As the world’s attention turns to Rio for the opening of the 2016 Olympic Games on Friday, fund managers have assessed the investment opportunities on offer in the most powerful Olympic sporting nations.
The importance of structural growth stories in “new Russia” cannot be underestimated, said Michael Levy, lead manager for the Baring Russia Fund.
What a difference a year makes. In the first quarter of 2015, the top 10 funds were a mixture of Japanese equities, Russian equities, and biotechnology funds, with a frontier markets fund rounding things out.
Treating the BRIC nations as a single investment bloc “was a triumph of marketing over economic analysis,” said Kevin Gardiner, Rothschild WM’s global investment strategist.
UK-based RSA Insurance is reported to be looking to sell its Russian and Middle East divisions as it resumes the disposal process begun by chief executive Stephen Hester in the wake of the surprise decision by Zurich last week to call off its takeover bid.
The Russian Duma has introduced a voluntary disclosure program for all Russian citizens as it looks to stem the “offshorisation” of Russian money.
Dr Mark Mobius has tipped emerging markets to undergo strong growth in 2015 that will be “comfortably in excess” of that exhibited by developed markets.
Globaleye has partnered with Fortu Family in Moscow to manage the firm’s retail division.
The UAE’s perceived status as a ‘safe haven’ has seen its private capital increase by nearly 30% this year, as investors relocate assets en masse in a bid to shelter themselves from global turmoil.
A last minute, state controlled tax sharing agreement between the US and Russia is currently awaiting president Vladimir Putins approval, after being passed by the Federal Assembly of Russia last Friday.
Year to date some $153bn has gone into developed market funds while $1.4bn has come out of emerging market portfolios globally, according to global fund flow data from BofA Merrill Lynch (BofAML).
Raiffeisen Capital Management has launched sterling share classes for three of its emerging markets equities funds as it looks to expand its presence in the international market.
