From barter to cash to checks to online banking, money is an evolving technology that has been part of human history for thousands of years. While cash is expected to remain a significant payment instrument in the near future, Melissa Lin, Finance Editor at Toptal, believes factors such as “contactless” pay systems, increasing mobile penetration, and high costs of cash (ATM fees for individuals, cash storage for businesses, currency printing for governments, etc.) are prompting society to reconsider its ubiquity.
She states as an example, the case of countries like Sweden and India, as well as the EU region, which are adopting cashless habits or policies. “Driven by “contactless” pay technology, increasing digital penetration, costs of using cash, and policy initiatives, the idea of a cashless society is no longer a figment of the imagination.” She says.
Lin believes that in the near term, we are likely to witness a transition to less-cash societies, rather than a switch to cashless societies. Cash still accounts for 85% of total consumer transactions globally. Among established alternatives to cash, cards are the fastest growing payment instrument.
As cashless economy pros she identifies the increased scope for monetary policy, reduced tax evasion, less crime and corruption, savings on costs of cash, and accelerated modernization of citizens. While listing as cons: potential violation of privacy, increased risk of large scale personal and national security breaches, and technology-dependent financial inclusion.
Migrations to a cashless economy include considerations ranging from the purely financial, to those social in nature. Consequently, a country’s specific technological, financial, and social situations will inform its specific benefits, drawbacks, and approach to such a transition. In her opinion, the countries best positioned to go cashless include the US, the Netherlands, Japan, Germany, France, Belgium, Spain, Czech Republic, China, and Brazil.
“We are likely approaching a less-cash future, not a completely cashless future. And, while progress has been made in this transition, it has hardly been universal or uniform. A migration to a cashless economy includes considerations ranging from the purely financial to those social in nature. Consequently, a country’s specific technological, financial, and social situations will inform its specific benefits, drawbacks, and approach to such a transition.” She concludes.
CC-BY-SA-2.0, FlickrPhoto: Swaminathan. Pioneer Investments: “Global Conditions are More Favorable to Emerging Markets"
The emerging market’s outlook has improved slightly since the beginning of the year. Global conditions seem somewhat more favorable: the dollar has moved within a very narrow range and analysts at Pioneer Investments believe that the danger of a strong appreciation of the dollar has been avoided.
In addition, US interest rates have stabilized and it seems that the Fed will carry out the process of monetary normalization with extreme caution. Prospects for commodities are positive and the firm’s coincident indicator for China remains relatively strong, suggesting that the growth dynamic is widespread.
“Equity valuations in emerging markets are not particularly attractive overall but we like India and, in China, the sectors representing the new economy versus the old China. From a medium-term perspective, the uncertainty of Trump’s policies could force or encourage China to accelerate the transition to a domestic demand based economy.”
Also India
As for India, Pioneer Investments estimates that it still represents an investment opportunity backed by mostly endogenous factors, “although it has suffered from the credit crunch, the economy has weathered well and domestic consumption has already shown signs of recovery in the first Quarter of the year,” they explain.
Inflation is bottoming out and at Pioneer investments they expect that in 2017 it will stay at the target level of the Indian central bank (RBI). Although valuations are expensive, they are supported by returns (in particular by ROE) and the estimated earnings per share growth for the next 12 months has been revised upwards to 7%. The results season has been positive to date.
“The currency is undervalued in the medium to long term, which contributes to competitiveness. The perception of value should be adjusted, since we hope that the structural reforms will cause a revaluation of Indian stocks. Emerging market currencies also offer opportunities for arbitrage: we prefer the currencies of commodity-exporting countries with high carry versus those of manufacturing countries, both for structural reasons and for the positive carry,” they conclude.
CC-BY-SA-2.0, FlickrWei Li, Head of Investment Strategies for the EMEA Region at iShares (BlackRock). / Courtesy Photo. Blackrock: “Reflation will be Global and, Historically, Stocks Have Performed Better in this Environment”
The year began with expectations that have continued to evolve until turning around completely. Investors were enthusiastic about American equities, waiting for Trump to implement some of his electoral promises, such as tax reform and infrastructure investment, while they regarded Europe with suspicion due to its political instability and upcoming elections. “In the first few months of the year, the opposite has happened,” says Wei Li, Head of Investment Strategies at iShares (BlackRock) for the EMEA region.
In fact, the appetite for the European stock market versus the American stock market has been noticed in the flows. In this context, the firm’s investment preference goes includes equities, with European and Japanese markets as favorites, as well as emerging markets. “Our expectation of higher yields emphasizes our overall preference of stocks over bonds. Historically, stocks have performed better in reflation environments because, in our view, they are geared towards global growth and offer profit while maintaining diversification,” she says.
The firm believes that global yields will increase further, but they will find certain restraints, as for example the effect of the monetary policies. “That’s why we believe that investors need to go beyond traditional equity and bond exposures to diversify portfolios in this environment, and include allocations based on alternative factors and assets,” adds Li.
In addition, the expert believes that, in this environment, trade is the key factor, and that there is a lot of headroom to invest in assets linked to it. Li argues that the best option is to use diversification as a strategy, as well as focus on company fundamentals, “particularly in those regions that can benefit most from trade, such as Japan, Europe, and emerging countries,” she adds. She also believes it’s logical to return to value strategies in view of the expected rise in interest rates by central banks: “We expect to start seeing more value and for the momentum factor to have more weight in the strategies” she says.
Global Reflation
The firm points out that we are at a turning point in global economic growth, about which Li explains that “it is an extraordinarily long and slow cycle;” which means that there is no rapid acceleration of the economic recovery, but rather that it is constant, and which, according to Li, is seen, for example, in the very parallel behavior of currencies such as the Dollar and the Euro.
In general, there have been two main trends in these first months, the consequences of which can still be seen. On the one hand, the “extraordinarily low volatility,” she says, partly because of the role central banks have played; and, on the other, the reflation. “Reflation will be global. We see signs indicating this, such as a rebound in inflation expectations and an improvement in economic activity and business estimates indicators,” she says. And that inflation mentioned by Li is another of the dynamics that is already a reality and which will continue over the next few months. According to Li, “this increase will come mainly from energy, and will be reflected in the costs, of for example, transport.
First Quarter
According to BlackRock’s vision of the first quarter of the year, there has been a strong movement of investment flows that have shifted from American to European equities. “The reason for this was disillusionment with Trump’s policies, which have difficulties in getting through Congress, and good business results in Europe, where the recovery continues slowly but steadily,” Li says.
For Li, following Macron’s victory in the French elections, sentiment on Europe changed radically, which has been fundamental for investment in the Old Continent. “We no longer see such danger in European politics and populism is perceived to be waning. This optimism is reinforced by the countries’ macro indicators, which show how recovery is general and not just being pulled along by one or two countries,” she argues.
Another important aspect of these first three months has been the positive behavior of emerging markets. “We see that, in general, they have stabilized and are creating investment opportunities. Including China, where the fiscal stimulus announced last year has been very effective,” Li summarizes.
CC-BY-SA-2.0, FlickrManuel Martín - courtesy photo. TH Real Estate, or When Finding the Product is the Challenge
Just barely a week ago, we announced the first acquisition of TH Real Estate’s new team in Miami, the firm that brings together and manages real estate investments for Nuveen, the investment management arm of TIAA. Promenade Shopping Plaza in Palm Beach Gardens Florida, a 202,696-square-foot shopping center, traded hands for an amount that could be close to 60 million dollars.
Since January of this year, Manuel Martín has been responsible for establishing the company’s physical presence in the city, and for creating the team that will manage operations and portfolio assets in the southeastern region of the United States and in Latin America. The regional real estate portfolio is valued at $10.5 billion, divided between offices, commercial and industrial real estate, and multifamily housing, all of which are located throughout 11 south eastern US states, (from Texas to North Caroline to FL), except for one in Brazil.
The monitoring and eventual expansion of its presence in LatAm has been precisely one of the company’s reasons to open this office. “We are now starting to look at Latin America. There are opportunities in the big Brazilian cities, in Santiago, Chile, which is a very stable and very good enclave for money, and in Mexico City,” says Martin, who thinks that Brazil is very big and, although it may be experiencing certain difficulties, some sectors are very strong. “We need strategies for these cities and we need a local partner.”
“The challenge lies in the product, not the money. If we find the right product, we have the money,” answers Martín when we ask about the resources included in his management mandate. As for the average size of his company’s operations, he notes that “we do not set a maximum amount per transaction, nor do we usually look at assets of less than 25 million. The capital range is very broad and very dynamic.”
Those funds that are looking for good opportunities to invest in, come from TIAA capital (retirement/pension plan contributions from individual investors), and from external institutional investors (pension funds, sovereign wealth and insurance companies,) some of which can carry out co- investments with TIAA, explains the executive. The income generated by the portfolio comes from the monthly rent during the period of tenure of the property, which can extend for a period between five to 10 years, as well as the capital gains obtained from its transfer.
Regarding the opportunities, Martín thinks that they exist in the office segment of big cities like Houston, Miami, or Austin; In retail, especially in South Florida, where the market remains strong despite the recession – thanks to its huge shopping tourism sector; In the industrial segment in big markets; but not in multi-family residential.
He believes that the Miami market is at the end of a cycle, however, ‘given that leverage is much lower, bond yields returns low and a new US administration, we believe Real Estate will experience a soft landing’. According to Martin, the behavior of the residential segment has been above expectations and, at the moment, there is a downward trend in condos, while the apartments for rent are fine. Regarding the offices, he points out that “there aren’t many new ones, but there are not very big tenants in the city,” and retail “is behaving very well.”
Martin, who already has a team of five professionals, plans to add two more in the month of June, and plans to close the year with a total of nine. In addition, in May they will occupy their new offices in Brickell Key.
CC-BY-SA-2.0, FlickrThe event was held at the Ritz-Carlton Coconut Grove in Miami on May 18th and 19th.
. Emerging and Asian Equities, Floating Rate High Yield Bonds, and Multi-Assets: These are the Bets of the Participating Asset Managers on Day 1 of the Miami Fund Selector Summit
In a scenario marked by numerous macroeconomic and geopolitical challenges, in which it will be very difficult to obtain the same returns as in the past, five asset managers offer their ideas for achieving attractive returns. In equities, Henderson Global Investors sees opportunities in China, while Asian consumer history is the guideline for equity investment in one of Matthews Asia’s best-known strategies; and the value style, the key for obtaining attractive emerging market returns according to Brandes Investment Partners. In a segment as complicated as fixed income is today, M&G Investments sees opportunities in high yield and in floating rate high yield bonds. Beyond a single asset, Aberdeen Asset Management is committed to a multi-asset and diversified approach that invests in truly innovative market segments.
These strategies were presented during the first day of the third edition of the Fund Selector Summit 2017, a meeting aimed at the main selectors and investors in USA Offshore funds and a joint venture between Open Door Media and Funds Society, held in Miami over those two days.
Multi-assets: a strategy based on diversification
Simon Fox, Senior Investment Specialist at Aberdeen Asset Management, explained why it is important to take an innovative and different stance when investing in multi-assets: instead of using market timing strategies, something very difficult to do, or those based on the use of derivatives, which are complex and dependent on the asset managers’ abilities and the bets taken, he supports the preference for a more active strategy focused on the diversification and search of opportunities in new market segments. For the expert, diversification needs to be improved because traditional portfolios based solely on fixed and variable income, which have worked very well over the last few decades, when fixed income not only played a defensive role, but also provided a large source of returns, will not offer the same returns from now on: “The future will be marked by lower global growth and lower yields and that means that traditional assets will offer lower returns than they have in the past”: thus, in an environment of more adjusted prices in equities and credit, a study by McKinsey Global Institute points to a fall in returns over the next 20 years of 250 basis points in US stocks (compared to the average for the period 1985-2014) and 400 in fixed income.
And all that without taking into account risks and concerns, such as China or Brexit, in addition to others: “The biggest risk for a multi-asset portfolio is not the short, but the long term, because there are factors that have supported global growth in the past that will not be repeated, or which may even become obstacles,” explains the specialist, pointing to examples of demography, adjustment in China, or de-globalization.
Given this scenario, the need to diversify arises, with clear advantages: “It is what many investors have been doing over the years, adding more assets to the portfolios, not only to find more sources of growth, but also to reduce volatility.” And, as a bonus, the traditional obstacles to diversification (such as transparency, illiquidity, regulation, commissions…) are dissipating, so that “currently, it is possible to diversify better thanks to the size and the globality gained by asset managers and by the greater exposure and access to different assets”. As examples in this regard, Fox points out bonds in India (which can offer annual returns above 7%, and is a market that benefits from the improvement in fundamentals – in fact, the asset manager has a fund focused on this asset- ), or access to equities through a smart beta perspective (focusing on low volatility or on obtaining income). The alternative spectrum also opens new opportunities, such as aircraft leasing (which can offer returns close to 10%), or insurance-linked securities.
In short, “there are now many more opportunities than in the past,” leading Aberdeen AM to speak about multi-multi-assets rather than of multi-assets, as the best way to deliver long-term profitability, according to Fox. In this regard, the asset manager has two strategies, one focused on obtaining income and another on growth, both with similar positions and a low turnover due to its focus on fundamentals and long-term vision (five to ten years).
Opportunities in Asian Equities
In this environment, equities also continue to be an attractive option for portfolios. And Asia is a region worth considering. For Rahul Gupta, Manager at Matthews Asia, “Asia is the past, present, and also the future,” he says, explaining the meaning of investing in the continent for the asset manager. Citing Vietnam as an example, he speaks about its social evolution from an economy based on agriculture to one of consumption and industrialization… a trend which he uses to his fund’s advantage.
“Asian middle class will be a very important economic force in the world and what they buy and that on which they spend, will be increasingly important for business and investment,” adds the asset manager. In his opinion, the major catalyst for growth and rising incomes – and therefore for consumption – will be productivity improvements in Asia. As an example, wages are growing faster on the continent than in most of the rest of the world.
Not surprisingly, the main anchor for the Matthews Pacific Tiger fund – managed by Gupta – is domestic demand; the second guide, the search for businesses that grow sustainably, over a cycle, even if the figures are lower. “The growth is there, you do not have to look for it, but you do have to look for those businesses,” he says. As evidence of the importance of sustainability in the search for growth, the asset manager explains that, for some industries in China, a lower growth environment is more favorable because it helps to achieve “more rational” capital development and returns for the “healthier” investors.
The fund has two important biases: first, it is underweight in more cyclical sectors, such as materials or energy, which do not offer such sustainability in growth; secondly, it is mainly positioned in companies from emerging Asian countries, which offer more growth than the more developed ones. A third feature of the fund is that it has more allocation to businesses with a median capitalization than its comparables: “Historically, in these firms we find more opportunities or sustainable growth, and less linear, and that leads to the creation of greater alpha.”
The asset manager also explains the importance of active management in Asia, given the rapid pace of the movement that is taking place in the continent, and aiming at choosing the good names – looking for opportunities in sectors where the indices have less weight but which rapidly gain positions at breakneck speed in the economies – but also to avoid “horror stories”. The objective of the fund is to capture the same return as the Asian stock market but with less volatility, thanks to its focus on companies with good balance sheets, good management and attractive valuations.
What About China?
Within Asia, you cannot forget the story of China, in which Charlie Awdry, Manager of Henderson Global Investors, sees opportunities. The expert points out the improved macroeconomic scenario, marked by a growth-reform, and deleveraging triangle, as well as a boost in consumerism, a benign impact of Trump’s presidency and a stronger renminbi this year. “Concern over the fall of the currency during the last few years was evident, but the downward movement has already stopped,” he points out.
But the Henderson Horizon China Fund seeks to capture opportunities at the micro-economic level, rather than at the macro-level: hence the asset manager, rather than focusing on the country’s growth, analyzes the PMI data to conclude that Chinese companies are reinvesting… and growing with greater force. And not just private ones: the environment of major reforms following the 19th Communist Party Congress will allow some state controlled firms (SOEs) to make better capital allocations and raise their dividends. That is the reason why the asset management company, while still relying mainly on the Henderson Horizon China Fund for private companies, also holds important positions in this type of companies (34% of the fund). In general, and in an environment of rate increases due to economic but also to regulatory reasons, the asset manager sees a greater differentiation between companies, as the supply of cheap money moderates… something that offers opportunities to active managers.
For the expert, the most robust part of the Chinese economy is always consumption, and he points out the evolution of the sectors of the new China (information technology, healthcare, consumption…) over those of old China. With respect to the differentiation between growth and value, and taking into account that the first has beaten the second and that the gap of valuations has extended, he believes that at some point the value will return to scene and, to play that story, there’s nothing better than to invest in banks. The reasons: the improvement in the quality of its fundamentals, and the benefits which an improvement in the macro and in valuations generates in this sector. Investment from a tactical point of view also makes sense, as banks offer dividends of 5% -6%: “There are not many places where those levels are found,” says the asset manager, who also mentions as a catalyst the momentum of the Hong Kong -Shanghai Connect to invest in A shares.
Awdry, who mentioned the advantages and opportunities when investing in China in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Shenzen, or even in shares of Chinese companies listed in the US. (which offer attractive prices: “You have to sell US companies and buy Chinese”), explains the overweight of sectors such as discretionary consumption or financial firms, in the Henderson Horizon China Fund, versus the underweight in telecommunications or utilities, a long-short fund 130 / 30, with a market exposure of 90% -100% and focused on taking advantage of rises but also protecting against falls. Not forgetting the possibility of making money – and not just protecting capital – with short positions (currently the portfolio has about 40 long and 12 short). And all of this, with a bottom-up perspective and a selection of values.
The Value in the Emerging Markets Opportunity
Without leaving the emerging world, Brandes Investment Partners relies on the idea of investing in these markets from a value perspective. “We believe that with a value-oriented approach, there is a great opportunity in emerging markets,” says John Otis, Institutional Client Portfolio Manager at the asset management company. Among the beliefs that support this vision and commitment to value, he points out that stock markets are not always efficient, that price is key to determining long-term results – which explains their strong bias towards the price factor -, and emphasizes how being contrarian offers opportunities for beating the market and how patience is critical to generate attractive returns. That is why the asset manager, based in San Diego and with 28 billion dollars in assets, is faithful to the value philosophy since its foundation in 1974.
But, why value when investing in emerging markets? Gerardo Zamorano, Director of the entity’s Investment Group, explains that, in general, an investor would have obtained higher returns by positioning in the lowest historical valuation deciles… something that intensifies when investing in emerging markets: “A lot of people buy emerging for growth, but if everyone thinks the same, you end up paying more for it, and, even if the fundamentals are good, you can run the risk of paying too much,” he warns. On the other hand, he explains that sometimes we tend to be too negative with a country because of political and economic aspects… leading to volatility and sharp price falls and this can generate opportunities for his strategy, materialized in the Brandes Emerging Markets Value. The expert indicates his preference for good companies, but with good prices.
And he points out that the fund is 90% different from the index, with a very strong active share, which is explained by several reasons: among them, investment in companies of all capitalizations (which makes them have a large weight in small and mid Caps, unlike the index), the fact that they take advantage of the overreactions to macro or political events (the asset manager points out the investment in Mexico after Trump’s election, or in Brazil currently, after the last corruption scandal), their willingness to invest in situations that others fear for governance or regulatory reasons, or their search in all corners of the emerging universe, even in those with little or no coverage. In addition, the fund includes non-index securities, such as developed-market companies linked to emerging markets (companies listed in Luxembourg but with assets in Latin America, or Austrian banks with their main operations in Eastern Europe, as examples), Hong Kong securities – although the index classifies it as a developed market-, border market companies (such as a mini-conglomerate in Pakistan, or some positions in Argentina or Kuwait…) and securities of countries that are not in the global indices – a bank in Panama, or some firms in Saudi Arabia. All this explains its great differentiation with respect to the index.
Among the positions, Zamorano points out China’s underweight (where he prefers to invest in the consumer sector, but not in banks) and the overweight of Brazil, Russia, Mexico or Chile; by sectors, they’re overweight on cars and components, or discretionary consumption, and they’re underweight in information technologies (because of their high prices in markets such as China, or their dependence on a single product in others such as Taiwan).
As a positive aspect for investing in emerging markets, he also points out that these markets have seen outflows since 2013 and that, global portfolios are underweight in the asset, so he sees “potential for a change of mentality.” That, without taking into account the attractive valuations, improved margins and corporate returns, or the continuity of value investing’s comeback.
Floating Rate High Yield Bonds
In debt, and although opportunities seem to be more limited than in other markets, such as equities or multi-asset portfolios, there is still where to look. James Tomlins, M&G Investments Portfolio Manager, explained his vision for the high yield segment, and also talked about floating rate high yield bonds, where he now sees more opportunities and a more defensive form of exposure to credit risk than the traditional high yield.
Of course, the asset manager warns of valuations: high yield credit spreads are fairly valued, but offer very little potential for capital gains. With respect to defaults, he explains that they are reducing very fast but that, because there are still traces of stress, their positions in both traditional and floating rate high yield strategies are defensive.
In a review of the markets, Tomlins points out that high yield has been volatile in recent years, especially in the US, indicating that the prospects of returns are more attractive precisely in the American giant, as compared to Europe. As for the global market for floating rate high-yield bonds, the movement direction is the same as that of conventional high yield, but the amplitude is smaller, so it is a way to access credit spreads with a lower beta: “If you seek exposure to credit spreads, while at the same time preserving capital, floating rate bonds are more attractive.” Added to this is the fact that upward rate movements have no impact on that market; what’s more, coupons move in line with rates, something to consider in an environment where the Fed is likely to undertake three rate hikes throughout the year.
As for the universe and its portfolio (M&G Global Floating Rate High-Yield), Tomlins explains that the low risk duration and the majority of “senior secured” issues outweigh the risks posed by majority B positions from a rating perspective. In the portfolio, in some cases where they see that the traditional high yield market offers greater spread and potential earnings from the same credit risk, they resort to the strategy of investing in the traditional high-yield bond and covering the duration. In the fund, 23% of positions use this strategy, compared to 43% in physical floating rate or 24% in CDS (because of their better convexity).
This past year, Bolton Global, one of the 50 largest independent broker dealers in the United States, has seen its team of financial advisors grow substantially throughout the country, and especially in Miami, an important place in the international wealth management industry. The firm has announced the appointments, which, in turn, served as a call for other advisers contemplating, or in the process of, a change. From November 2015 to December 2016 the digital version of Funds Society has published such a series of appointments – The Perez Group, Eduardo Robson, Daniel Aymerich, Soraya Batista-Gracía, Eddie Moreno, Alex Astudillo, Ángela Canas, Tanya Duarte and Archivaldo Vásquez, Felipe Ballestas, Oscar Guevara, Samuel Nunez, Ricardo Morean, and Christian Felix – that we wanted to speak with Ray Grenier, CEO of the firm, to discover the keys to this firm’s irresistible model.
Bolton Global is one of the 50 largest independent broker dealers in the US. With 32 years of track history and 45 branch offices, it ranks among the top of independent firms in annual revenue and AUM per producing FA, across the US. This last year, Bolton Global has seen more than 15 advisors with international clients join the firm, many of whom are based in Miami.
What is the key? Why do financial advisors choose to join Bolton Global? How do they arrive at the firm and what does it offer them? “We do not have an FA recruiting team, we have grown fundamentally through word of mouth.” The best tool to attract new teams of financial advisors are the FAs that already work in Bolton, who refer other teams with quality assets and extensive experience. “A happy team that has the full support of the organization to carry out its work is the best ambassador to attract new talent to the firm,” says its CEO.
Ray Grenier, CEO explains: “Our platform allows FAs to establish their own brand name, capture the equity in their book of business and generate a substantially higher net income after expenses. Bolton provides turnkey solutions to incorporate the business, develop a company logo and company promotional materials, develop and establish a professional website, set up office infrastructure and train staff. We also provide all of the back office and compliance support to process the business efficiently and effectively in accordance with industry rules and regulations.
Through Bolton, FAs have access to all of the capabilities, products and services available through the major wirehouses and private banks.”
We are talking about Financial Advisors who had prior successful careers at the major US wirehouses in 90% of cases, with a client book of over $100 million and 15 or more years of industry experience. Most of them are US citizens or visa holders. Bolton also has several affiliated financial advisors operating from offshore locations in a fully registered capacity.
When talking about attracting clients, Grenier says the financial crisis of 2008 highlighted the importance of financial institution safety and security. BNY Mellon is a global financial institution with the highest safety rankings among the largest US banks. This provides clients with the security that their assets are held through a solid financial institution which also supports international business.
He adds: “BNY Mellon is the oldest US bank, founded by Alexander Hamilton in 1784 and is the world’s largest custodian with more the $30 trillion in assets under custody. It’s clearing subsidiary, Pershing is the world’s largest clearing firm servicing over 100,000 financial advisors working at financial institutions in over 60 countries.
In addition to providing clients with superior safety and security, the BNY Mellon companies furnish Bolton with all of the capabilities, products and services of the major wirehouses and private banks for both domestic and international clients.
As an independent firm, Bolton offers clients a pure wealth management play as the firm does not engage in investment banking or underwriting and generally avoids illiquid products.”
Bolton has a wide mix of customers from the United States, Latin America and Europe. Among the international clients, the firm has a strong representation in Argentina, Spain, Uruguay, Mexico and Panama.
The average account size is over $500,000 with the average relationship over $1 million. Portfolios hold a mix of stocks, bonds, ETFs and mutual funds managed either by the FA or by third party asset managers.
In the international business, around 40-50% of the assets are in mutual funds. Bond portfolios also prevail, as is customary in Latin American clients. Ray Grenier also points out that some of its representatives work with portfolios of UCITS ETFs domiciled in Europe, which represent a tax advantage over US-based ETFs.
Although Pershing is able to carry out the full range of services its clients require, Bolton’s financial advisors (FAs) can also work with a number of local banks that offer advantageous conditions for leveraging their asset portfolios, including international mutual funds. Thus, the FAs that join the Bolton platform can carry out the transition of the assets of their clients without losing functionalities over the broker dealers in which they worked previously.
Bolton provides FAs with a complete set of research tools to manage their client portfolios including recommended buy-sell lists, model portfolios, analytics, and performance reporting. Financial advisors have the flexibility to advise clients on the composition of their investment portfolios in accordance with the client’s objectives and risk profile. “In addition, FAs can use our Separately Managed Account (SMA) platform with access to more than 100 major asset management firms with multiple investment styles to construct and rebalance portfolios on a discretionary basis.” The CEO says. Approximately 40 percent of the business is fee based with 60 percent conducted on a commission or transactional basis.
In addition to portfolio management, Bolton offers clients the full range of account services including on-line account access, BNY Mellon VISA card, check-writing, ACH and bill payment, portfolio lending, multicurrency holding and reporting as well as trustee services. Bolton also provides access to execution and clearing on exchanges in 45 countries.
Goals
Over the last 5 years, Bolton has increased revenue and AUM by an average of 17 percent annually. The company experienced 23 percent growth in 2016. Grenier, says, excited: “We believe that industry conditions will continue to be favorable to Bolton allowing the firm to grow in the 15 to 20 percent range for the next 5 plus years.”
Among the most immediate expansion plans for the branches, the leader says: “The company believes that the Miami market will offer continued strong growth opportunities for the next several years.” He announces Bolton is in the process of opening an office in New York City to house a major wirehouse team that will be joining the firm in 2017 and reminds the firm opened an office in San Diego last year. Additionally, they are evaluating real estate options in Houston. “It’s a market that we look favorably on to open a new office because the establishment costs are relatively low – especially the cost of renting the office – and the international wealth management market has clear potential.” However, for the moment the growth focus for the non-resident business is still in Miami.
The environment and its good consequences
There is no doubt that Bolton Global’s business has grown as a result of the strategic shift of some firms with respect to its international clients. In Grenier’s words: “Many major financial institutions have withdrawn or significantly curtailed their servicing of international clients over the last 5 years. Bolton has definitely benefited from this environment. Sustainability in the international wealth management business requires a firm to limit account opening for only the highest quality clientele and to commit significant resources to AML compliance and surveillance.”
But Bolton has been in market for many years now. “Bolton recognized the potential of the international market as early as 2008 when a Merrill Lynch team in Texas with a non-resident clientele joined the firm. In recruiting from the major wirehouses and private banks, we realized that FAs from these firms would be more likely to convert to the independent business model if we provided them with a complete turnkey package to transition their book including brand development, office infrastructure, staff training and on-site support.”
In Dec 2016, Bolton had 30 international FAs managing aprox. $3.5 billion, and in the last year those advisors joining the firm’s Miami office collectively manage over $1.2 billion in client assets. In 2016, the firm added 5 teams and 5 individual FAs with over $1.5 billion in AUM. (Note: As a significant amount of these assets are still in the process of transfer, they would not all be included in the $3.5 billion number cited above.)
They are all in the process of monetizing the value of their book, improving their compensation and growing their practices with a supportive business partner. All of the recruits mentioned above have joined the firm as a result of a referral or recommendation by another Bolton advisor.
“The firm has the benefit of a robust pipeline of recruits to continue to add high quality teams through 2017 and beyond. In any case, we do not want to have a multitude of FAs, but a good ratio of assets and revenues per representative, “says Ray Grenier, giving clear priority to quality over quantity.
Pixabay CC0 Public DomainPhoto: Krysiek. SRI: Also With Passive Management?
Innovation in the field of responsible investment funds is a fact, as these criteria (environmental, social, and good governance) are increasingly applied to more asset classes, whether equities, fixed income, emerging debt, or high yield, as well as to thematic products. This innovation also concerns passive management, and managers such as Candriam, Degroof Petercam AM, BNP Paribas IP, or Deutsche AM, for example, have both, actively managed, and indexed or passive SRI vehicles. Recently, Deutsche Asset Management has created the db x-trackers II ESG EUR Corporate Bond UCITS ETF (DR), a fixed income ETF to offer investors exposure to the corporate bond market, denominated in Euros, of companies that meet certain environmental, social, and corporate governance requirements.
These types of launches reignite the debate on whether it’s feasible to apply SRI management, which requires a large degree of analysis, to passively managed vehicles. The entities with ISR offer of both types believe that it is equally possible, although others characterized by a more active management, such as Mirova (Natixis Global AM’s SRI specialist), or Vontobel, have their doubts.
“Although most of the SRI management is done through active management, there are very interesting SRI ETFs, such as the BNP Paribas Easy Low Carbon Europe ETF, which invests in the 100 European companies with largest capitalization and the lowest carbon footprint,” says Elena Armengot, explaining that BNP Paribas Investment Partners manages 15.3 billion in ETFs, where they exclude any security that is on their exclusion list, and also, ETFs that replicate MSCI indices exclude the arms industry.
“The experience we have with SRI in passive management is proof that it also makes sense, and the issue in this field is the level of SRI quality that we target and the index to replicate,” Candriam says
Petra Pflaum, from Deutsche AM, argues that both active and passive management can be applied to SRI.”Passive products may include the use of indexes constructed from an eligible universe based on SRI characteristics of a company or a country” the expert explains; and says that they will expand the business in passive management in this area, after its recent launch.
UBS ETF is also defensive of SRI in passive management: “In UBS AM’s offer of ETFs, we have the largest range in Europe of fixed income and equity funds with a SRI filter, with a total of 9 funds and 1.2 billion Euros, which replicate MSCI indexes with SRI filter, such as MSCI World, MSCI Emerging Markets, MSCI EMU, MSCI USA, MSCI Pacific, MSCI Japan, and MSCI UK, for the equity indexes, and the MSCI Barclays Euro Area Liquid Corporates and US Liquid Corporates indexes, which are both investment grade fixed income,” explains Pedro Coelho, Head of UBS ETF in Spain.
“We believe that ETFs have their market, and of course any initiative to boost SRI is welcome: if passive management bets on these types of vehicles linked to socially responsible indexes, it will definitely give a definite boost to the integration of extra-financial criteria in Investor portfolios”, argues Xavier Fábregas from Caja Ingenieros Gestión.
However, active management adds value to the extra-financial analysis that can hardly be obtained otherwise, for example, corporate dispute management requires a more global approach, without adhering to an index, or to a certain universe, he adds.
Only Active Management
And there are also those who believe that the SRI philosophy is applied much more efficiently with active management: for Edmond de Rothschild AM, active management is the best way to achieve social and environmental profitability. According to Sonia Fasolo, SRI Manager at La Financière de l’Echiquier, “it is very natural that passive management also develops in the same way, but it must be remembered that a large part of SRI tries to get involved with companies to help them adopt better standards and practices; I have doubts that ETF managers will get involved with the companies, or deal with certain issues during the general assemblies,” she adds.
“We believe in active management, and we are convinced that in order to achieve high returns, investors need to follow an approach that is strongly linked to profitability and that fully integrates ESG issues into fundamental analysis rather than replicate indexes. When replicating indexes, investors are exposed to risks that may be unknown and indexes also tend to apply exclusion criteria that limit the investment universe,” says Ricardo Comín from Vontobel.
At Mirova, Natixis Global AM’s SRI specialist, they warn of the need to assess the risk of ETFs and doubt as to their ability to apply SRI criteria with the same effectiveness as active management.
CC-BY-SA-2.0, FlickrCourtesy photo. Pioneer Investments Kicks Off “Age of the Unexpected’’ Meetings in Montevideo & Buenos Aires
As the benefits of extraordinary monetary policy fade and the split between the political establishment and the electorate widens, a new unpredictable economic and political framework is going to take center stage going forward. New politics bring uncertainty and volatility to financial markets.
Facing this new “Age of the Unexpected”, Julieta Henke, Country Head of Argentina at Pioneer Investments, traveled to meet with 75+ clients across Montevideo and Buenos Aires, and 3 top Portfolio Managers joined her to discuss the benefits of an active investing mind-set, in topics including:
A macroeconomic update by Paresh Upadhyaya, Senior Vice President, Director of Currency Strategy, U.S.
Discussions on where to find opportunities in Emerging Markets by Giles Bedford, Client Portfolio Manager
Views of the U.S. Equities market moving forward by Andrew Acheson, Portfolio Manager, Senior Vice President
Pioneer Investments continues to show commitment to the Latin American markets, providing clients with the most up to date transparency into their investment strategies and the opportunity to ask PMs directly any questions of the day.
Pixabay CC0 Public DomainPaul Shanta, Head of Fixed Income Absolute-Return at Old Mutual Global Investors, at a recent conference in Oxford.. Old Mutual GI: “Trump Did Not Invent US Inflation; Rather, He Cannot Curb the Expectations”
For just under six months, markets have begun to anticipate with great force the arrival of inflation. One of the most powerful triggers, which caused the Fed to adopt a more aggressive stance and raised alarm bells among investors, was Donald Trump’s arrival to the US presidency; elected in the November elections, he’s been leading the country since last January. However, when referring to the reflationary trend in the market, Paul Shanta, Head of Fixed Income Absolute Return at Old Mutual Global Investors, is very graphic in pointing out that the inflationary trend goes far beyond politics. “Trump did not invent US inflation,” he said firmly in the framework of a recent event held in Oxford by the management company.
“By 2014 we were starting to see a rise in wages and in core services in the country. Inflation was there before Trump,” he recalls. Pressures began with interest rates in negative territory and, it soared as early as last July. So, according to the expert, it would be more appropriate to say that “Trump cannot do anything to curb inflationary expectations,” instead of saying that it is he who generates them.
It is true, however, that the President’s plans are inflationary: the tax cut project, the infrastructure program, and his commercial proposals, will support that increase in prices that occurred prior to his arrival
However, the market is not accounting for higher inflation- it expects only 2% up to 2026 – and that’s where the fund management company sees opportunities:Shanta explains how they position their debt fund with absolute return strategy to benefit from this imbalance, with positions to benefit from a rebound in US inflation. “The interest rate markets are getting ahead of themselves,” he says.
On the situation in Europe, he values Draghi’s work in achieving, like the Fed in the US, the falling unemployment is rate in many countries. And points out that “Inflation is not just the story of the US,” since consumer prices are also rising, and in markets such as Italy, France, Germany, and Spain are already reaching 3%. “Inflationary pressures are starting in Europe, with underlying Euro area inflation rising,” he insists.
However, there are also imbalances between market projections (from 1.3% at the end of 2020, with 67 basis points of ECB rate increases in that period), and reality (the ECB projects 1, 7%), therefore something’s amiss. “It‘s not consistent: expectations of market inflation are too low, while expectations of rate increases are very high.” The fund management company tries to take advantage of these differences.
The Arrival of Turbulence
At the conference, Mark Nash, a multi-sector fixed income manager, warned that in fixed income, “the days of earning easy money are over” and pointed out that after a rally environment in all assets (fixed income doubled its value in six years), there is a time for changes, marked by structural factors, causing him to predict volatility and turbulence.
Among those changes to be considered, populism in the face of problems such as low wages, inequality, or immigration; the demographic changes, with the growth of the aging population and the increase in dependency ratios; the new role of central banks … “Financial assets will be impacted: there are many turbulences ahead.”
Pixabay CC0 Public DomainRicardo Outi (left) y Neil Schwam (right). Neil Schwam and Ricardo Outi Join Big Sur Partners
BigSurPartners is proud to announce that Neil Schwam and Ricardo Outi have joined the Miami office of their firm. Neil Schwam joined as Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Ricardo Outi is joining as Head of Real Estate.
Neil Schwam joined as Chief Operating Officer as of April 1, 2017. Neil brings over 20 years of experience in Operations, Technology and Asset Management. Neil’s most recent roles have been with the Fund of Hedge Funds including Man Group and Harcourt Alternative Investments where he managed Operational Due Diligence teams covering hedge funds, private equity/debt/real estate funds. Neil brings particular interest and expertise in management and management technology and is looking forward to helping Big Sur build upon the existing platform through implementing cutting edge practices and technologies to achieve an even higher standard of operational excellence.
Schwam holds the designation of Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst, an MBA in Finance from New York University (1996), and he earned a BA in Economics from the University of Maryland (1990), and also attended the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Mr. Schwam speaks 4 languages (German, Hebrew, Spanish, and English).
Ricardo Outi is joining the BigSur team as their Head of Real Estate, leading the acquisition and management of new Real Estate invesments. Outi is an accomplished Senior Manager with 18 years of working experience in the financial industry. Prior to joining BigSur, Ricardo held several senior roles in Citi Wealth Management, Venture Capital and Retail sectors, where he was responsible for managing a $740 million revenue business for Affluent & High Net Worth clients across Latin America. He also collaborated with startups, venture capitalists, and regulators to lead Citi Ventures in Asia, where Outi additionally co-led the design and implementation of the Smart Banking initiative, which has since become the new operating standard for Citi branches globally.
Outi holds an MBA from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business (2013), and he earned a Bachelor in Business Administration from the Universidade Mackenzie (2001). He is also the co-inventor of 2 patents related to new technologies and process design.
