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Barclays calls halt at private equity unit
May 4, 2010--Barclays has ordered a halt to new investments at its in-house private equity arm Barclays Ventures, one of the biggest investors in buy-outs of small-cap UK companies worth between £5m ($7.6m) and £50m.
The decision to end new investments by Barclays Ventures comes as banks across the world are reconsidering their private equity businesses amid growing regulatory pressure and increasing capital requirements on such activities.
The winding-down of Barclays Ventures, which has backed more than 120 companies in the past decade, adds to the list of private equity victims from the financial crisis, which already includes Candover, Alchemy Partners, and European Capital.
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Source: FT.com
Credit Suisse Underlines European ETF Expansion
May 4, 2010--We are pleased to announce that Credit Suisse has today aligned its ETF product range with Credit Suisse’s brand strategy, renaming its family of funds ‘Credit Suisse ETFs’ as it moves ahead with its plan to become one of the leading ETF providers in Europe in the coming years.
Dan Draper, Managing Director and Global Head of ETFs, commented, “Our ETF platform has grown significantly in a short time, reflecting the strength of Credit Suisse’s offering and its European network.”
He continued, “Credit Suisse offers clients the trust and experience of an asset manager, combined with the market leading trading and structuring expertise of an investment bank. Our new product name fits in with our one bank strategy, reflecting the strong franchise behind our ETF product suite. We are excited about developing new products and further expanding our European presence in the months to come.”
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Source: Credit Suisse AG
CESR publishes responses to the Call for evidence on micro-structural issues of the European equity markets
May 4, 2010--CESR Publishes Responses To The Call For Evidence On Micro-Structural Issues Of The European Equity Markets.
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Source: CESR
German pension funds need more credit research
May 4, 2010--The €1.4bn German Versorgungswerk for chartered accountants WPV plans to continue to decrease its exposure bank-related fixed income investments, but will have to seek external advice to do so.
We have already reduced the quote of banking debt but we want to further decrease our exposure,” said WPV managing director Hans-Wilhelm Korfmacher.
But he added there was an insufficient amount of credit research available for German pension funds, meaning smaller funds would need to turn to outside advice.
This was a potential business opportunity for asset managers, Korfmacher said, since smaller funds are not in a position to conduct the necessary research in-house.
WPV, which covers 15 German provinces, is seeking to outsource some of its research in this area, since this is one of the few things the Versogungswerk does not want to do on its own at the moment.
WPV currently has a fixed income allocation of 70% and Korfmacher is confident it will be able to reach its target returns despite the low interest rate environment.
“With moderate inflation, which is the most likely scenario, it should not be a problem to reach the discount rate," he said.
"Reaching an inflation adjusted return will be a challenge, but the diversification of assets - for example, via real estate investments - will provide a certain protection,” he explained.
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Source: IP&E
EON opens access to German gas market, avoids EU fine
May 4, 2010--German energy giant E.ON has ended a potentially costly competition probe by offering to "effectively open up access to the German gas market," the EU's anti-trust watchdog announced Tuesday.
The move by E.ON addresses EU concerns that the company "may have unfairly shut out competitors in a possible abuse of its dominant market position," the European Commission said in a statement.
"With today's commitments we have achieved a far-reaching solution which will give competitors access to the transport capacities they need to enter the market," said EU Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia.
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Source: EUbusiness
EU opens way for tougher rules for ratings agencies
May 4, 2010--The EU Commission on Tuesday opened the way for tougher rules on credit ratings agencies, saying changes planned for December may not be enough after European debt downgrades rocked the markets.
"I think we will need to go further, especially given the impact of these agencies on all financial or economic systems," EU Finance Commissioner Michel Barnier told a European parliamentary committee.
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Source: EU Business
Financial markets: Commission calls on Hungary to implement Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID)
May 5, 2010--The European Commission has today acted to ensure safer and more competitive financial markets by asking Hungary to comply with its obligation to implement the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID). The aim of this Directive is to regulate investment firms and trading venues by ensuring a high degree of competition and investor protection. If the Directive is not properly implemented, investors in Hungary will not enjoy the same level of protection as elsewhere in the EU. Meanwhile, Hungarian investment firms wishing to provide cross-border services are put at a disadvantage as Hungarian law does not require them to comply with European standards. The Commission's request to Hungary takes the form of a reasoned opinion. If the national authorities do not reply satisfactorily within two months, the Commission may refer the matter to the Court of Justice.
What are the aims of the EU rules in question?
The Markets in Financial Instruments Directive 2004/39/EC (MiFID) and its implementing Directive 2006/73/EC are to significantly reduce barriers to cross-border trading of shares and cross-border provision of investment services. This would mean that there would be more competition between investment firms, regulated markets and other trading platforms. It would force markets to become more efficient, lower costs for issuers and investors of accessing capital markets and give investors a far greater choice of equities, bonds etc. to invest in – allowing them to maximise their returns. This would enable more investments in Hungary, which will in turn create more wealth and jobs.
MiFID rules also aim at ensuring a high level of protection for investors in Hungary. For example, there are strict limits on the inducements which banks or financial advisers can receive in respect of the services which they provide to their clients. When executing client orders, firms have to take all reasonable steps to deliver the best possible result. For retail clients, the emphasis is on ensuring that they get the best price for the instrument and the costs associated with the execution.
How is Hungary not respecting this rule and how are EU citizens and businesses suffering as a result?
Hungary has incorrectly transposed a number of provisions of MiFID and its implementing Directive 2006/73/EC, including provisions linked to definitions, market transparency, the passporting of investment firm authorisations and investor protection. As a result, Hungarian companies do not have the possibility to provide their services in other Member States – leaving less room for growth and jobs in Hungary's financial sector. Furthermore, investors are not able to enjoy the same level of competitiveness and protection in financial markets as elsewhere in the EU.
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Source: European Commission
Eurasia a rising power in post-crisis world, analysts agree
May 5, 2010--Eurasia, a geographical description defining the landmass of Asia and Europe -- although it usually excludes developed Western Europe when talking in political and economic terms -- is rapidly becoming the world’s new economic center, statesmen, businessmen and academics who convened in Istanbul on Wednesday at the Eurasian Economic Summit all agreed.
The summit has brought together high-ranking officials -- including current and former presidents, prime ministers, ministers and bureaucrats -- analysts, academics and businessmen from Eurasian countries to discuss the new opportunities for the region and the aftereffects of the global economic crisis throughout Eurasia. The summit will conclude today.
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Source: Todays Zaman
EPEX Spot/EEX Power Derivatives: Power Trading Results In April 2010 - Volume Record On The Power Derivatives Market
May 5, 2010--In the framework of their cooperation, the European Energy Exchange AG (EEX) and the French Powernext SA integrated their Power Spot and Derivatives Markets in 2009.
In April 2010, a total volume of 166.2 TWh was traded on the joint subsidiaries EPEX Spot SE and EEX Power Derivatives.
Power trading on the day-ahead auctions on EPEX Spot accounted for a total of 21,954,563 MWh and can be broken down as follows:
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Source: EEX
UK official holdings of International Reserves
May 5, 2010--Part I: UK Government Foreign Currency Assets and Liabilities – April 2010
1. The UK Government’s net reserves rose by $561 million in April 2010, bringing the end-April total to $33,628 million (£21,960 million1) compared with $33,069 million (£21,802 million2) at end-March 2010.
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Source: HM Treasury
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