DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Despite its high valuation, Nvidia is undervalued, says Clare Pleydell-Bouverie
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailDespite its high valuation, Nvidia is undervalued, says Clare Pleydell-BouverieClare Pleydell-Bouverie, Fund Manager at Liontrust Asset Management, discusses the Fed, tech stocks, and AI-enabled plays.

Persons: Clare Pleydell Organizations: Nvidia, Asset Management

PinnedFederal Reserve officials are expected to leave interest rates unchanged at their meeting on Wednesday, buying themselves more time to assess whether borrowing costs are high enough to weigh down the economy and wrestle inflation under control. Central bankers have already raised interest rates to a range of 5.25 to 5.5 percent, the highest level in 22 years. At least a few officials might stop expecting another quarter-point rate move this year, predicting instead that interest rates have already reached their peak. If, on the other hand, officials expect to lower rates by less in 2024, it could be a signal that policymakers expect inflation to prove more stubborn. Fed officials will release fresh economic forecasts.

Persons: Jerome H, Powell, ”, Antúlio Bomfim, Powell’s, “, William English Organizations: Federal Reserve, Fed, Trust Asset Management, United Auto Workers, Yale Locations: America, Panama

☆ GAM’s end game still has a way to go
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMILAN, Aug 24 (Reuters Breakingviews) - GAM’s (GAMH.S) long-running takeover saga has entered a critical phase. The ball is now with the opposing shareholders, which control nearly 10% of the asset manager. The NewGAMe crowd has proposed issuing a 25 million Swiss franc convertible bond to give GAM some breathing space. But this won’t cover expected losses, restructuring charges and pension costs amounting to at least 100 million Swiss francs, GAM has calculated. As things stand, to win the game of rescuing this embattled asset manager, investors will have to dig deep.

Persons: Xavier Niel, Sarah Meyssonnier, NewGAMe’s, Lisa Jucca, Coinbase’s, Aimee Donnellan, Streisand Neto Organizations: French, REUTERS, Reuters, Management, GAM, X, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, French, Ukraine

☆ Liontrust faces $14 million one-off charge after GAM offer failure
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The logo of GAM investment management company is seen at its headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland July 29, 2019. The British company said it had secured backing from shareholders representing a total of 53,250,357 GAM Shares, corresponding to 33.45% of total stock subject to its offer. "Liontrust made a full and fair offer for GAM, which reflected the financial reality of the business and would have provided a certain and sustainable solution," John Ions, Liontrust CEO said in a statement. "We are disappointed we did not win the support of the majority of GAM's shareholders and are grateful to those GAM and Liontrust shareholders who did back our offer," he said. Separately on Thursday, GAM said it had begun "constructive and productive" refinancing discussions with representatives of the investor group Newgame.

Persons: Arnd, Liontrust, John, Sinead Cruise, Lawrence White Organizations: REUTERS, Liontrust, Management, GAM, AG, Thomson Locations: Zurich, Switzerland, Swiss, British

He called the U.S. central bank's misreading of the issue "a major failure" that can mar analysis of where the economy stands. Since 2016, policies from the vastly different Trump and Biden administrations have combined in a sort of accidental complementarity to keep both job and economic growth above the Fed's estimate of potential. Median Fed policymaker projections of potential U.S. economic growth have slid from a level around 2.5% a decade ago to 1.8% as of June 2023, when the last projections were issued. Under pressure from colleagues to raise interest rates as the economy accelerated, Greenspan resisted and accommodated the expansion instead of fighting it. But it could help economic growth continue even as prices cool, another prop for the "soft landing" the Fed hopes to engineer and possible evidence of rising potential.

Persons: John Williams, Joe Biden, Adam Posen, Donald Trump, Trump's, Biden, Dana Peterson, Peterson, Jerome Powell, Board's Peterson, Alan Greenspan's, Greenspan, Jackson, John Fernald, Huiyu Li, Michael Feroli, Antulio Bomfim, Powell, Howard Schneider, Paul Simao Organizations: Federal Reserve, New York Fed, San Francisco, Fed, Reuters, BlackRock, Bank of England, Peterson Institute for International Economics, Trump, Biden, Conference Board, Jackson, San Francisco Fed, JPMorgan, Trust Asset Management, Thomson Locations: U.S, Jackson Hole , Wyoming, Washington

The Fed last week raised its policy rate to the 5.25%-5.50% range, the 11th increase in the last 12 meetings. Core inflation is still pretty elevated," Powell said in a press conference after the end of the Fed's two-day policy meeting. We think we're going to need to hold policy at restrictive levels for some time. The Fed's policy rate influences the economy by changing what lenders charge consumers for credit card, auto, and home loans or what businesses pay on bonds or for credit lines. "Given that inflation is still sticky, they're going to end up with rates either too high or as high as they are for too long.

Persons: Antulio Bomfim, Bomfim, what's, Jerome Powell, Powell, Lindsay Owens, Thomas Simons, Howard Schneider, Dan Burns, Paul Simao Organizations: Trust Asset Management, Fed, Reuters Graphics Reuters, STAR, North Star, Open, Jefferies, Thomson Locations: U.S

☆ Xavier Niel’s GAM raid looks less quixotic
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NewGAMe, whose backers include telecoms mogul Xavier Niel and Swiss wealth manager Bruellan, launched a tender offer for just under 18% of GAM’s shares. Liontrust’s offer looked like the least bad option for GAM, which is losing money as its assets have more than halved since 2018 to 68 billion Swiss francs. And at least one other investor, with 6.5%, has said it won’t accept Liontrust’s offer. That means Liontrust will probably struggle to get to the two-thirds vote it would need to take over GAM. But GAM also has over 2 billion Swiss francs of tax losses to carry forward, lowering any future tax burden.

Persons: Xavier Niel, Bruellan, NewGAMe, Neil Unmack, Aimee Donnellan, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Reuters, GAM, Liontrust Asset Management, Twitter, Commonwealth Games, Cathay, Thomson Locations: Swiss

☆ Markets need confirmation that inflation is moving in the right direction, strategist says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailMarkets need confirmation that inflation is moving in the right direction, strategist saysWouter Sturkenboom, chief investment strategist of Northern Trust Asset Management, says core inflation is the "one last missing puzzle piece that markets are looking for."

Persons: Wouter Sturkenboom Organizations: Northern Trust Asset Management

☆ Xavier Niel offers risky alternative for sick GAM
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, June 8 (Reuters Breakingviews) - French billionaire Xavier Niel is asking investors to have one last flutter on GAM (GAMH.S). GAM investors will receive shares in Liontrust worth around 0.5% of the target company’s assets under management back in May, and even less now. If all goes well, GAM’s current investors could still keep a much larger share of the upside than they would with the Liontrust deal. The risk, however, is that GAM’s turnaround proves hard, cost cuts are more expensive and damaging, and the group keeps losing assets or staff. Moreover, it’s plausible that Niel wins enough backing to block the deal, but not enough to replace the board, leaving GAM in limbo.

Persons: Xavier Niel, Niel, Bruellan, manager’s, Neil Unmack, Liam Proud, Streisand Neto Organizations: Reuters, Liontrust Asset Management, Twitter, Toyota, Thomson Locations: Liontrust

☆ GAM’s takeover rebels have a weak hand
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The billionaire has a good track record in activism, having agitated to block a rights issue at Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW.PA). But getting a better deal at GAM looks hard. NewGAMe, backed by Niel, and its partner Bruellan are right that the Liontrust offer is far from appealing. The agitators hope to exceed a 10% stake, enough perhaps to stop Liontrust from taking full ownership of GAM. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

That means portfolio managers are having to factor a stronger yen into global stock selection in way they have not for years, with some even anticipating mergers and acquisitions as the Japanese market revs up. "The trigger for the revaluation of the Japanese markets is higher rates and then a stronger yen. Japan's insurers and pension funds alone hold $1.84 trillion in foreign assets, Deutsche Bank calculates, greater than the size of South Korea's economy. "Policy normalisation could turn back the clock for Japanese investors," Deutsche Bank strategists said in a note. Carmignac, like many global investors, has maintained an underweight position towards Japanese stocks but, Leroux said, it was looking to raise this to neutral.

☆ Swiss lender ZKB held takeover talks with GAM Holding, Financial Times reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

April 22 (Reuters) - Swiss lender Zuercher Kantonalbank, known locally as ZKB, has held takeover talks with GAM Holding AG (GAMH.S), the Financial Times reported on Saturday, citing people familiar with the matter. London-listed Liontrust Asset Management (LIO.L) said earlier this week it was discussing a potential merger of its investment management unit with GAM. In an emailed statement, ZKB declined to comment on whether takeover talks had taken place with GAM, but said the company was "constantly examining opportunities within its business development strategy". According to the Financial Times report, Z Capital Group, a New York-based investment firm, is also interested in buying GAM. GAM and Z Capital did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

☆ Zürcher Kantonalbank held takeover talks with GAM Holding -FT
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

April 22 (Reuters) - Swiss lender Zurcher Kantonalbank, known locally as ZKB, has held takeover talks with GAM Holding AG (GAMH.S), the Financial Times reported on Saturday, citing people familiar with the matter. London-listed Liontrust Asset Management also said earlier this week that it was discussing a potential merger of its investment management unit with GAM, which is headquartered in Zurich. Swiss asset manager GAM, which has lost over 95% of its value following a bond fund scandal in 2018, is now looking to sell itself. Z Capital Group, a New York-based investment firm, is also interested in buying GAM, the newspaper added. GAM, ZKB and Z Capital did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment.

The blue-chip FTSE 100 (.FTSE) fell 0.4%, while the mid-cap FTSE 250 (.FTMC) was down 0.8%, as of 0820 GMT. Data showed Britain now has Western Europe's highest rate of consumer price inflation, after a weaker-than-expected fall in March to 10.1% from February's 10.4%. The FTSE 100 clocked its longest winning streak since December 2020 on Tuesday, buoyed by defensive and commodity-linked stocks. Food, beverages and tobacco sector (.FTUB4510) was a bright spot, up 0.8% on the heels of sticky inflation numbers. Leading losses on the FTSE 250 was Liontrust Asset Management Plc (LIO.L), down 5.5% as the asset manager reported significant quarterly net outflows.

☆ These ETF strategies can help investors navigate a murky 2023 for markets
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( Jesse Pound | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Here's how some ETF experts are viewing the year and what types of funds could be winners in 2023. … In 2023, investors should be a lot more selective," said Pedro Palandrani, director of research at Global X ETFs. While those areas would be negatively affected by a recession, infrastructure spending approved earlier in the Biden administration could help create solid demand even if the U.S. consumer weakens. Similarly, iShares highlighted the U.S. Infrastructure ETF (IFRA) and the MSCI Global Agriculture ETF (VEGI) in its 2023 outlook as potential winners, in part due to their inflation-hedging properties . In iShares' 2023 outlook, the firm identified its MSCI USA Value Factor ETF (VLUE) and Core S & P Small-Cap ETF (IJR) as two funds that could benefit from a low-growth environment.

Liontrust reported net outflows of 1.6 billion pounds ($1.80 billion) in the July-September quarter, while Man Group posted net outflows of $500 million, compared with a $900 million consensus forecast. Quilter saw net inflows slow to 200 million pounds in the third quarter, compared with 1 billion pounds last year, while Rathbones' net inflows came in at 67 million pounds, following 1.43 billion pounds in outflows. Shares of Man Group dropped 5.3%, while Quilter shares shed 5%. Quilter's AUM at the quarter end was down by 1.8 billion pounds to 96.9 billion pounds. Rathbones' AUM fell to 57.9 billion pounds from 58.9 billion pounds at June-end, while Liontrust's slipped to 31.7 billion pounds over the same period.

Search resuls for: "Trust Asset Management"

16 mentions found