Some highlights from Monday’s FTfm.
Boutiques grab growing market share
Small investment boutiques are breaking through the glass ceiling and taking significant market share from the industry’s heavyweights, according to Lipper FMI. Minnows with fewer than 10 funds captured 26 per cent of net inflows into cross-border European funds in the first quarter, up from 9 per cent in 2010.
Angus Murray: believer in real assets
Face to face interview with Angus Murray, founder and chief executive of Castlestone Management, who explains why he favours “real assets” that can protect investors from the devaluation of money.
Regulating the pensions regulator
The Pensions Regulator should be required to explain why it allowed Polestar and Kvaerner to walk away from their pension schemes, says John Ralfe, an independent pension consultant and formerly head of corporate finance at Boots.
Conflicts of interest a big issue for banks
Lloyds is expected to announce whether it will sell Scottish Widows as part of a strategic review next month. EuroInvestor, a Brussels-based lobby group, says there are problems in Europe where big asset management companies are often owned by banks who tend to steer clients into their own often poorly performing products.
Heyday for the high yield market
The high yield bond market is booming so is the asset class entering the investment mainstream or will it all end the bursting of a bubble?
Risks in regulating pensions further
Pension schemes could find themselves subject to the same sort of capital requirements as will apply to insurance companies when new European rules come into force in 2013, writes Pauline Skypala.
Fable spreads of a Greek reprofiling
Political tensions are rising over a possible debt restructuring in Greece. The departure of Dominique Strauss-Kahn as head of the IMF has reduced the chances of a voluntary reprofiling of Greek debt, says John Dizard.
Brisk business expected in pension buy-outs
The pension buy-out market is expected to pick up following several years of intermittent growth. Previous forecasts have proved optimistic but industry players say UK companies are showing more interest in transferring defined benefit pension scheme liabilities to insurers