Old Mutual Asset Management this week announced a number of changers to its fund management team. Old Mutual Global Strategic Bond manager, and OMAM’s head of fixed interest Andrew Tunks is to become manager of the group’s Select Managed offering. Meanwhile his responsibilities on Global Strategic Bond will pass to deputy manager Richard Stevens. Elsewhere Suresh Sadasivan, currently manager of Old Mutual Asian Select, has announced that he will leave the group. However Sadasivan will continue to run the fund for the next six months, giving OMAM time to find a replacement. OMAM also announced this week that Gavin Brown will replace Mark Stevens as head of quantitative strategies. Ste
vens plans to leave the group at the end of September.
Framlington Income & Capital Trust to Close
Insufficient interest in Framlington’s Income & Capital Trust means that it is likely to be liquidated after the trust's EGM in September. This will be the second trust that AXA Framlington has lost in short order after it was recently announced that the Throgmorton Trust will move to BlackRock. The Income & Capital Trust has been in existence since 1983, and is currently run by Richard Peirson.
BlackRock to Launch China Fund
BlackRock has this week announced that it will launch a Luxembourg domiciled China fund. The BGF China fund will have UK distributor status, and joins a slew of other offerings seeking to gather assets via investor interest in China. Management of the fund will be overseen by BlackRock CIO Nick Scott, he will be supported by Hong Kong based duo Jing Ning and Alan Wang. The fund's portfolio will typically hold between 30 and 70 securities, and invest with a long term outlook. Investors will face a 5% initial charge and an as yet undisclosed total expense ratio. The fund will be benchmarked against the MSCI China 10/40 Index.
JP Morgan Launches US Equity Fund into UK Retail Market
JP Morgan Asset Management has lately added a sterling retail share class to its US-focused equity fund. The fund has also been rebranded JPM US Select for the UK market and registered as an OEIC. It will not change its investment process and aims to outperform the S&P 500. The fund, which originally launched in 1995, will be placed in the IMA North American Sector and will continue to be managed by JPM’s US Structured Equity Team.