Hedge Funds begin 2012 with strong gains

Emerging Markets gain +5.3 percent, leading broad-based advance

Hedge funds opened 2012 by posting broad-based gains in January, with the HFRI Fund Weighted Composite Index gaining +2.63 percent, the second highest monthly performance figure since December 2010, according to data released today by HFR, the leading global provider of data, analysis and indexation of the hedge funds industry. Read more

Asian Hedge Funds top Equity Markets again in 2011

• Strategy evolution, risk management integral to 2nd consecutive year of outperformance; China overtakes US as top location for Asian-focused hedge funds in 2011
• Global investors remain cautious on Asia as redemptions continue

Asian hedge funds outperformed volatile regional equity markets in 2011, marking the second consecutive year of such outperformance, according to data released today by HFR (Hedge Fund Research, Inc.), the leading provider of data, indices and analysis of the global hedge fund industry. In a year marked by a difficult cycle of navigating steep equity market declines in Japan and Emerging Asia, the benchmark HFRX Asia with Japan Index posted a narrow gain of +0.4 percent in 4Q11 to end 2011 with a decline of -5.2 percent, mirroring the performance of the broad-based HFRI Fund Weighted Composite Index and topping the Nikkei 225 and the Shanghai Composite Index by 1,200 and nearly 1,700 basis points (bps), respectively. Read more

Wealth Managements appoint aggressively in the Middle East

Merrill Lynch Wealth Management today announces that it has further strengthened its business in the Middle East with the appointment of Sahba Hadipour, Sandip Aggarwal, Zahoor Hussain, Ayad Hachem and Mustapha Sinno as financial advisors.

Mr. Hadipour has 27 years of experience in the banking and advisory business. Prior to taking up his new role, he was a private banker for Barclays Wealth in Dubai, where he worked closely with the Strategic Solutions Group offering private investment banking to high net worth individuals (HNWI) and ultra high net worth individuals (UHNWI) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Before that, he was director of Private Equity and Wealth Management for CIC Holding (Invesco Holding), where he developed strategic relationships with UHNWI, sovereign wealth funds and institutional investors. Read more

2011 MENA M&A deal volumes up by 4%; values decrease by 28%

· Number of deals rose marginally from 401 in 2010 to 416 in 2011

· Total deal value decreased from $44.1bn in 2010 to $31.7bn in 2011

· Q4 2011 experienced a considerable increase in total deal value compared to the third quarter, rising from US$4.4bn in Q3 2011 to US$7.2bn in Q4 2011, a jump of 64%

Total Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) deal volumes in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region registered a rise of 4% last year, from 401 in 2010 to 416 in 2011, according to Ernst & Young’s 2011 year-end MENA M&A update. Deal values on the other hand fell by 28%, from US$44.1bn in 2010 to US$31.7bn in 2011. Read more

Dubai FDI brings in AED3.44 billion, 77 companies in 2011

Dubai FDI, the foreign investment office in the Department of Economic Development in Dubai, succeeded in attracting and promoting 77 companies in the emirate during 2011. Together the companies accounted for a total foreign direct investment (FDI) of AED3.44 billion and a turnover of AED16.57 billion.

The past year also saw significant gains by Dubai FDI in strengthening its links with governments, investment promotion agencies and the investor community across the globe. New partnerships, research and enhanced networking helped Dubai FDI address investor concerns more efficiently and share best practices in encouraging FDI inflows. Read more

With $400 billion ‘in play’, hedge funds face challenges

The hedge funds industry faces challenges in 2012, but also a year of significant opportunity, according to a Barclays Capital report, The Money Trail, released today.

The report contains analysis based on a survey of 165 investors conducted at the firm’s recent Prime Services Hedge Fund Symposium hosted in New York, as well as one-on-one investor interviews and other industry analysis. The surveyed investors manage approximately $4 trillion in assets under management (AUM), of which approximately $500 billion is allocated to hedge funds. This represents one quarter of the hedge fund industry’s total AUM. Read more

Abu Dhabi long term ratings Aa2, Moody’s

Moody’s Investors Service’s has detailed its summary credit opinion on Abu Dhabi, which includes certain regulatory disclosures regarding its ratings. Moody’s clarified that this does not constitute any change in its ratings or rating rationale of Abu Dhabi. Read more

Specialist Fund of the Year, MENA Fund Manager Performance Awards

• Emirates Global Sukuk Fund is awarded ‘Specialist Fund of the Year’
• Award reflects commitment of investment team to disciplined, research-driven approach to fund management
• Positive fund performance follows healthy year for global Sukuk market

Emirates NBD Asset Management Limited, the asset management arm of Emirates NBD, announced today that its Emirates Global Sukuk Fund was recognised as “Specialist Fund of the Year” at the 2012 MENA Fund Manager Performance Awards.

The Emirates Global Sukuk Fund is a US Dollar denominated, Shari’a compliant, daily-traded, open-ended fund that invests in a diversified portfolio of Sukuk issued by companies locally and globally. The primary investment objective of the fund is to achieve high income as well as capital growth. Read more

Investors alert: Facebook IPO next week

Facebook may file documents for an initial public offering (IPO) the coming Wednesday, Western media reports.

The social networking giant is looking at a valuation of $75 billion to $100 billion, according to various sources. Read more

Global investors display renewed optimism; Risk appetite on the rise

Global investors have started 2012 with a reawakened sense of optimism towards the global economy and greater appetite for risk, according to the BofA Merrill Lynch Survey of Fund Managers for January.

The global survey of 214 institutional investors shows far fewer predicting a global slowdown. Only a net 3 percent believe the world economy will weaken in the coming 12 months down from a net 27 percent in December – the biggest one-month improvement in the growth outlook since May 2009. Read more

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