continuously increasing need for highly regulated and liquid products able to deliver consistent absolute returns. Louis Zanolin further adds: We are seeing more and more US based investment managers launching UCITS funds.Fund platforms and their benefits in terms of easy market access are playing an essential role in this development. While they still only account for 5% of the total number of funds, US based managers represent 37% of all platform funds.” In our view, the UAI Industry Report gives access to the most comprehensive information about the UCITS absolute return funds universe. Nara Capital has a long track record in the sector and is managing investors’ portfolios. The report can be purchased on the UCITS Alternative Index website or by contacting Alix Capital. Copyright 2013 © Opalesque Ltd. All Rights Reserved. opalesque.com MARKET STATISTICS Copyright 2013 © Opalesque Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Issue 02 | July 2013 44 opalesque.com MARKET STATISTICS Copyright 2013 © Opalesque Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Issue 02 | July 2013 55 opalesque.com ew INTERVIEW: ALCEDA Issue 02 | July 2013 66 AIFM CHALLENGES: HOW ALCEDA PLATFORM IS BECOMING A EUROPEAN PASSPORT FOR AIF FUNDS? in billion euros Opalesque UCITS intelligence met Manuela Fröhlich, head of Global Fund Sales and Helmut Hohmann, Managing Director Sales, discussing how a provider such as Alceda can become a one shop solution for hedge fund managers wishing to enter the European distribution market. Michael Sanders, Chairman of nt company in Luxembourg the registered Board of Alceda Fund Management S.A will also give us his perspective on the evolution of UCITS. Total Assets managed by Assets under Alceda’s group Administration (in bn EUR) 4,51 3,57 ent Manuela, can you explain us what your platform is providing ry as UCITS andmanagers? Alternative Investment to fund exible and reliable solutions to our clients, both onal investors, straightforward to the Alcedafrom enables asset managers to structure their investment rategies strategies in a UCITS format as well as in any other Luxembourg structuring solutions. 5,4 1,89 0,55 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 tructuringWith alternative and traditional our long-standing history as UCITS and Alternative Investment Platform we are providing flexible and reliable solutions to our clients, both asset managers and institutional investors, from straightforward to the most complex investment ent provider of private label UCITS structuring strategies. Clients by Geography 91,7% The Alceda’s approach is to provide an open architecture where managers choose their preferred counter parties for pecialistsfund in the fields ofcan structuring, initiation, custody, trading,sales etc.. and This marketing approach is particularly attractive , investment controlling, for asset managers that do not have a presence yet in Europe and for whom, the regulatory barrier is high. Historically, Alceda’s platform was created to structure Investment strategies into a reasonable format – such as UCITS, SIFs or any other available Luxemburg product structure - for asset managers wishing to enter the German market. Each market in Europe has its own investment culture, its own preferences for fund structure, even if UCITS today remains a good solution for pan European distribution. One of today’s issues is to have the engine power to provide flexible solutions; we are not the only provider offering these types of services, however, we are independent, with a significant size and track record and a strong continental sales’ presence since 2007. We grew rapidly and have the confidence of both investors and fund managers. Many managers not only just want platform providers to structure their fund into a UCITS format in a timely and cost efficient manner, they also want the provider to help them with the distribution and marketing of the fund. Managers increasingly realise that distributing a UCITS fund is quite a different ball game to distributing an offshore fund and therefore seek platform providers who have the necessary distribution expertise, dedicated sales staff and far reaching network that ensures their fund launch is a success. Copyright 2013 © Opalesque Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Europe 6,0% 2,4% US Asia/Pacific Source: Alceda Fund Management S.A., data as of 30.06.2013 At Alceda we have a so called „Global Fund Sales“ Team. 9 This team is in charge of distributing a very focused number of funds on the platform. The team covers the whole range of investor types (Independent financial advisors, banks, family offices, institutional investors, etc.). The geographical focus of our distribution activities are the German speaking regions in Europe, the Nordics, Asia (as we opened an office in Hong Kong in April 2012), and LATAM (we partnered up with a dedicated LATAM distribution agent). Alceda‘s dedicated fund sales team function aims to help managers optimise fund distribution and achieve their full sales potential. Alceda offers managers access to strong distribution networks, close partnerships and/or exclusive distribution arrangements. Upon the fulfilment of certain product criteria, such as a certain level of fund AUM, a three year live strategy track record and convincing performance, opalesque.com >> Alceda | Client Overview and Type of Fund Regulation INTERVIEW: ALCEDA 77 Issue 02 | July 2013 CLIENT BREAKDOWN TYPE OF FUND REGULATION 1,2%1,2% 2,4% 5% 21,4% 78,6% 90,5% UCITS Family Office Asset Manager Foundation Pension fund Non-UCITS* Bank Source: Alceda Fund Management S.A., as of 30.06.2013 © 2013 Alceda Alceda works in close cooperation with the manager to develop an in-depth distribution concept that includes the identification of potential clients and the planning of targeted marketing and distribution activities. We offer our preferred partners an extensive sales and marketing service that includes the creation of marketing materials such as fact sheets, PR activities, inclusion of the fund on Alceda’s website, as well as the provision of fund data to data providers. Alceda organises numerous road shows and web-conferences that provide managers with the opportunity to present their funds to our broad distribution network. Managers also have the option to join Alceda at key industry events, where they can present their funds together with Alceda at our professionally presented exhibition stands. Helmut, can you tell us a bit more on your offering in AIF funds? How do you see this market developing in Europe? AIMFD promises to change the landscape for how firms attract and manage their assets. The distribution capacity in Europe is evolving and changing to adapt to the new AIFM Directive. We see the directive as bringing positive changes. Investors in Europe will access to a larger range of investment strategies under a regulated format. The AIF funds will cover liquid strategies, potentially using higher leverage and more complex investment guidelines. Investors will be able to access these strategies. We see a number of illiquid strategies at the frontier with private equity, developing into a fund structure and offering access to long Copyright 2013 © Opalesque Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Source : Alceda Fund Management S.A., as of 30.06.2013 * incl. all other types of regulated vehicles, will become AIFs 10 term investments. We foresee a real development in renewable energies and portfolios of real assets. These strategies are in higher demand for potential higher returns. If they are available in AIF funds, the regulated format will become rapidly very attractive to institutional investors. Some asset managers do not have the legal and compliance resources to work on the registration of an AIF structure in Europe. Some are also sceptical on the real investment market in Europe. Those are our clients. We act as an external advisor and help them building the right fund structure to distribute in Europe. We are positive on the AIFM directive despite the general critics, market players like Alceda are opening new investment opportunities and creating a positive outlook for the future. We believe, that in a mid- to longterm perspective, AIFMD compliant products will reach the same “Gold Standard” acceptance by global investors, as UCITS already has. Why do investors choose UCITS rather than offshore hedge funds? In our opinion the relative success of asset management companies raising assets into UCITS products is more a function of strong distribution channels and brand recognition, rather than a loss of competitive advantage by hedge funds. Offshore hedge funds have historically raised most of their assets from UHNW individuals, family offices, and FoHF. This led them to build distribution networks well suited to these investor types, where the number of targets is relatively low but the average ticket size is high. In contrast, asset management companies have extensive distribution networks targeting assets from the opalesque.com INTERVIEW: ALCEDA retail market right through to institutional investors, and thus have been well placed to exploit the demand from Alternative UCITS products which has come from these channels. However, as risk appetite returns and investors become more adventurous we expect to see smaller and more nimble managers Michael Sanders increasing their market share and challenging the bigger players to be more innovative in their offerings. Who is investing in UCITS hedge funds? UCITS is the investment vehicle of choice for many investors, as a way to gain easier, more liquid and more transparent exposure to alternative investment strategies. We expect to see continued demand for single manager alternative strategies in 2013, with many investors still focusing on increasing diversification in their portfolios. This growth will be supported by the ever increasing range of alternative strategies available to investors. Alternative asset managers are increasingly attracted to UCITS due to the greater distribution flexibility that it provides, and the resulting opportunity to significantly expand their investor base. Even with AIFMD, there is still a growing demand for Alternative UCITS structures outside of Europe, particularly in Asia and LATAM. We are encouraged by the prospects in the Alternative UCITS sector and believe alternative strategies in a UCITS format will continue to attract investors across the risk-spectrum in 2013 and beyond. Will hedge funds benefit as European pensions diversify out of equities into other asset classes? More pensions fund money will flow into hedge funds, which are still seen as good diversifiers. On the other side, also other options like private equity or Real Assets are proving attractive right now. German Hedge Fund Market and further trends German investors have painful experiences in hedge funds. They began to allocate between 2006 and 2007 and ended up with FoHFs in 2008. The negative impression of the hedge fund industry is due to the lack of liquidity, transparency and insufficient performance combined with disproportionately high fees. The hedge fund exposure was also reduced by the negative attitude to hedge fund-related investment activities in the press and the political environment. Copyright 2013 © Opalesque Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Issue 02 | July 2013 88 The demand from German investors is however increasing due to the current low-yield and high-volatility environment as well as the ongoing political and economic uncertainties. European regulation will somehow foster the development of hedge funds as the rules for insurance and pensions companies in Germany and Europe are tightening through Solvency II and other rules. Hedge funds offer superior risk-return profiles that might large investors animate to increase their allocation in alternatives. With the AIFM hedge fund managers authorised under the directive will gain a passport to market EU-domiciled funds freely to professional and institutional investors in the 27 member states. 2013 may be a challenging year for hedge funds, although the fundamental attractions – low volatility, alpha and diversification – will continue to attract investors. Hedge Funds found it difficult to compete with the strong equity markets of 2012 and the strong bull markets of early 2013. With more funds available than ever, investors have the task to choose from an expanding range of strategies and location choices to select funds to build a solid portfolio. Michael Sanders, you are Chairman of the Board of Alceda Fund Management S.A; how do you see the future for UCITS? Alceda has been participating and organizing numerous events and road shows in Asia and Australia in 2012 and early 2013. We see a huge interest in those regions and the increasing demand is promising. UCITS is the investment vehicle of choice for many investors globally, who are attracted by its regulated format as well as the transparency and liquidity that UCITS offers. With the UCITS universe continuing to mature and the quality of managers increasing steadily, the future for UCITS alternative funds continues to look bright. We are therefore very optimistic that the UCITS platform business will grow. Particularly mid sized manager from US and Asia are currently looking for UCITS structures. A lot of them have concerns to do the step to Europe on their own, because they do not know the market and distribution structure, as well as the regulatory framework. Our platform provides these type of managers a one stop shop service regarding their fund set up. And - as a difference to other platforms - we set up a separate fund umbrella structure for every single manager. This assures the manager, that he can use his own brand - and if the assets reaches a decent size in the future to transfer the fund structure to a stand alone solution. opalesque.com FEEDBACK FROM MANAGERS Issue 02 | July 2013 99 Have UCITS had their time? Exploring costs, risks and asset raising. Salvatore Cordaro, Founding partner and CIO at Tages Capital, Marco d’Attanasio, founding partner and CIO at Hadron Capital, Karim Leguel CIO of Rasini Fairway Capital and Dhan Pai, COO and CFO at PSAM, joined me at the GAIM conference to share their experience in managing UCITS and non UCITS funds. Why did you launch a UCITS product? • Dhan Pai explained that for PSAM the decision to launch a european vehicle became pertinent because of specific european investors’ request. Having run liquid versions of their flagship strategy through managed accounts for almost a decade, launching a UCITS was a logical development for PSAM. • Marco D’Attanasio explained that for Hadron Capital the decision to launch a UCITS-compliant fund was the result of some requests from existing investors in their flagship offshore fund who wanted exposure to different asset classes but with the protection of a UCITS framework. Having considered this request Hadron realised that the way their flagship fund was managed was already consistent with the UCITS guidelines and that it was possible to deliver the fundamental character of Hadron’s investment DNA within the UCITS constraints. • Tages involvement into the UCITS industry is a natural extension of the work done by the team during its previous experience at a premiere global investment bank. There the team was responsible for the first and world largest UCITS fund of UCITS funds, launched in 2009. This was also driven by investor demand for transparency, liquidity and regulation and the team capitalized on this trend. Are costs an issue? • There are specific costs attached to launching a UCITS fund, including registration and passporting costs. However, the panel recognized that those costs are generally fixed costs, which will mostly impact smaller funds. As Dhan Pai says : « the vast majority of Alternative UCITS funds have sub-optimal AUM resulting in greater tracking error and higher TER. As funds increase in size and the tracking error, costs, etc. become less of an issue, it is easier to attract capital from institutional investors. • Marco d’Attanasio outlined that the managers’ aim should be to bring the costs of their UCITS funds in line with their relevant offshore strategy and investor expectations. He also added that tracking error between a UCITS fund and its offshore version should be taken into account in the due diligence process as some strategies may experience replication issues. Copyright 2013 © Opalesque Ltd. All Rights Reserved. • The panel agreed that perceived additional costs of a regulated vehicle should not prevent managers form registering and running a UCITS. • Salvatore highlights how the Ucits regulation prevents managers to expense inappropriate costs to the fund (when compared to the flexibility of an offshore vehicle). There is also the “cost of regulation”, which stems from more constraints on the investment universe. This translates over time in lower performance compared to the offshore sector, but (at least based on available research) this effect seems more than compensated by lower risk, leaving ucits alternative funds with better risk adjusted returns. • PSAM notes that reflecting the trend observed in the offshore space, UCITS investors have also become more sensitive about TER. In particular those traditionally investing in long only UCITS who see Alternative UCITS as a diversifier who compare relative cost structure of a very broad range of products, including ETFs. • Salvatore agrees with Dhan, and quotes some research showing that the tracking error is diminishing as the industry matures and more assets are invested through UCITS vehicles Risks : are UCITS less risky products? • For the panel, risks are equal between investing in an offshore and a UCITS. The panel was concerned that investors could consider regulated vehicles as carrying less risks. Fraud risk, counterparty risks and even liquidity risks are in both regulated and non regulated funds. In the case of regulated vehicle, someone can be responsible, either a custodian, a regulator ; however, investors must do their due diligence on operational issues for both structures. • One critical factor is understanding the strategy and the structure of the fund : how the assets are valued, in case of a complex strategy : what is the impact of a swap structure in terms of risks and costs. • From PSAM’s experience in running their UCITS, liquidity mismatch is one of the risks/concerns that investors mention the most. PSAM’s UCITS was launched almost 3 years ago and they believe that this track record generated over different periods and market environments now helps address those liquidity mismatch concerns. However, in the first few months after the launch, PSAM felt that their experience in running liquid versions of the main strategy through managed accounts was the best way to address those concerns. The fact that PSAM never gated, suspended liquidity or side pocketed investors even in their more liquid productswas a strong plus. opalesque.com FEEDBACK FROM MANAGERS • Dhan Pai adds that there has been concerns regarding how some strategies have been made UCITS compliant through the use of structuring techniques. He says it is critical for the industry’s reputation to make sure managers comply with the spirit of the regulation as well. • Marco D’Attanasio agrees with Dhan about liquidity mismatch. Hadron decided to publish the NAV of their UCITS fund on a daily basis not because their investor base demands daily liquidity, but because they want to give the assurance that they would be able to liquidate the portfolio anytime at the price at which the securities are valued in the fund. • The level of liquidity in UCITS can become a risk factor for co-investors. The stability of the fund and its strategy can be at risk when suddenly the fun dis facing important redemptions. How can an investor appreciate that risk ? • Salvatore agrees that risks are similar to the offshore world (if not higher, as UCITS structures are often more complex). In particular, regulation risk of providing a false sense of security as investors tend to associate regulation with prevention of operational accidents. As for listed (regulated) equities, regulation itself does not prevent but surely mitigates the risk of frauds (think of Enron or Parmalat). Issue 02 | July 2013 10 10 actively monitoring the Alternative UCITS space. • Dhan Pai considers that while there has been a growing number of funds covering various strategies launched over the past couple of years, some strategies are still under represented in the UCITS industry. There is additional benefits in terms asset raising for first entrants. • Karim Leguel thinks that investors are moving away from investing in big managers, perceived wrongly as safer. Smaller niche managers are offering capacity and attracting investors. • Marco D’Attanasio notes the increased institutionalisation of the UCITS phenomenon, which is able to capture different groups of investors attracted by the combination of liquidity, transparency and regulatory supervision but within a strategy provided by a hedge fund manager. Some of the traditional funds of hedge funds are looking at UCITS as a way to improve the liquidity profile of their offshore offering; some traditional long-biased multi-managers can finally access less directional strategies in a format which is suitable for their typical onshore structures. On the other hand, the private banks see the tax and regulatory advantages inherent in a UCITS structure versus the offshore equivalent as hugely attractive. In addition to that, in some countries there are significant benefits for insurance companies holding their capital in regulated vehicles rather than offshore structures. Raising assets with UCITS • In both offshore and UCITS, the big players attract most of the investment flows. • Critical size, brand name and performances are critical factors to raise assets, especially institutional investors. • Salvatore outlined that as far as asset raising is concerned, most of the asset growth in alternatives post 2008 has been driven by US institutions, which by their nature are not the natural buyer of UCITS funds. Most of the growth of the industry in Europe has indeed been channelled via UCITS vehicles and we are seeing an acceleration of this via a virtuous cycle of “more assets get attracted, reducing tracking errors, and attracting to the industry more talented managers, which in turn attracts more investors to it”. • PSAM also believes that it is critical for a manager to identify and communicate about the drivers of performance for their UCITS compared to their main strategy to appropriately manage investors’ expectations. • Salvatore Cordaro mentioned that todays investors in Alternative UCITS are evolving towards even more institutional involvement. Investors in Long Only funds are now moving to Alternative UCITS. According to Salvatore, this larger range of investors is very positive. Dhan Pai confirms that they have been working with new types of investors, including traditionally long only products that invest cross assets, and that have been more Copyright 2013 © Opalesque Ltd. All Rights Reserved. About Hadron Capital: Hadron Capital is an asset management firm that specializes in European event strategies founded in London in 2004. Hadron decided to enter the UCITS space in 2010 by launching the Hadron Alpha Select fund, the onshore regulated version of the Hadron Fund, its flagship fund which has been in existence since October 2004. Hadron’s investment strategy is a Long/ Short Multi-Asset Class with a relative value and event-driven focus. The approach is to exploit bottom-up dislocations and mispricings as well as near-term, catalyst-driven opportunities across the capital structure of companies focusing on situations where short term triggers and catalysts are present. Capital is deployed opportunistically in response to the investment opportunities. As a result, the asset class allocations shift naturally between the strategies over time due to changes in the investment landscape. About Rasini Fairway: Rasini Fairway Capital is an Investment Manager specialized in hedge funds and Alternative UCITS. Rasini Fairway Capital also operated a UCITS seeding platform called RF Capital which on the 26th of June launched its first fund, Sierra Europe UCITS, which operated a European Equity Long/Short strategy. opalesque.com FEEDBACK FROM MANAGERS About PSAM: PSAM is a firm focused on global event driven investing with offices in New York and London. The firm invests in merger related, stressed and distressed related and special situations oriented situations around the globe. PSAM has operated a UCITS fund since September 2010. About Tages Group: Tages Group is a European investment and advisory group. AMF ISSUES The implementation of AIFM this summer is certainly one of the greatest challenge of the european hedge fund industry. As we are publishing this edition, we do not have yet all the elements in hands to get a clear vision on the short term impact on the fund managers. However, we have looked at the AIFM implementation guidelines in the UK and in France, trying to adress how the two countries adress such regulatory issues. France : feedback from the AMF, Edouard Vieillefond at the latest Opalesque Roundtable in Paris. (The complete document can be downloaded on www. opalesque.com). We have been helping a lot technically to redraft the Code monétaire et financier alongside the French Treasury, as we did for UCITS IV. And we have had to do it with the deadline in mind, because the ordinance implementing the directive into French law will have to be published no later than July 31st. People often think that the AIFM directive is only targeted at hedge funds, which is far from true, particularly in France. About two thirds of our 600 French asset management companies will eventually be AIFM authorized and the majority of funds domiciled in France are not UCITS and will fall under the category of AIF, which is something people don’t realize. These actors are already subject to national regulation and supervision, regardless of the AIFMD. Also, one should keep in mind that this directive was originally one of the responses of Europe to the G20 following the crisis. From the outset, AIFMD was a directive aimed primarily at addressing systemic risks (through enhanced reporting, regulators’ power to set a limit to funds’ leverage). Fostering competition and opening the European market (through the passport for management and marketing activities) only came second in the minds of legislators. Against this background, it is worth noting that a number of provisions in AIFMD are directly inspired from the French regulation framework. Actually this is one of the reasons why generally speaking French asset management companies will have it easier to adjust to it than some of their European competitors, because already comply with many standards it contains. Copyright 2013 © Opalesque Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Issue 02 | July 2013 11 11 Tages is active across Europe in alternative asset management and corporate finance / advisory. In asset management, Tages provides solutions focused on absolute return strategies, catering to large institutional investors and family offices and engaging as a partner to banks and financial products’ distribution channels. In corporate finance / advisory, Tages provides financial advisory services to domestic and international clients on mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, capital raising, restructurings and other strategic corporate transactions. Issue 02 | July 2013 11 11 The rules on depository provide a good example: both in AIFMD, and tomorrow in UCITS V, they are very much inspired by French rules, as these have been widely acknowledged as protective and efficient. There are other examples, such as valuation or the prevention of conflicts of interests. So the bottom line is that managers will have to adapt to certain new requirements (reporting, liquidity management etc.) which are a consequence of the crisis, but overall it is not for French asset managers that the gap to bridge is the widest. Then my second point is that – similar to what we did when implementing UCITS IV back in 2011 – we have tried to take advantage of the implementation of AIFMD to try and simplify a number of things and make the environment more businessfriendly and simpler. As you probablyknow, we have tried to simplify fund denominations in the Code monétaire et financier,merge together or rebrand certain exiting vehicles, and better delineate between retail and non-retail vehicles. We have also simplified the subscription thresholds for retail and professional investors across our existing AIF. My last point is that the implementation of AIFMD (and later UCITS V) should not distract asset managers from other pieces of European legislation like EMIR and MiFID 2 which will have a huge impact on asset management as well. Questions of consistent articulation between these texts may raise some important issues, because, to be frank, they seem to have been thought “in silos” to some extent, without cross-examining their consistency with one another. For instance, EMIR concentrates counterparty risks in OTC derivative transactions at the level of central clearing houses, whereas UCITS sets rules for spreading that counterparty risk. The status of securitization vehicles across AIMFD and EMIR is another interesting issue. So, at the end, I think there is a lot of progress to be made at international and european levels, to ensure that those regulations are consistent with each other and that they create an overall environment that is favorable to the asset management industry. We must also remind those in charge of addressing the shadow banking issues, that entities from the asset management world which are part of shadow banking are already heavily regulated in Europe, something that some regulators, notably banking regulators, don’t realize enough. opalesque.com NEWS ROUND UP Issue 02 | July 2013 12 12 NEWS SELECTION FROM ALTERNATIVE BRIEFING ON UCITS – JUNE AND EARLY JULY 2013 MANAGERS REGULATION Alternative strategies that are normally used by hedge funds and private equity are increasingly being packaged as mutual funds in the U.S. and as UCITS in Europe. Blackstone, one of the world’s leading investment and advisory firms, is jumping on that bandwagon. The Luxembourg Parlement adopted bill 6471 on alternative investment fund managers and transposing the AIFMD into Luxembourg law in its first constinutional vote on 10 July 2013. See Dechert latest excellent summary paper. Blackstone Alternative Asset Management (BAAM), Blackstone’s hedge fund solutions business, is set to launch its first alternative investment-focused mutual fund that offers daily liquidity. BAAM is the world’s largest discretionary allocator to hedge funds and has around $49bn under management. -------------------------------------------------------------------------Bernheim, Dreyfus & Co., an asset manager based in Paris that runs absolute return strategy funds and managed accounts, has just launched a global macro UCITS IVcompliant fund called Carmel Global Opportunities. This new fund invests in multiple asset classes across the OECD universe, and aims to deliver steady long-term capital appreciation through diversification of investment style, alpha source and time horizon. -------------------------------------------------------------------------SunTx Capital partnered with Ron Dodson to launch IXTHYS Capital; former Mizuho trader Jeffrey Yap was reported to be launching a multi-strategy credit strategy; Valuewalk said CQS would launch a long/short equity hedge fund; and Spartan Fund has launched a discretionary fund onTREND. Former JPMorgan trader Deepak Gulati raised about $300m in assets for his new hedge fund Argentiere Capital, said Bloomberg; and Goldman Sachs’ ‘hedge fund for the masses’ raised $58m in first month. Investec announced it was launching a UCITS-compliant version of John Stopford’s multi-asset fund; and Stockholm, Sweden-based RPM Risk & Portfolio Management launched the RPM Evolving CTA Fund targeting new and growing CTAs as Luxembourg‐domiciled fund (SICAV). -------------------------------------------------------------------------Man Group teams with Nomura for fixed income fund to launch an Alternative UCITS fixed income fund designed to take advantage of the current low interest rate environment. Copyright 2013 © Opalesque Ltd. All Rights Reserved. -------------------------------------------------------------------------In the second part of its two-part white paper on the AIFMD’s compliance requirements, the author Shane Brett looks at further obligations and opportunities the Directive implies, including fund domiciliation, manager liability, reporting requirements, managing illiquid investments and the AIFMD Passport. You can download his excellent white paper : AIFMD-what should you be doing to comply ? in Opalesque Briefing 10th of July. -------------------------------------------------------------------------European Parliament lawmakers will delay voting on rules to curb fund manager bonuses as they continue to tussle over details of the plans. MARKET TRENDS & SURVEYS To what extent have UCITS become a new home for most hedge funds? Participants note during the recent Opalesque UK Roundtable that even though the UCITS fund structure is becoming a lot more popular among investors and is set for further growth, it will not likely replace the offshore fund structure. Liquidity considerations, tactical opportunities, and individual investors’ needs will greatly participate in the growth of the UCITS universe. A new trend among institutional investors is a move towards pan-alternatives portfolios, participants noted during the recent Opalesque UK Roundtable. Such portfolios do not only allocate to hedge funds or private equity. There is another trend in that investors used to investing in single managers funds are now looking to invest in funds of funds. It was further noted that institutional investors are becoming much more active and also more regulation-savvy. According to Andrew McCaffery, Global Head of Hedge Funds at Aberdeen Asset Management, a $320bn asset manager, many institutional investors are moving towards panalternatives needs and portfolios. Such portfolios do not merely include hedge funds and private equity, “but a whole range of things they want to consider in their alternative allocations and how to blend them for their portfolio objectives.” opalesque.com NEWS ROUND UP Issue 02 | July 2013 13 13 MARKET TRENDS & SURVEYS implementing AIFMD since the release of the Level 2 text The market opportunity for retail alternatives is already huge, continues to grow, yet is still in its infancy, says SEI in a new 24-page report called “The Retail Alternatives Phenomenon.” • Depositary costs continue to be a concern, with 41% of respondents expecting depositary costs in the region of 5–25bps Indeed, alternative strategies that are normally used by hedge funds and private equity are increasingly being packaged as mutual funds in the U.S. and as UCITS in Europe. This is what the report calls “retail alternatives.” -----------------------------------------------------------------------Investment software provider Multifonds has published its white paper, entitled: The impact of AIFMD and convergence survey. Key findings from the survey include: • 83% of respondents agree convergence of traditional and alternative funds will continue • 64% of respondents view depositary liability as the most challenging aspect of AIFMD • 59% of respondents believe that AIFMD will become an international standard for distributing AIFs globally, similar to the UCITS brand • Luxembourg and Ireland are likely to be the most successful onshore EU domiciles under AIFMD for attracting new business or funds re-domiciling • 70% of respondents agree that non-EU managers will set up European operations to take advantage of AIFMD • 77% of respondents think that EU managers may choose to set up offshore structures to avoid AIFMD costs • 52% of respondents have seen a rise in the costs of Copyright 2013 © Opalesque Ltd. All Rights Reserved. • 77% of respondents agree that sub-custodians will be subjected to increased due diligence -----------------------------------------------------------------------ML capital published mid July its latest Barometer. John Lowry, Founder & Co-CEO of ML Capital commented: “Change is the main theme this quarter. There is major upheaval facing the alternative investment industry at present, as it prepares to address key regulatory initiatives including FATCA and the AIFMD. Against this complex regulatory backdrop, the results of the latest barometer confirm the feeling that we are at a potentially major inflection point with regards to investor sentiment and behaviour. Whilst the next few months should tell which direction the world is going – our results confirm that we may already be at a major point of change. While investors are very bullish on the outlook for the US Long/Short and Global Macro sectors, sentiment has turned negative towards two of the previously most popular strategies over the past three years – Emerging markets equity and Government bond funds.” Opalesque media kit gives you access to the top news round up in UCITS ; the recent region roundtables in the UK, France and Germany provide excellent feedback from market players on the overall critical issues such as regulation, market trends and investors’ demand. Don’t miss reading our content to be updated on the most important issues of our sector. opalesque.com OPALESQUE FUND TABLES 14 14 Issue 02 | July 2013 All AUM are in million euros, except Morgan Stanley in USD. ALCEDA MANAGERS FUNDS STRATEGY June YTD perf AUM May 2013 AUM June 2013 Aquila Capital Risk Parity 7 fund Multi assets -8.4% 681,83 598.64 Aquila Capital Risk Parity 12 Multi assets -13.7% 466,67 382.21 Aquila Capital AC Absolute Return-Triple Alpha Fixed Income Other 1.9% 4,12 3.99 Aquila Capital AC Quant- Spectum Fund Managed Futures -10.4% 37,12 25.79 amandea Vermögensverwaltung amandea - HYBRID Managed Futures/CTAs -1.9% 15,24 14.21 Kepler Capital Markets Frankfurt branch KCM Fund - RiskProtect Other -1.6% 91,83 92.11 Loys AG LOYS FCP – LOYS Global L/S Other 6.8% 32,36 12.50 Polunin Capital Partners Limited POLUNIN FUNDS – DEVELOPING COUNTRIES FUND Other -2.7% 125,75 114.81 P.A.M. Prometheus Asset Management GmbH Prometheus-Eqcelerator Managed Futures/CTAs 0.9% 7,07 6.85 P.A.M. Prometheus Asset Management GmbH Prometheus-Alternative Stars Fund of Fund -0.9% 13.82 13.44 Promont AM AG Promont-Europa 130/30 Mixed fund 5.4% 2,48 2.38 Rhein Asset Management RAM (LUX) - Gold Protect Fund Equities -19.7% 5,09 4.37 Rhein Asset Management Rhein Asset Management (LUX) Fund Equity Protect Fund Equities -4.8% 11,85 11.77 RPM Risk & Portfolio Management AB RPM Directional Fund Mixed fund Tideway Investment Partners Tideway UCITS Funds-Global Navigator Mixed fund Reichmuth & Co Privatbankiers / PMG Fonds Management AG Reichmuth&Co-Alpin Eur Reichmuth & Co Privatbankiers / PMG Fonds Management AG Rasini Fairway 2.04 1.1% 31,89 31.19 Multi Strategy -4.3% 31.53 28.96 Reichmuth&Co-Hochalpin Eur Multi Strategy -4% 15.6 14.67 Stafford SICAV - Global Equity Fund Fund of Fund n/a n/a 59.20 Disclaimer: The data are for information only with no commercial issues. They have been provided by the Fund Platforms and do not have any objective to solicit orders. Past performance are not reflecting future performances. Copyright 2013 © Opalesque Ltd. All Rights Reserved. opalesque.com OPALESQUE FUND TABLES 15 15 Issue 02 | July 2013 MERILL LYNCH MANAGERS FUNDS STRATEGY AQR Capital Management, LLC AQR Global Relative Value UCITS Fund Multi-Strategy Beach Point UCITS Management LLC Beach Point Diversified Credit UCITS Fund Credit Columbus Circle Investors GP CCI Healthcare Long-Short UCITS Fund Equity Long-Short Fulcrum Asset Management, LLP Fulcrum Alpha Macro UCITS Fund Graham Capital Management, L.P. AUM May 2013 May YTD perf 471 1.17% 14 -0.14% 342 9.99% Global Macro 14 2.14% Graham Capital Systematic Macro UCITS Fund Managed Futures 67 10.61% Marshall Wace LLP Marshall Wace TOPS UCITS Fund (Market Neutral) Equity Long-Short 437 4.26% Och Ziff Management LP Och-Ziff European Multi-Strategy UCITS Fund Multi-Strategy 195 6.89% QFS Asset Management, L.P. QFS Currency UCITS Fund Currency 6 -7.80% TRG Management LP TRG Emerging Markets Opportunity UCITS Fund Emerging Markets 13 1.71% Theorema Asset Management Limited Theorema European Equity Long-Short UCITS Fund Equity 106 6.43% Van Eck Absolute Return Advisers Corporation Van Eck Commodities Long-Short Equity UCITS Fund Long-Short Commodity Equities 27 -4.40% Westchester Capital Management, LLC Westchester Merger Arbitrage UCITS Fund Equity 17 0.60% York UCITS Holdings, LLC York Asian Event-Driven UCITS Fund Equity 52 7.52% York UCITS Holdings, LLC York Event-Driven UCITS Fund Equity 331 11.11% Zweig-DiMenna International Managers, Inc. Zweig-DiMenna US Long-Short Equity UCITS Fund Equity 11 9.10% Disclaimer: The data are for information only with no commercial issues. They have been provided by the Fund Platforms and do not have any objective to solicit orders. Past performance are not reflecting future performances. Copyright 2013 © Opalesque Ltd. All Rights Reserved. opalesque.com OPALESQUE FUND TABLES 16 16 Issue 02 | July 2013 Deutsche Bank MANAGERS FUNDS STRATEGY June YTD perf AUM May 2013 AUM June 2013 Winton Capital Management DB Platinum IV Systematic Alpha Index Managed Futures 2.09% 1282 1289 Millburn Ridgefield Corporation DB Platinum IV Millburn Multi Markets Index Managed Futures -5.44% 98 93 Lynx Asset Management DB Platinum IV Lynx Index Managed Futures -1.18% 76 93 TT International DB Platinum TT International Global Macro 4.22% 28 28 Omega Advisors, Inc. DB Platinum Omega Equity Hedge 8.57% 93 91 Loomis, Sayles & Company, L.P. DB Platinum Loomis Sayles Credit Long / Short Launched 31.07.13 20 Paulson & Co. Inc DB Platinum IV Paulson Global Event Driven -0.50% 34 33 Hermes DB Platinum V Hermes Absolute Return Commodities Commodities -5.30% 194 199 Hermes DB Platinum V Hermes Enhanced Beta Commodities Commodities -12.22% 101 85 IKOS DB Platinum IV Ikos Currency Fund FX -6.56% 105 104 Deutsche Bank db Hedge Fund Index UCITS ETF Multi Manager: MultiStrategy 2.43% 603 598 Deutsche Bank DB Platinum- THF Systematic Macro Index Fund Multi Manager: Managed Futures/Macro -1.45% 12 12 Deutsche Bank DB Platinum- Macro Trading Index Fund Multi Manager: Managed Futures/Macro -1.23% 7 6 Deutsche Bank DB Platinum-THF Credit and Convertible Index Fund Multi Manager: Credit/ Convertible 1.82% 10 9 Deutsche Bank DB Platinum -Equity Hedge Index fund Multi Manager: Equity Hedge 4.74% 9 9 Deutsche Bank DB Platinum- THF Event Driven Index Fund Multi Manager: Event Driven 4.75% 9 9 Disclaimer: The data are for information only with no commercial issues. They have been provided by the Fund Platforms and do not have any objective to solicit orders. Past performance are not reflecting future performances. Copyright 2013 © Opalesque Ltd. All Rights Reserved. opalesque.com OPALESQUE FUND TABLES 17 17 Issue 02 | July 2013 LYXOR MANAGERS FUNDS STRATEGY June YTD perf AUM May 2013 AUM June 2013 Canyon Lyxor / Canyon Credit Strategy Fund (Feb 2013) Event Driven - Credit 3.56% 130 130 Tiedemann Lyxor / Tiedemann Arbitrage Strategy Fund (Feb 2013) Event Driven - Merger Arbitrage 6.34% 23 23 Winton Lyxor / WNT Fund (Jan 2013) CTA - Diversified -0.63% 14 15 Old Mutual Asset Managers UK Lyxor / Old Mutual Global Stat. Arb. Strategy Fund (Aug 2011) L/S Equity - Statistical Arbitrage -0.69% 20 11 Caxton HAWK Lyxor / Caxton Hawk Strategy Index Fund (Jan 2012) CTA - Emerging Markets -4.48% 20 10 Lyxor Lyxor Epsilon Global Trend Fund (April 2011) CTA 4.91% 165 160 Lyxor Lyxor Hedge Fund Index Fund Multi-Manager - Global Hedge Fund 1.53% 32 32 Lyxor Lyxor L/S Equity Long Bias Index Fund Multi-Manager - L/S Equity 6.72% 7 6.4 Lyxor Lyxor L/S Equity Var. Bias Index Fund Multi-Manager - L/S Equity 5.34% 5 5 Lyxor Lyxor Credit Strategies Index Fund Multi-Manager - Credit 0.68% 11 11 Lyxor Lyxor Merger Arbitrage Index Fund Multi-Manager - Merger Arbitrage 4.56% 15 15 Lyxor Lyxor Special Situations Index Fund Multi-Manager - Special Situations 4.42% 9 9 Lyxor Lyxor CTA Long Term Index Fund Multi-Manager - CTA -2.79% 7 7 Lyxor Lyxor Select Edge Fund (May 2010) Multi-Manager - Active Fund of Funds 3.86% 7 7 Lyxor Lyxor T-REX Fund Hedge Fund Replication 0.49% 7 6 Turner Investments L.P. Turner Navigator Sub-Fund Equity L/S > US > Healthcare NA NA NA Karsch Capital Management L.P. Karsch Capital UCITS Fund Equity L/S > Global (US Focus) NA NA NA Disclaimer: The data are for information only with no commercial issues. They have been provided by the Fund Platforms and do not have any objective to solicit orders. Past performance are not reflecting future performances. Copyright 2013 © Opalesque Ltd. All Rights Reserved. opalesque.com OPALESQUE FUND TABLES Issue 02 | July 2013 18 18 MORGAN STANLEY MANAGERS FUNDS STRATEGY June YTD perf AUM May 2013 AUM June 2013 Indus Capital Partners Indus PacifiChoice Asia Fund L/S Equity 10.82% 133 120 Indus Capital Partners Indus Select Asia Pacific Fund Long Only 4.58% 64 62 Algebris Investments (UK) LLP MS Algebris Global Financials UCITS Fund L/S Equity 24.78% 25 25 Alkeon Capital Management LLC MS Alkeon UCITS Fund L/S Equity 2.83% 116 120 Ascend Capital, LLC MS Ascend UCITS Fund L/S Equity 3.82% 106 109 Claritas Administração de Recursos Ltda MS Claritas Long Short Market Neutral UCITS Fund L/S Equity 3.74% 14 15 Cohen & Steers Capital Management Inc MS Cohen & Steers Global Real Estate L/S Fund L/S Equity Closed Closed Closed Mesirow Financial MS Discretionary Plus UCITS Fund Managed Futures 0.26% 4 4 Winton Capital Management LLC MS Long Term Trends UCITS Fund Managed Futures 0.88% 19 19 Perella Weinberg Partners MS Perella Weinberg Partners Tōkum Long/Short Healthcare UCITS Fund L/S Equity 4.41% 42 42M P. Schoenfeld Asset Management LP MS PSAM Global Event UCITS Fund Event Driven 5.92% 240 240 Quest Partners LLC MS QTI UCITS Fund Managed Futures -5.06% 3 3M Quantitative Investment Management LLC MS Short Term Trends UCITS Fund Managed Futures -4.77% 3 3 SLJ Macro Partners LLP MS SLJ Macro UCITS Fund Global Macro 7.69% 34 36 Sandler O’Neill Asset Management, LLC MS SOAM U.S. Financial Services UCITS Fund L/S Equity 8.86% 40 40 Turner Investments, LP MS Turner Spectrum UCITS Fund L/S Equity 1.33% 30 30 Pacific Capital Partners Limited RiverCrest European Equity Alpha Fund L/S Equity 10.26% 8 8 Ferox Capital LLP Salar Convertible Absolute Return Fund Convertible Arb/ Credit 8.51% 91 119 FundLogic SAS Emerging Markets Equity Fund Long only - MSCI EM Tracker -9.66% 429 409 Copyright 2013 © Opalesque Ltd. All Rights Reserved. opalesque.com OPALESQUE FUND TABLES 19 19 Issue 02 | July 2013 MONTLAKE MANAGERS FUNDS STRATEGY ML Capital Asset Management Limited MontLake Pegasus UCITS Fund UK Equity Long/Short ML Capital Asset Management Limited MontLake Skyline UCITS Fund Global L/S Equity Emerging Markets ML Capital Asset Management Limited MontLake DUNN WMA UCITS Fund US CTA/Managed Futures ML Capital Asset Management Limited MontLake Wanger EUR Smaller Companies UCITS Fund ML Capital Asset Management Limited MontLake Wanger US Smaller Companies UCITS Fund June YTD perf AUM May 2013 AUM June 2013 27.88% 12.00 10.90 1.63% 109.30 122.60 21.11% 23.20 22.30 European Small Cap – Equity Long Only 8.70% 13.90 13.50 US Small Cap – Equity Long Only 12.67% 52.90 52.00 Disclaimer: The data are for information only with no commercial issues. They have been provided by the Fund Platforms and do not have any objective to solicit orders. Past performance are not reflecting future performances. Copyright 2013 © Opalesque Ltd. All Rights Reserved. opalesque.com PUBLISHER EDITOR ADVERTISING DIRECTOR knab@opalesque.com sophie@opalesque.com gdespo@opalesque.com Matthias Knab Sophie van Straelen www.opalesque.com Greg Despoelberch