Performance Issues in Investment Management

New perfromance tools from RiskMetrics

Simon Haque — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 20:17:00 +0000

RiskMetrics Group Unveils New Integrated Performance and Attribution Tools

Here's an article from BusinessWire:

http://www.pr-inside.com/riskmetrics-group-unveils-new-integrated-performan-r1591985.htm

Nice aticle on performance outsourcing & outsourcing in general at NT

Simon Haque — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 20:13:00 +0000

Northern Trust Building Better Views of Liquidity for Asset Managers

http://www.financetech.com/feed/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=221800421&cid=RSSfeed_FTN_All

StatPro strikes four-year contract with Bank of Montreal

Simon Haque — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 20:05:00 +0000

Press Release
StatPro strikes four-year contract with Bank of Montreal
London - 23 November 2009
StatPro Group plc, a leading provider of portfolio analytics, market data and asset pricing solutions for the global asset management industry, today announces that Bank of Montreal has signed a landmark deal with the company to use several of its portfolio management solutions.

“Bank of Montreal has subscribed to a combination of our analytics services on our new SaaS platform together with our Index Services and they join our growing band of SaaS customers in Northern America,” said Mark Bramley, CEO, North America at StatPro. ...

Advent Introduces Index Data Service for Advent Portfolio Exchange® Clients

Simon Haque — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:10:00 +0000

Press Release

Nov 17, 2009 09:10 ET

Advent Introduces Index Data Service for Advent Portfolio Exchange® Clients
New Service Allows Users to Download Index Performance Data Directly Into Advent's Award-Winning Portfolio Management Solution
SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwire - November 17, 2009) - Advent Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADVS) a leading provider of software and services for the global investment management industry, today introduced Advent's index data service, that allows clients to download index performance data from Standard & Poor's (S&P) and Russell Investments ("Russell") directly into Advent Portfolio Exchange® (APX), Advent's award-winning, integrated portfolio and client relationship management solution.

Through Advent's index ...

Eagle Investment Systems Earns Buy-Side Technology's 'Best Technology Provider' Award

Simon Haque — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 20:08:00 +0000

Eagle Investment Systems Earns Buy-Side Technology's 'Best Technology Provider' Award
BOSTON, Nov. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Eagle Investment Systems LLC, a leading provider of financial services technology and wholly owned subsidiary of BNY Mellon Asset Servicing, today announced that it has been named Best Technology Provider for 2009 by Buy-Side Technology magazine. The award was presented at an event at the Lanesborough Hotel in London.

"Eagle's consistency in terms of making the short-list of all three categories it entered -- best data management product, best performance measurement and attribution product, and best portfolio accounting product -- proved decisive," said Victor Anderson, ...

ISC Announces Launch of their Client Reporting Scorecarding Service

Simon Haque — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 14:58:00 +0000

PRESS RELEASE
12 November 2009

ISC Announces Launch of their Client Reporting Scorecarding Service

Investment Solutions Consultants (ISC), the leading Investment Management consultancy, today announced the launch of their Client Reporting Scorecarding ServiceThe scorecard aims to offer Asset Managers a fast, low-cost, but comprehensive assessment of their client reporting operations, and to identify any key areas that need to be addressed. It will help managers to position their reporting aspirations, understand the main challenges, and structure any project work to improve reports accordingly. The service will cover the following functions:

Data
Workflow
Production Systems
Customisation Capabilities
Commentary
Systems Integration
Distribution
...

RIMES wins Best Data Provider to the Buy Side Award for the third consecutive year.

Simon Haque — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 14:56:00 +0000

Press Release
RIMES wins Best Data Provider to the Buy Side Award for the third consecutive year.
London - 13 November 2009
RIMES Technologies, the financial data integrator and performance solutions provider for the investment community, has once again been voted Best Data Provider to the Buy Side at the Buy Side Technology Awards.

Hosted by BuySide Technology Magazine, the BSTAs recognise leading technologies and vendors in their areas of expertise through an auditable and transparent methodology, underpinned by the input and experience of six buyside-focused technology consultants: Aite Group, Celent, Citisoft, Cutter Associates, Investit and Knadel. This year the ...

DST Global Solutions extends Reporter Suite to provide client communications solution for asset managers

Simon Haque — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 14:55:00 +0000

DST Global Solutions extends Reporter Suite to provide client communications solution for asset managers
12 November 2009

London, 12 November 2009

The Reporter Suite, powered by Kurtosys, is now an integrated solution platform incorporating workflow, full auditing and a comprehensive range of output documents, designed to meet asset managers’ client communication needs. In addition to client reporting, Reporter now also includes functionality that addresses web site management and design, secure web portals, marketing document production and presentation management business solutions – all driven off a single data source.

The Reporter Suite can be deployed as installed software, managed service or ...

BI-SAM Awarded Best Performance and Attribution Product 2009

Simon Haque — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:49:00 +0000

Press Release
BI-SAM Awarded Best Performance and Attribution Product 2009
London - 10 November 2009
BI-SAM, specialist provider of B-One data management, analytics and reporting, today announced that its B-One system has been voted “Best Performance and Attribution Product” at the 2009 Buy Side Technology Awards Ceremony.

The judges, comprised of an international panel of industry specialists from the renowned consultancies the Aite Group, Celent, Citisoft, Cutter Associates, Investit, and Knadel, decided to award this category to BI-SAM’s B-One solution, based on functionality (calculation of returns, attribution for equity, balanced and fixed-income portfolios and ex-post, absolute and relative risk, workflow ...

MSCI Minimum Volatility Indices to begin using the new Barra Global Equity Model

Simon Haque — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 23:16:00 +0000

MSCI Minimum Volatility Indices to begin using the new Barra Global Equity Model
(GEM2) and MSCI to consult on potential methodology enhancements
Geneva – October 26, 2009 - MSCI Inc. (NYSE: MXB), a leading provider of investment decision support tools
worldwide, announced today that it will begin using the new Barra Global Equity Model (GEM2) in the construction
of the MSCI Minimum Volatility Indices and that it will consult with the investment community on potential
methodology enhancements to the Minimum Volatility Indices. The MSCI Minimum Volatility Indices will begin using
the new Barra Global Equity Model (GEM2) as of the ...

Performance Recruitment

Simon Haque — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 23:12:00 +0000

Here's an interesting article on the hottest areas of recruitment in the asset management world

http://www.wealth-bulletin.com/home/content/1055652778/

Opturo embeds Panopticon data visualisation technology

Simon Haque — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 23:10:00 +0000

Source: Panopticon, 28 October 2009
Opturo embeds Panopticon data visualisation technology
Panopticon Software, the leading provider of Treemap data visualization software for financial services applications, today announced that Opturo Investment Process Automation, one of its OEM Partners, has introduced a major new product built using the Panopticon Developer SDK.

The system utilizes a variety of data visualizations, including Treemaps, Heat Maps and Scatter Plots, to allow fund managers to more effectively analyze the performance of their funds.

Opturo's ODIN Attribution Manager is a comprehensive, low-latency and web-based in-house performance and attribution solution. The application is specifically geared towards improving the ...

StatPro appoints sales manager for German market

Simon Haque — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 12:19:00 +0100

Press Release
StatPro appoints sales manager for German market
London - 21 October 2009
StatPro Group plc, a leading provider of portfolio analytics and data solutions for the global asset management industry, has appointed Mark Grobien as Business Development Manager for Germany.

Mark is a dedicated Business Development person serving the German-speaking markets in Europe. In this role he will based in Paris, but work closely with StatPro’s office in Frankfurt. StatPro is expanding rapidly in Europe and this new hire complements the sales team that has been very successful in the French and Italian markets. The appointment follows the ...

Eagle Investment Systems opens Singapore office

Simon Haque — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 08:52:00 +0100

Source: Eagle Investment Systems, 19 October 2009
Eagle Investment Systems opens Singapore office
Eagle Investment Systems, a leading provider of financial services technology and a wholly owned subsidiary of BNY Mellon Asset Servicing, today announced the opening of a new operational centre in Singapore.

The new office is Eagle's first in Asia. While Eagle has been servicing clients in the region for more than seven years, the company has recently decided to establish an office here in response to continued growth in business opportunities across Asia Pacific over the last two years.

In the wake of the recent financial crisis, ...

The Spaulding Group, in association with RIMES Technologies, announces the launch of their PMAR Europe Conference

Simon Haque — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 08:51:00 +0100

Press release
The Spaulding Group, in association with RIMES Technologies, announces the launch of their PMAR Europe Conference
London - 19 October 2009
The Spaulding Group, Inc. (TSG), the leading provider of investment performance measurement products and services, announced today that they; in association with RIMES Technologies, will host the first annual European Performance Measurement, Attribution and Risk (PMAR) conference in London on 8-9 June 2010. Over sixteen international performance, risk and attribution experts have already committed to present. The Spaulding Group’s PMAR conference in the United States has been the most widely attended performance event for the past seven ...

StatPro enriches complex asset pricing service for investment managers

Simon Haque — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 09:54:00 +0100

Press release
StatPro enriches complex asset pricing service for investment managers
London - 12 October 2009
StatPro Group plc, a leading provider of portfolio analytics and data solutions for the global asset management industry, today announces two enhancements to its system for pricing complex financial assets.

T+0 pricing for credit default swaps and 142 new bond-pricing functions have been added to the software-as-a-service.

Complex Asset Pricing (CAP) produces model prices for OTC Derivatives and complex/illiquid bonds. The initiative covers instruments such as Interest Rate Swaps, Credit Default Swaps on single names and baskets, FX Forwards and Equity Options - that ...

Factbook appoint new Chief Operating Officer

Simon Haque — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 09:52:00 +0100

Press release
Factbook appoint new Chief Operating Officer
London - 5 October 2009
Factbook, a specialist provider of fund reporting, marketing and data management solutions to the investment community today announces the appointment of Andrew Cheeseman to the newly created position of Chief Operating Officer.

He will be responsible for helping Factbook scale its operations, expand market presence and focus on ensuring that Factbook continue to effectively and competitively position their solutions. Andrew has over nine years of senior management experience in service provision to the fund industry – this after spending 10 years within the FMCG sector. In 2000 ...

Sophis VALUE 4.0 delivers next generation risk management and investment decision support to investment managers

Simon Haque — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 09:49:00 +0100

Press release
Sophis VALUE 4.0 delivers next generation risk management and investment decision support to investment managers
London - 30 September 2009
Sophis, a leading provider of cross-asset, front-to-back portfolio and risk management solutions today announced the launch of version 4.0 of VALUE, its solution for investment management companies. This latest release incorporates significant developments in investment decision support and risk management capabilities as well as a complete upgrade of the core system architecture to improve reliability and increase data access times.

Investment decision support: VALUE 4.0 enables investment managers to implement a daily investment strategy with the introduction of ...

Spears Abacus Advisors Selects Advent Portfolio Exchange® for Its Integrated Performance Analytics Capabilities

Simon Haque — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 18:14:00 +0100

PR

Spears Abacus Advisors Selects Advent Portfolio Exchange® for Its Integrated Performance Analytics Capabilities

SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwire - September 28, 2009) - Advent Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADVS), a leading provider of software and services for the global investment management industry, today announced that Spears Abacus Advisors LLC has selected Advent Portfolio Exchange® (APX), its award-winning, integrated portfolio and client relationship management solution, to take advantage of APX's robust performance analytics capabilities.
New York-based Spears Abacus is a registered investment advisor serving high-net-worth individuals and families. Spears Abacus was experiencing growing demand from clients for more in-depth descriptions of portfolio performance, ...

Northern Trust Enhances Online Risk Reporting

Simon Haque — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 17:11:00 +0100

An article I found about some additional services Northern Trust now provide in the Risk Attribution arena. Link Below:

http://www.financetech.com/feed/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=220200068&cid=RSSfeed_FTN_All

Additionally, I have appended the link to NT's website where it details the functions the service provides

http://riskandperformance.northerntrust.com/pws/jsp/display2.jsp?XML=xsl/iras.xml&TYPE=iras/tab&id=1_3

Federated Investors chooses StatPro for hosted GIPS compliance

Simon Haque — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 07:48:00 +0100

Source: StatPro, 23 September 2009
Federated Investors chooses StatPro for hosted GIPS compliance

StatPro, a leading provider of portfolio analytics and data solutions for the global asset management industry, announced today that Federated Investors, Inc., has chosen the hosted version of StatPro Composites to support its Global Investment Performance Standards (GIPS) compliance and reporting requirements.

The agreement, which extends an existing relationship that has been in place since 2002, represents an important shift from an installed software solution to StatPro's recently rolled-out Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform. The new SaaS model offers StatPro customers a simpler and more cost-effective approach for using ...

Sophis and J.P. Morgan’s Prime Brokerage Business Announce a Comprehensive Portfolio and Risk Management Reporting Offering for Hedge Funds

Simon Haque — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 12:32:00 +0100

Press Release

Sophis and J.P. Morgan’s Prime Brokerage Business Announce a Comprehensive Portfolio and Risk Management Reporting Offering for Hedge Funds

Monday, September 21st, 2009 at 1:38 pm

iSophis will enable hedge funds to access a sophisticated portfolio and risk management solution to obtain a consolidated view of their positions, run risk calculations and generate reports

NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Sophis, a leading provider of cross-asset, front-to-back portfolio and risk management solutions and J.P. Morgan’s Prime Brokerage business, today introduced iSophis, a sophisticated new technology that will allow hedge funds to comprehensively manage their portfolios across multiple prime brokers.

iSophis is ...

FTSE Group launches first in the range of Currency FRB Indices

Simon Haque — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 08:08:00 +0100

Press Release

FTSE Group launches first in the range of Currency FRB Indices

Hong Kong, London and New York, 21 September 2009: FTSE Group (“FTSE”), the award winning global index provider, and Record Currency Management (“Record”), the specialist currency investment manager, have today launched the first set of indices within the new and innovative FTSE Currency Forward Rate Bias (FRB) Index Series, allowing investors to access this alternative beta within FTSE’s range of alternative indices.

The new FRB5 indices utilise the five most widely-traded currencies (US Dollar, Euro, Japanese Yen, Pound Sterling and Swiss Franc) in a forward rate bias ...

Annual classification changes to FTSE Global Equity Index Series

Simon Haque — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 09:30:00 +0100

Press Release

 UAE to be promoted to Secondary Emerging market;
 Argentina to be demoted to Frontier market;
 Malta to be promoted to Frontier market;
 Czech Republic, Malaysia and Turkey to be added to Watch List for future promotion to Advanced Emerging markets.

London, 17th September 2009: - Global index provider, FTSE Group (“FTSE”) has completed its annual review of country classification for the FTSE Global Equity Index Series (GEIS) and releases its results today. Global equity market structures evolve on an ongoing basis, and to keep pace, FTSE works closely with stock exchanges and regulators throughout ...

Bi-Sam get another client: Fim Asset Management chooses Bi-Sam for performance and risk attribution

Simon Haque — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 09:40:00 +0100

Source: Bi-Sam Technologies, 15 September 2009
Fim Asset Management chooses Bi-Sam for performance and risk attribution

Bi-Sam Technologies S.A. a leading provider of software and services to the global performance & attribution industry, today announced that FIM Asset Management has chosen to implement B-One, its award-winning performance & risk attribution solution.

FIM Group, with headquarters in Helsinki, was founded in 1987. The company's operations are divided between three activities; asset management, brokerage and a retail bank, employing 190 investment professionals. The company's continued growth increased its need for a proven and robust performance & risk attribution solution.

Launched in 2002, ...

Thomson Reuters Launches Global and Comprehensive Range of Indices

Simon Haque — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 12:28:00 +0100

Press release

Thomson Reuters Launches Global and Comprehensive Range of Indices

London - 14 September 2009

Thomson Reuters today launched a global range of indices to help monitor global markets, benchmark specific countries, regions, and sectors, and develop investment vehicles. The launch of Thomson Reuters Indices capitalises on nearly 30 years of experience calculating and distributing some of the best known indices and benchmarks in today’s global marketplace. It also marks the first time the company has provided indices under the Thomson Reuters brand.
Thomson Reuters Indices cover 44 countries and 18 regions, and have an overlay of global, regional ...

Statpro Sales

Simon Haque — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 11:20:00 +0100

Statpro released the press release below highlighting to the industry that despite the recession, or may be because of it, performance and analytics remain an important sector of asset management which is continuing to progress.

Press Release

Contract Wins

11 contracts signed over the summer and continued progress with SaaS platform

StatPro Group plc (AIM: SOG), the AIM listed provider of portfolio analytics and data solutions for the global asset management industry, announces its has signed new or extended multi-year contracts for a variety of data and analytics services with 11 asset management firms in North America, Europe and South ...

Reshuffle for leading global responsible investment index series; 33 additions and 15 deletions in FTSE4Good September Review

Simon Haque — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 11:13:00 +0100

FTSE has instigated within their Sept review a number of additions and deletions from the FTSE4Good index series. Interesting to note that a little less than half of the new entrants into the series are from the UK and continental Europe.
I have attached the press release to this blog entry.

ICB global classification system adopted by Karachi Stock Exchange

Simon Haque — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 11:06:00 +0100

PR

ICB global classification system adopted by Karachi Stock Exchange

Hong Kong, Singapore, 9 September 2009: - The Industry Classification Benchmark (ICB), a jointly developed classification system launched by FTSE Group and Dow Jones Indexes, has been adopted by the Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE) to classify and analyse specific sectors of the Pakistan stock market using internationally accepted standards. The Industry Classification Benchmark provides a comprehensive system with four levels of granularity – industry (10), supersectors (19), sectors (41) and subsectors (114) and facilitates cross-border company comparison.

ICB will replace KSE’s own classification system after a transition period in which ...

New index launched by FTSE and Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia

Simon Haque — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 10:39:00 +0100

New index launched by FTSE and Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia.

FTSE and ASFA launch first industry standard tax-adjusted benchmarks for Australia investors

PR

Sydney, Hong Kong, London, New York, Tokyo, 8 September, 2009: FTSE Group (“FTSE”) and ASFA (Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia) today announce the launch of the FTSE ASFA Australia Index Series providing the first industry standard tax-adjusted benchmarks to Australian investors.

The development of the 36-index series was spearheaded by superannuation funds’ demand for benchmarks which allow them to assess portfolio performance on an after-tax basis. Superannuation funds and their fund managers have been ...