Political turbulence hits investment industry as assets under management flatline September 12, 2019 Ongoing political and economic uncertainty took a toll on the UK’s investment management industry last year, with assets under management (AUM) remaining stagnant. Although the UK managed to retain its ranking as the second largest investment management hub in the world – behind the US – the total amount of AUM by Investment Association (IA) [...]
Woodford loses £43.5m in fire sale from frozen fund September 11, 2019 Beleaguered stock picker Neil Woodford has lost at least £43.5m selling off stocks from his frozen Equity Income Fund, despite having assured investors that the suspension would limit pressure to offload assets at reduced prices. Read more: Woodford crisis wipes £36m off Kent County Council’s stake in flagship fund Woodford lost money on eight out [...]
Investors engaged with environmental and governance issues, but audit and trust lag behind September 10, 2019 The UK’s largest investors are most concerned about environmental and corporate governance issues in the companies they invest in, but need to “step up” in other areas, new research has found. Audit, corporate reporting, trust, and reputation were all identified as areas where the UK’s top asset managers and owners have been “less engaged” in [...]
Premier Asset Management merges with Miton to form £11.5bn asset manager September 4, 2019 Premier Asset Management has agreed a merger with Miton, creating a group with £11.5bn assets under management. An announcement by the two companies said the new business, which will be known as Premier Miton Group, would be “well positioned for future growth”. The new group would have been the fifth largest contributor to net UK [...]
Poor broker performance reviews leaving fund managers in the dark August 30, 2019 Fund managers may not know how much money they are spending with brokers thanks to a failure to properly review the relationships, a new study has found. Despite the majority having procedures to review broker relationships in place, only 11 per cent of fund managers actually assess how all their brokers are performing, according to [...]
Blackrock buys $875m stake in Authentic Brands August 12, 2019 Blackrock has bought an $875m (£727m) stake in Authentic Brands, making it the largest shareholder in the celebrity licensing company that owns brand rights to Marilyn Monroe and Muhammed Ali The acquisition of a controlling stake in Authentic Brands, which also owns Sports Illustrated and Juicy Couture, marks the first investment for Blackrock’s new private [...]
Profit surges at Arrow Global but assets under management shrink August 8, 2019 Arrow Global has reported a huge increase in pre-tax profit but a dip in assets under management, and the debt-purchase specialist has announced a £20m cost-cutting programme. The figures Profit before tax for the first half of the year surged 203.7 per cent to £32.5m, a significant increase on the £10.7m seen in the same [...]
Burford Capital attacks short sellers as shares plunge 40 per cent August 7, 2019 Burford Capital has accused short sellers of spooking investors as its share price entered freefall for the second day in a row this morning. Shares in the litigation finance company dropped 20 per cent yesterday, and have continued their plunge today. Read more: Burford Capital snipes back at critical analysts Burford Capital’s share price was [...]
Standard Life Aberdeen profits down despite asset increase August 7, 2019 Standard Life Aberdeen has seen a modest increase in assets under management and a slow in outflows but this has failed to stop its profits from dropping in the first half. The figures The asset manager reported adjusted pre-tax profits of £280m for the first half of the year, down from £311m for the same [...]
When the fund stops: Why times are tough for UK asset managers August 6, 2019 It’s been a difficult year for the UK investment industry, and things could get worse before they get better. Fallout from the Woodford saga and increasing fears of a no-deal Brexit are continuing to pummel asset managers as they try to stem ongoing outflows. And with regulatory pressure ramping up, they are facing questions not [...]