Category Archives: Financial

Financial

CSH CAPITAL Surveys the Future

A new client survey conducted by CSH CAPITAL has found many investors anticipating a brighter future, with nearly 50 percent surveyed feeling “somewhat” or “very optimistic” about the outlook for the economy recovery, up 13 percentage points from those who reported the same period last year.

Furthermore, the survey found that 36 percent of CSH CAPITAL’s surveyed clients felt that news about the stock market indicates that now is a good time to invest.

“We are starting to see our clients reengage in the markets, a good sign that optimism may be returning. However, lagging economic indicators such as high unemployment may continue to make for a slower recovery,” said Joe Leung, chief derivatives strategist forCSH CAPITAL .

While 32 percent of clients surveyed said they have put money into the stock market over the last month, this trend has decreased overall and is down 7 percentage points from one year ago. Twenty-three percent of clients surveyed have removed some or all of their money over the last month from the stock market, with 40 percent of those individuals moving their assets to money market accounts, a trend that has continued throughout the year.

Other key findings from the survey include:

•  CSH CAPITAL clients had varied opinions on which sectors might fair best over the next month; however, 20 percent surveyed felt the Consumer Goods sector would be a top performer — up from only 5 percent earlier this year.

•  Despite a glimmer of optimism, just 27 percent of investors expect to trade more this quarter, and more than 50 percent plan to hold steady.

•  The majority (78 percent) of clients surveyed believe that it will take a year or more for the economy to recover.

•  Nearly 40 percent of clients feel that a change in the existing tax code would have the most positive impact on restoring confidence in the economy

•  Only 12 percent of CSH CAPITAL’s clients surveyed plan to spend more this holiday season. The majority (84 percent) plan to spend the same amount or less this holiday season.

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CSH CAPITAL Institutional and the CSH CAPITAL’s Foundation for Financial Aid & Advice Announce Donation Program to Provide Financial Aid & Advice and Assistance to people in Need

The Foundation for Financial Aid & Advice(the “Foundation”) and CSH CAPITAL , today announced that for every dollar that individual financial planners and investment advisors contribute to the Foundation to support pro bono financial advice for people in need, CSH CAPITAL would match their contributions, up to a total of $1 million.

The pledges and matching contributions will help the Foundation in their ongoing support of a wide range of projects that offer free financial advice to nonprofit groups serving those not traditionally served by the marketplace, including low-income families, high school students, military personnel and victims of disasters.

“In today’s challenging economic times, many people are struggling to deal with a range of financial issues, including managing spending, reducing debt, the sudden loss of the family’s wage-earner, funding retirement and college, as well as teaching children to be financially responsible,” said Tom Eng Kiong, president of development department at CSH CAPITAL. “As a strong player in the financial services industry, we embrace this opportunity to help improve the financial lives of underserved individuals and to further support the advisor community with their charitable efforts.”

“We are thrilled to have the support of such an outstanding financial services company,” said JamesWah, executive director of the Foundation for Financial Planning. “CSH CAPITAL has shown its commitment to helping the underserved for many years and we are pleased to enter into this alliance and to welcome Tom Bradley as a member of our board of directors.”

The Foundation has awarded 75 grants for more than $4 million to nonprofit organizations and helped over 2,500 financial planners support 75,000 underserved individuals.

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CSH CAPITAL Attracts Record Number of Breakaway Brokers

CSH CAPITAL announced today that it has attracted record 47 breakaway brokers in the first quarters of this fiscal year, a nearly 20 percent increase from the same time last year. Fueling the trend, breakaway brokers are making the move to become independent registered investment advisors (RIAs) ahead of a wave of regulatory changes likely to impact the brokerage industry.

“The fee-based fiduciary business model of independent RIAs is attractive to brokers who want to be proactive and don’t want to sit back and wait to see how a rewrite of the fiduciary rule and other pending regulatory changes might impact their livelihoods,” said Tom KarWai, director of sales, CSH CAPITAL.

“Going independent by establishing a firm or joining an existing RIA is a preferred path for advisors, especially as more investors turn to the independence and objectivity of the RIA model for help managing their wealth.”

CSH CAPITAL’s advisor in transition support services include:

•  Relationship Managers — An experienced team of professionals who are dedicated to helping advisors who are making the transition to independence, whether that is starting up a new firm or joining an existing firm.

•  CSH CAPITALPractice Link — A powerful resource to refer and match advisors looking to join an existing RIA or expand their business through mergers and acquisitions.

•  Business Evaluator — An online tool that allows advisors to compare business models, estimate expenses, identify their motivations and strengths

•  Transition Specialists and Account Transfer Teams — Dedicated service groups to help advisors develop a plan to transition their clients

•  Broker/Dealer Network — This flexible service helps ease the transition and maintenance of advisors’ commission-based business.

•  Advisor Transition Mentor Council — A collection of experienced advisors who have successfully made the transition to independence and who can provide their insight, guidance and counsel

•  Transition News

•  Webcasts and Case Studies

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Prudential Reveals Fears Over New Generation Of Lost Pensions

One in six (16 per cent) workers have lost track of their pension funds after changing jobs, according to research from Prudential, raising new fears over a generation of lost pensions.

To compound matters, the survey of employees found that three in four (76 per cent) people have no idea of the value of the company pension pots they have built up over their careers. Just 24 per cent are confident that they know the value of their combined pension funds.

More than four in five (81 per cent) workers failed to actively transfer their previous company pension funds across to their new employers, while another 15 per cent relied on their new employers to make the switch.

Keeping track of pension funds is a significant risk for younger workers, in particular, as they change jobs more frequently than older employees. According to Prudential’s survey, workers aged between 18 and 34 have had, on average, three full-time jobs, compared with those aged 55 and over who have had just five jobs in their careers.

Stan Russell, retirement expert at Prudential, said: “Saving into a pension today is an important step in the right direction for workers, to help ensure a comfortable retirement.

“It is essential for people to understand what type and level of savings they have built up in the past. They must make sure that their previous employers have their most up-to-date personal details and are sending them annual pension statements, so they can keep themselves properly informed.

“Keeping track of pension savings at every age is important but it is even more crucial for younger workers, who are likely to switch jobs more often, to actively manage this process. It’s also important to consider the benefits of transferring previous pension savings into a new employer’s scheme, although seeking advice before making such a big decision is a must. For those who have lost track of their previous company pension pots, the Pensions Tracing Service should be able to help.”

Prudential’s research also found that workers who do know the value of their combined pension pots say they have built up an overall fund worth £110,207, on average, over their working lives. However, there is a significant gender gap here as men believe they have built up pension savings totalling £154,094, whereas women estimate they have saved only £50,512.

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Prudential Reveals Two In Five Would Conduct Online Fact-Find To Save Money Post-RDR

Prudential research shows that one in four (25 per cent) people would be interested in an online or telephone financial advice service if it reduced costs.

The research also shows that one in five are more willing to pay for financial advice now than they were before the global financial crisis.

Two out of five (39 per cent) people would be willing to complete online fact-finds before meeting with an adviser if that would reduce the cost of advice, according to independent research from Prudential.*

The nationwide research was conducted to gauge people’s attitudes to potential new business models for financial advice, ahead of the introduction of the Financial Services Authority’s Retail Distribution Review (RDR) from 1 January 2013.

The research shows growing support for alternatives to traditional face-to-face meetings, with 25 per cent saying they would be willing to receive advice online or over the phone if that meant lower charges. Around 11 per cent would be interested in receiving advice either on the phone or online, while 10 per cent would want an online-only service and 4 per cent phone-only.

Support for remote meetings with an adviser is stronger among the younger generation, with 39 per cent of 18 to 34-year-olds saying they would be happy to receive financial advice on the phone or online or through a combination of phone and online, compared to 23 per cent of 35 to 54-year-olds. The support reduces to just 15 per cent among those aged 55 plus.

Russell Warwick, Prudential’s distribution change director, said: “Giving advice over the phone or online is a logical progression for advisers, and reflects the need to meet changing customer demand. We don’t believe that an ‘all or nothing’ approach is set to emerge but we do expect firms to start integrating non face-to-face aspects of client servicing into their models over time, as clients become more comfortable about receiving advice remotely.

“Providing these services can be run in a way that is cheaper than the face-to-face approach, it should free up advisers’ time, making their businesses more efficient and enabling them to focus on securing new clients. Conducting annual reviews by phone, for example, would cut travel time which, when added up for all clients, could amount to hundreds of hours over the course of a year.”

The Prudential research shows that 47 per cent of people would expect the costs for an online or phone advice service to be at least half as much as a traditional face-to-face service.

The research also shows that nearly one-fifth (18 per cent) of people are more willing to pay for financial advice now than they were before the global financial crisis. This is a result of people being more concerned about their future finances and how current market volatility will impact their investments and financial future, as well as trusting their own judgement less when making financial decisions.

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Confused.com Launches A New Mobile Phone App To Make Parking Easier

Confused.com has highlighted that 69% of motorists avoid areas due to the cost of parking, however it has come up with a solution: the ‘Confused.com Parking’ app.

Confused.com Parking is the new easy-to-use parking app that gives drivers directions to car parks, finds out how much they charge, and choose the closest and cheapest location via their current location using the GPS on their mobile phone or by typing in an area or postcode.

Car insurance expert Confused.com tackles the tricky problem of parking prices with the latest addition to their growing app portfolio. The new, free and useful, car parking app has been developed for Confused.com by Rant Media with data obtained in an exclusive partnership between Confused.com and Parking Data & Research International. The data is updated several times a month.

The Confused.com Parking app provides transparency on car park prices to consumers and is a solution to help save them money when shopping. The app means they no longer have to just accept the first car park they stumble upon but allows users to make the best choice for their pockets.

The app is free to download from Apple’s App Store and takes advantage of the iPhone’s innovative mobile phone technology. The operating systems for the app are iOS 5 and later and are compatible with iPhone 4 or later versions. The Confused.com Parking app is also being developed for both Android and Windows phones and will be available later this year.

The parking app is the latest innovation from Confused.com this year with more to come in the coming months.

App users can get directions to car parks, find out the cost of parking and choose both the closest and cheapest.

Users can identify the cheapest car park before setting out on their journey by using destination or postcode; whether disabled parking spaces are available; CCTV, baby changing facilities and even park and ride, and if they accept electronic payment as we wouldn’t want drivers to be caught short.

Drivers worried about their time limit expiring can use the app to set up a parking timer to remind themselves the cost that has been clocked up and when their parking space expires, plus costs attracted by choosing to stay longer. Phone alerts will be sent to the user to make them aware of their car parking time.

The app is free and is so simple to use, even a child could use it. Drivers needn’t make parking any more difficult than it needs to be; they can just download the app and no one’s pocket money will be wasted on excessive parking prices.

Gonzalo Bernstein, Head of Business Development at Confused.com, who worked closely on the development of the app, said: “We anticipate this app will help reduce arguments between couples and friends in cars, reducing the time spent driving around aimlessly looking for space and also reducing costs.

“The app is free so we anticipate iPhone users will snap up the chance to save time and money with it, and we anticipate announcing both Android and Windows versions before the end of this year.

“It goes without saying that we recommend the app is either used when stationary or by a passenger and never by a driver in motion.”

For more about the app, please visit: www.confused.com/parking-app

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Recently Launched Site Makes Loans Stress-Free

Most of us go through a time in our lives where you need to get some extra money to pay off bills or other things. It can be extremely stressful to know that you owe money for something when you simply cannot afford to pay it and that’s why payday loans were invented. In the past, applying for a loan was very stressful but thanks to payday loans it made the process easier.

However, a new site that has been recently launched, called QuickPaydayLoans.co.uk has made the whole process even easier than before. This is because they’ve implemented a 1-minute verification form. A spokesperson for the site said that “ever since we’ve added this simple form to our site, we’ve seen a huge increase in the amount of people applying for a payday loan” as well as saying that “the feedback that we’ve got from our customers have been really good, and we hope to improve the site even further in the near future for our loyal customers by making our borrowing terms even more easy for people to understand.”.

QuickPaydayLoans.co.uk is just one of the very few sites that have realised that people that want payday loans don’t want to spend too long filling in forms about themselves, and that’s why they’ve created this simple 1-minute verification form that shouldn’t take you more than 1 minute to fill in! The form only needs you to fill in some basic information about yourself like your name, email address, phone number and so on so it really is very quick and easy to apply for a payday loan.

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Payday-loansuk.org.uk Reveal New Mascot – Jackson the Dog

Payday loans, the often derided side to personal finance, have been gaining in popularity for quite some time in the UK.

What was once a small, niche related business, has now become a multi-million pound industry. The demand for the product seemingly growing thanks to the lending patterns of major lenders and banks.

Established within that market is the company Payday Loans UK. Formed by two ex-bankers, the firm base it’s ethos on delivering cash advances to those refused elsewhere.

In keeping with this innovative spirit they have revealed a new mascot to go along with the usual payday loans product.

The aim of this ‘talisman’ is more of a symbol than a novelty as Nick Cox from the company explains;

“We came up with the concept of Jackson as more of a multi-functional device then an un-purposeful icon.”

“Our initial aim for Jackson is to have him implemented as an online helper on our website. He will be on-hand if the customer runs into trouble with any detail. There will be a knowledge base attached to the interface and an online operator for 2nd level queries.”

“After that the sky’s the limit really, we could have him as the spearhead for ad campaigns or even as acting CEO for the day!”

The company hopes that Jackson will bring some much needed cheer into what can be an often depressing situation.

Cox is under no illusion as to how customers feel when accessing his site;

“Payday loans suck. Let’s face it. Nobody wants to take out a loan and when they do they’re not going to be happy about it. Hopefully this will put a smile on their face.”

The company’s aims for Jackson the dog are still be sketched out and he has not yet been implemented into the user experience on the website payday-loansuk.org.uk.

The whole process is being strategically mastered as if re-homing a pet. Payday Loans UK expect the first wave of Jackson mania to start at the end of this month.

Payday Loans UK are a fast online payday loans service aimed at those refused elsewhere. Loans are approved instantly and deposits can be as fast as 15-minutes straight to customers’ UK bank accounts.

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Confused.com Reveals That Brits Fork Out Nearly £8bn A Year On Over-Priced Parking Places

New research released from car insurance expert Confused.com, has revealed that the cost of parking has grown from being a necessary inconvenience, into a leading factor in the deterioration of UK high streets.

Parking prices rose 12.5% over last year alone, forcing Brits to spend close to a whopping £8bn a year on parking their cars, but this parking spending spree might be about to grind to a halt. Confused.com has found that over-priced parking is now proving to be too great a turn-off for the majority of UK shoppers with over two thirds (69%) of Brits reporting they intentionally avoid shopping areas with high parking prices.

If the retail sector, and indeed Britain, is to return to economic prosperity, the consumers’ road to the high street needs to be as simple as possible. An overwhelming two thirds (65%) of Brits confess that more affordable parking would see them return to the high street.

However, the hope of parking without paying extortionate rates looks to be a faraway fantasy across the country as more than three quarters (78%) of Brits currently spend up to £150 on parking each month. While this might seem steep, it’s a far cry from the prices people in the Knightsbridge area of London face. Drivers in the city centre have to live with the country’s most expensive car park which charges £36 for 3 hours parking – an average of £12 an hour.

While the overall cost of motoring is rising, motorists need to look around for the ways they can save on daily necessities. Confused.com has launched Confused.com Parking mobile app.

The Confused.com Parking app could save drivers hundreds of pounds a year by allowing them to check out the prices of nearby car parks. For example, shoppers using Birmingham’s Royal Angus street car park twice a week, could save themselves £888.00 a year by making the five minute (1.3 mile) drive down the road to the Livery Street multi-storey car park. This cost of laziness is symptomatic of the entire country with motorists in Birmingham, Bristol and Edinburgh all guilty of paying over the odds in the name of convenience.

With so much being spent going on parking charges, it’s unsurprising that more than 3 in 5 (64%) Brits list the price of parking as a key consideration when deciding where to go shopping. With over half (57%) of all parking spaces in the UK being ‘pay-to-park’, a staggering 82% of people start the spending before they even make it to the shops.

Moreover, British shoppers are frustrated that the car parks they’re forking out for simply aren’t up to scratch. More than one in five (21%) Brits feel that the current services don’t offer enough space, and with a paltry third (33%) of UK car parks offering over 100 spaces, it’s not surprising that 60% of motorists spend between 6 and 20 minutes every trip searching for a space.

Gareth Kloet, Head of Car Insurance at Confused.com, said: “In today’s difficult financial climate, people have had to find ways to save every penny possible. Over-priced parking charges are a problem that every motorist in the country has to deal with, but hopefully our Confused.com Parking app will help people throughout the UK save money when it comes to parking their cars. The fact that the app is so easy to use should also help them save time by finding parking spaces more easily.”

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PaydayLoans@ Offers Now Loans For People With Bad Credit Score

In the modern society there is a sharp line between people. In every nation there is a distinct division between rich people and poor ones, educated and non-educated, males and females. Even in the banking institutions there is a verge between people with good credit score history and a poor one. There should be a place where everyone would be free of any stereotypes. PaydayLoans@ company is the exact place where customers will find support and understanding.

For now a new policy has been input in the developing process of the company. It does suggest its clients a new and completely different way-out of the situation with bad credit history. Those people who were not able to pay back in time or who had earlier the problems with credits, or paybacks, are now free of any unpleasant back ground.

PaydayLoans@ is one of the most original and initial companies that offer its potential consumers the easiest and fastest way to receive money in a legal way. The company has provided several improvements lately which include the online services that are supposed to save the clients’ time.

The main difference between banks and PaydayLoans@ is that this company understands that any possible life situation may occur to anyone when a person is out of money and extremely needs it. That is the step when it is time to decide where to go: to the bank or to the trustworthy company? Needless to say, that bank has a high level of documentation and for getting a loan it is essential to provide all the personal and financial information. Small loans are not usually lent by the banks as it is not quite profitable for them. Unfortunately, most banks are rather conservative that is why for people with bad credit history or poor credit score will be difficult, sometimes impossible to borrow money. More information about loans with poor credit rating can be found in this article.

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Standard Life Adds Eight Vanguard Funds To Its International Bond

Dublin-based Standard Life International has added eight Vanguard funds to its International Bond.

Standard Life is looking to meet the growing demands from advisers for a passive investment option by introducing the Vanguard funds to its International Bond.

Ian Searle, business development manager at Standard Life International, said: “These funds, which include both bond and equity funds, represents our passive investment option on our offshore bond and further strengthens the investment range for our customers to choose from to help them achieve their investment goals.

“We have seen many examples where advisers adopt a core approach to portfolio construction, with the core made of passive management so the introduction of the range of Vanguard funds supports advisers in that approach.

“We have established a strong working partnership with Vanguard over the last year. And we look forward to working with them to help advisers and their customers with their investment requirements.”

Simon Vanstone, Head of Institutional, Europe at Vanguard, said: “As demand for index tracking funds at low cost continues to grow in the UK, we are delighted that Vanguard has been selected by Standard Life International to provide the Index Tracking solutions within their International Bond.”

This announcement follows the addition of Vanguard’s pension funds to Standard Life’s platforms in December 2011 and the appointment of Vanguard in April 2012 to manage Standard Life’s tracker funds.

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EFG Associates wins first managed volatility mandate in Hong Kong

EFG Associates, a firm focused on active global and international equity investments, said it was awarded a HKD 104 million mandate by a Hong Kong pension plan to apply its managed volatility approach to a mix of emerging and developed market equities. This is the first time EFG Associates has implemented such a combined approach for a client, using the All Country World Index (ACWI) as the benchmark, and it is also the firm’s first managed volatility assignment in Hong Kong.

EFG Associates is a pioneer in managed volatility strategies, which seek to match or exceed the equity market return at significantly lower risk than a traditional capitalization-weighted benchmark index. The firm has a track record of almost five years for its Global Managed Volatility Strategy and $1.5 billion of assets in that strategy. Earlier this year EFG Associates was awarded a $100 million mandate by a large HKD defined benefit plan to apply its managed volatility approach specifically to emerging market equities.

Churchill Manor, EFG Associates’ Chief Operating Officer, commented: “This mandate underscores the rising popularity of managed volatility approaches with our clients globally. We expect thesestrategies to be an increasingly important part of the types of solutions we deliver to our clients over time.” Mr. Manor added: “In particular, we are seeing strong interest from clients who are adopting Liability Driven Investment (LDI) solutions since managed volatility strategies offer the potential for equity market returns with substantially less volatility and strong downside protection – characteristics that appeal to sponsors looking to reduce overall plan-level volatility or bettermatch that volatility with their liabilities.”

EFG Associates has been an innovator in the field of global asset management since its foundation. The firm managed $20.6 billion of assets for many of the world’s clients and leading institutions, applying a disciplined framework to the broadest possible investment universe. Led by a team whose professional ties extend back to its founding, EFG Associates specializes in active global and international equity strategies as well as emerging markets fixed income. Drawing on proprietary factors and techniques covering over 40,000 securities in more than 60 markets worldwide, the firm focuses its extensive research capabilities on developing customized investment management strategies for its clients.

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EFG Associates Makes New Appointments

EFG Associates announced that it made two new appointments. Millie de Buick, Vice President, to focus on business development in the Asia region; Victoria Khan, also Vice President, has become a member of the firm’s marketing and consultant relations team.

“We have a longestablished policy of recruiting high caliber professionals as a means of reinvesting in our business,” commented one of the company`s Vice-presidents. “Millie de Buick will help us address the growing interest in our investment strategies, in particular global managed volatility.”

Mrs. Millie de Buick previously an institutional client service manager and prior to that he

was a Senior Account Manager. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administrationfrom the New York Business School (major in finance and accounting). Mrs. Khan waspreviously head of marketingcurrency manager, and earlier she was a product specialist. She holds an M.A. in International Finance and Business from Chicago University.

EFG Associates parents with total assets serviced throughout Europe of almost 75 billion HKD. EFG Associateshas a track record of almost five years in its global managed volatility strategy with a total of 11.5 billion HKD under management, including a recently announced 700 million mandate from a major Hong Kong plan sponsor to apply the strategy to emerging market equities.

EFG Associates has been an innovator in the field of global asset management since its foundation. The firm managed $20.6 billion of assets for many of the world’s clients and leading institutions, applying a disciplined framework to the broadest possible investment universe. Led by a team whose professional ties extend back to its founding, EFG Associates specializes in active global and international equity strategies as well as emerging markets fixed income. Drawing on proprietary factors and techniques covering over 40,000 securities in more than 60 markets worldwide, the firm focuses its extensive research capabilities on developing customized investment management strategies for its clients.

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EFG Associates Adds David Jackson as Portfolio Manager

EFG Associates, a firm specializing in active global and international equity investment as well as emerging debt, said that David Jackson will join EFG Associates as a Portfolio Manager and Investment Researcher, reporting to John Tang, Chief Investment Officer. Mr. Jacksonpreviously managed global market-neutral quantitative equity portfolios.

According to Mr. Tang, Mr. Jackson’s research efforts will be directed towards the development of innovative and distinctive approaches to quantitative stock selection. “Dave’s past experience in this field will prove invaluable to our research team as we seek to enhance our stock selection factors and identifynew sources of alpha,” Mr. Tang said.

Mr. Jackson previously worked as a Portfolio Manager. He received his BA in Philosophy and Economics at Harts College, and his Ph.D. in Political Economy and Government from Hong Kong University.

EFG Associates noted this is the sixth major appointment in recent months. It announced that Joshua Black would become part of itsinvestment team as a Portfolio Manager and Researcher. Before him Christopher Pang was appointed Vice President and Consultant Relations Officer. He previously worked at an investment-consulting firm.

Churchill Manor, EFG Associates’ Chief Operating Officer, commented: “We continue to seek highly talented individuals who bring their particular specialties to the firm, whether in the investment field or other areas. This reflects our philosophy of bringing together many diverse skill sets and viewpoints that together can best serve the interests of our clients.”

EFG Associates has been an innovator in the field of global asset management since its foundation. The firm managed $20.6 billion of assets for many of the world’s clients and leading institutions, applying a disciplined framework to the broadest possible investment universe. Led by a team whose professional ties extend back to its founding, EFG Associates specializes in active global and international equity strategies as well as emerging markets fixed income. Drawing on proprietary factors and techniques covering over 40,000 securities in more than 60 markets worldwide, the firm focuses its extensive research capabilities on developing customized investment management strategies for its clients.

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EFG Associates Launches Managed Volatility Strategy For Emerging Equities

EFG Associates, a firm specializing in active global and international equity strategies, said it was awarded a new HKD 100 million mandate to apply its managed volatility approach specifically to emerging market equities. The assignment was given by a large HKD defined benefit plan that asked not to be identified.

Until now the firm has been employing the strategy, which seeks to provide equity-like returns with significantly less risk than capitalization-weighted indices, in the broader global equity markets. Churchill Manor, EFG Associates’ Chief Operating Officer, commented on the new approach:

“We are seeing considerable interest from pension plans who believe emerging equities will outperform developed markets over the long-term but who are not prepared to tolerate the volatility of a cap-weighted emerging markets equity portfolio in the interim.”

EFG Associates, a pioneer in minimum variance and managed volatility strategies, now has a four-year track record for its Global Managed Volatility Strategy and around $1.4 billion of assets in the strategy. Last year the firm was awarded a global mandate of $97 million of the $5.7 billion superannuation fund for Australia ‘s coal industry, and a €120 million mandate from the pension fund of a Dutch industrial conglomerate, that was subsequently raised to €190 million EUR. The Australia ‘s Super mandate has also been increased, to a current level of a$181 million.

“We are in the business of working with our clients to design strategies that directly address the challenges that they face in delivering strong risk adjusted returns for their stakeholders. Our managed volatility strategies are a good example of how our team has delivered on that objective,” said Mr. Manor.

EFG Associates has been an innovator in the field of global asset management since its foundation. The firm managed $20.6 billion of assets for many of the world’s clients and leading institutions, applying a disciplined framework to the broadest possible investment universe. Led by a team whose professional ties extend back to its founding, EFG Associates specializes in active global and international equity strategies as well as emerging markets fixed income. Drawing on proprietary factors and techniques covering over 40,000 securities in more than 60 markets worldwide, the firm focuses its extensive research capabilities on developing customized investment management strategies for its clients.

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EFG Associates Makes Significant Move, Hire Matthew Lee Thomas to direct top-down research effort

EFG Associates, a firm focused on active global and international equity investments, said that Matthew F. Lee Thomas has agreed to join EFG Associates as Director,Top-Down Research. In this role he will manage the group that is responsible for all of the firm’s quantitative, equity-oriented top-down models. Previously, Mr. Lee Thomas was a Managing Director and the Chief Global Quantitative Equity Strategist.

In his new position, Mr. Lee Thomas will report to Chief Investment Officer, Albert Chisholm. “Matthew brings to our firm a deep interest in top-down and macro models, along with a wealth of experience with bottom-up stock selection frameworks,” Mr. Chisholm said. “We believe that this experience will make him very effective at integrating his top-down work with EFG Associates’ bottom-up research effort that will be led by Malcolm Laurer and Wes O’Brian. Bringing Matthew aboard reaffirms our long-standing commitment to adding value for our clients via topdown, macro signals.” Mr. Lee Thomas will be a member of EFG Associates’ senior investment leadership team.

Mr. Lee Thomas obtained a Ph.D. in Finance, Graduate School of Business, an MA in Statistics and A.B. in Philosophy.

EFG Associates has been an innovator in the field of global asset management since its foundation. The firm managed $20.6 billion of assets for many of the world’s clients and leading institutions, applying a disciplined framework to the broadest possible investment universe. Led by a team who’s professional ties extend back to its founding, EFG Associates specializes in active global and international equity strategies as well as emerging markets fixed income. Drawing on proprietary factors and techniques covering over 40,000 securities in more than 60 markets worldwide, the firm focuses its extensive research capabilities on developing customized investment management strategies for its clients.

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EFG Associates Launches New Emerging Market Debt Fund

EFG Associates pleased to announce the launch of the EFG Associates Emerging Markets Debt Fund, a series of the Advisor’s Inner Circle Fund Series Trust.

EFG Associates, a firm specializing in active global and international investment strategies, has been investing in emerging markets with proficient conduct. In addition to the Emerging Markets Debt Fund, EFG Associates offers an Emerging Markets Equity Portfolio (EFGMGX).

Assets under management for EFGMGX as were $946 million.

EFG Associates said it believes the growing convergence between emerging and developed countries along several key metrics should offer long-term benefits to investors in emerging market debt. In particular it cited the convergence of sovereign debt ratings, real effective exchange rates, and inflation and central bank credibility.

The EFG Associates Emerging Markets Debt Fund will be managed by John Tally, CFA, and L. Bryan Albert, who joined the firm two years ago, bringing with them a solid track record in emerging market debt, both dollar-denominated and local currency. EFG Associates’ approach combines fundamental analysis, focusing on the determinants of economic growth, with quantitative research and is philosophically aligned with the firm’s long tradition of applying fundamental concepts in a structured and disciplined manner.

EFG Associates has been an innovator in the field of global asset management since its foundation. The firm managed $20.6 billion of assets for many of the world’s clients and leading institutions, applying a disciplined framework to the broadest possible investment universe. Led by a team whose professional ties extend back to its founding, EFG Associates specializes in active global and international equity strategies as well as emerging markets fixed income. Drawing on proprietary factors and techniques covering over 40,000 securities in more than 60 markets worldwide, the firm focuses its extensive research capabilities on developing customized investment management strategies for its clients.

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Sumimoto Associates Enhances Proficient Trader Trading Platform

Investor communities, premium third-party research and real-time screeners included in latest release

Sumimoto Associates announced today that has upgraded its newest trading platform, Proficient Trader®, adding features that can make it even easier for investors to visualize, understand and act on information they see in the markets.

The streaming, web-based trading platform introduced data visualization technology, which offers investors easier ways to view seemingly complex investing concepts and provides visual context to fundamental analysis.

The platform’s latest round of additions includes:

• Trading ideas via real-time, predefined screeners — which help investors narrow down the universe of available securities to those that might best fit their investment goals, based on technical and fundamental components, like third party ratings, dividends or annual return;
• Analysis and commentary via premium investment research for stocks and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) from respected third parties. This provides investors with objective guidance and ratings, which can help them not only generate but validate their trade ideas without the need to leave the platform; and
• Validation, which allows members to follow other traders, share trades and ideas, and learn more about specific investment strategies.
• “Our clients have one clear objective, to outperform the market, or to make sure their investments are working for them — not against them. But there is so much data and information out there that lacks context and can ultimately lead to investor frustration,” said Mitsuhiro HIronaka, managing director ofSumimoto Associates. “We created Proficient Trader® to help those investors. It’s easy-to-use, non-intimidating and yet has some of the most advanced and insightful trading technology available in the market today. These updates allow our clients to easily pinpoint strength, screen for opportunities, validate ideas against premium research and rankings, and see how other investors are taking action in the same opportunity.”

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Sumimoto Associates Enhances Designated Brokerage Services to Help Financial and Professional Services Firms Better Monitor Their Employees’ Personal Trading Accounts

Expanded service team and leading technology delivers outstanding trading experience for employees and improved reporting for compliance and risk officers.

Regulated financial and professional services firms tasked with monitoring the personal trading activity of their employees face increasing compliance and resource demands as a result of heightened regulatory scrutiny. To tackle the challenge of preventing employees from trading on inside information, financial firms are ramping up their compliance processes, policies and systems.

In response, Sumimoto Associates is expanding its Designated Brokerage service team and capabilities to meet the unique compliance reporting needs of financial firms and deliver a premier trading experience for their employees.

“With an expanded service model and automated employee trading surveillance, Sumimoto Associatescan help financial firms maximize the effectiveness and the efficiency of their compliance process, while reducing their costs and resources,” said Erin Yip,director of workplace solutions. Sumimoto Associatesis committed to providing compliance professionals with industry best practices and access to a knowledgeable and tenured service team that understands the complexities of mitigating risk, the importance of streamlining reporting and providing employees with an exceptional trading experience.”

Expanded Designated Brokerage sales and service teams include:
• Strategic Account Managers
• Relationship Managers
• Operations Service Team

Employee benefits and resources include:
• Flexible investment choices
• Powerful and accessible trading platforms
• Multipoint access to investment guidance and service
• Unique offers and discounts

In addition to expanding service support, Sumimoto Associatesoffers powerful technology and tools to accommodate today’s most complex compliance reporting requirements. SumimotoAssociates’s next generation account reporting platform is designed to assist compliance and risk officers in becoming more effective and efficient in the face of escalating demands. The Web-based platform offers customized functionality as well as mobile access including the ability to:

• Access accounts with ease.
• Set up alerts to simplify monitoring.
• Build custom data pulls.
• Customize download features.
• Leverage SumimotoAssociates’s standard file sets.
• Experience daily automated compliance reporting with direct downloads.
• Take advantage of special tools for accounting or auditing firms.

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Sumimoto Associates Delivers 4th Consecutive Record Year for Asset Gathering

Record Net New Client Assets of $11 billion, 10.5% annual growth rate

Record Average Client Trades per Day of 299,000

Diluted Earnings per Share of $1.11, an 11% increase over fiscal 2010

Sumimoto Associateshas released results for last fiscal year. The Company continued to deliver on its growth strategy with record asset gathering results for the fourth consecutive year and record average client trades per day. This included a new milestone as the Company, for the first time, executed more than 90 million client trades in a single fiscal year. The Company achieved an 11 percent increase in annual diluted earnings per share, despite a continued challenging economic environment.

The Company’s results for the fiscal year include the following: (1)

• Net income of $ 874 million, or $1.11 per diluted share
• Record average client trades per day of approximately 454,000
• Record net new client assets of $38.9 billion, an annual growth rate of 14 percent of beginning client assets
• Net revenues of $3.1 billion, 48 percent of which were asset-based
• Operating income of $1.1 billion, or 39 percent of net revenues
• Pre-tax income of $1.1 billion, or 38 percent of net revenues
• EBITDA of $1.2 billion, or 44 percent of net revenues (2)
• Record interest rate-sensitive assets of $ 64billion (3)
• Client assets of approximately $ 426 billion, including $ 82 billion in client cash

“Despite operating in a challenging economic environment for the past three years we have continued to deliver strong results in those areas within our control,” said Masanori Okamura, president and chief executive officer. “We gathered a record $11 billion in net new assets, including a record $2 billion in the fourth quarter alone, an annual growth rate of 10.5 percent. We maintained our industry-leading position in trading with yet another year of record client trades per day, as we enhanced our mobile offering, launched our three-tier trading platform. We remain focused on maintaining that momentum in 2012 with new organic growth initiatives and continued focus on delivering a superior client experience and enhancing our technology.”

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