LONDON, Sept 9 (Reuters) –
A sharp sell-off in European equities last month extended to
funds invested in Germany, the continent’s economic powerhouse
and often seen as a relative safe haven, with German funds
propping up the bottom of the table, Lipper data showed.

Worries Germany may have to pick up the tab for the euro
zone debt crisis, alongside selling of the country’s many
cyclical stocks, meant three of the 10 worst-performers were
German funds, according to the data, which tracks 3,000-plus
equity funds registered for sale in Britain.

FRANKFURT/LONDON, Sept 6 (Reuters) – German insurer Allianz
has reorganised its 1.4 trillion euro ($2 trillion)
asset management arm, a move seen as a coup for its
PIMCO unit, which will secure greater autonomy and potentially
more lucrative terms.

Allianz said the reorganisation involves consolidation of
much of its asset management operations as Allianz Global
Investors, while PIMCO (Pacific Investment Management) will be
granted full control of global distribution of its products.

LONDON (Reuters) – Investment firm Hargreaves Lansdown Plc attracted a surge of new business during July and August which its founder attributed to a ready supply of disgruntled clients who lost money with rivals during the summer market volatility.

The company said on Thursday that while markets had proved weak since its fiscal year-end in June, net new business inflows in July and August were up more than 30 percent on a year earlier.

LONDON (Reuters) – Investors moved their portfolios onto a defensive footing during August’s market volatility, cutting exposure to stocks and boosting bonds and cash, a Reuters survey shows.

A monthly poll of investment managers, in which 15 took part during August, showed they cut allocations to equities by more than two percentage points on average in balanced portfolios, to 50.4 percent. The average allocation in July was 52.6 percent.

LONDON (Reuters) – British investors moved their portfolios onto a defensive footing during August’s market volatility, cutting exposure to stocks and boosting bonds and cash, a Reuters survey shows.

A monthly poll of investment mangers, in which 15 took part during August, showed they cut allocations to equities by more than two percentage points on average in balanced portfolios, to 50.4 percent. The average allocation in July was 52.6 percent.

LONDON (Reuters) – Memories of the panic that engulfed the world after the collapse of Lehman Brothers in 2008 have hardened rich investors who have held their nerve and resisted the impulse to dash for cash during August’s market falls, private bankers said.

Bankers and financial advisers to clients whose wealth is measured in millions say most are sticking to their investments through the turmoil in which major stock indexes have suffered double-digit percentage drops.

LONDON, Aug 19 (Reuters) – Financial advisers to the world’s
richest people report some of their top clients have continued
to make money throughout recent market turmoil by harnessing
sophisticated investments out of reach to mainstream punters.

With equity markets plunging, most investors have suffered
losses to their pension funds and portfolios, but those able to
meet the multi-million dollar investment thresholds of private
equity and some hedge funds are coming out ahead.

LONDON (Reuters) – Long-term investors are losing patience with companies that fail to maximize value as the slowing recovery whittles away returns, with some calling for greater financial rewards for loyalty or takeovers that put growth targets back on course.

The current earnings season — expected to reveal a number of companies missing forecasts because of the still stuttering economy — could be the catalyst for more investors to demand changes that will push up the share prices in the groups they own.

LONDON (Reuters) – British fund managers are heading to domestic stocks and bonds as mounting worries about sovereign debt in the euro zone and United States add to the UK’s allure as a safe haven in a volatile world, a Reuters poll shows.

A monthly survey of 14 investment managers found the average allocation in global equity portfolios to the UK increased 3 percentage points to 15.6 percent in July from a month earlier.

LONDON, July 28 (Reuters) – British wealth manager St
James’s Place Plc unveiled a 58 percent hike in its
interim dividend on Thursday and posted a 15 percent increase in
sales during the first half of 2011 as investors continued to
buy into its fund products.

The firm struck an upbeat tone in first-half earnings that
comfortably matched market forecasts, with Chief Executive David
Bellamy saying: “Despite the continued economic and market
uncertainty, our business is in great shape.”