NGAM announces Durable Portfolio Construction^SM Research Center

Several years on from the global financial crisis, the world still presents a volatile and uncertain investment landscape.

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To better understand the impact of recent events on investors and investing, Natixis Global Asset Management has introduced a global research initiative that connects proprietary research with institutions, intermediaries and individuals, with new ideas on investing and portfolio construction, and best practices from industry leaders around the world. The end result is a virtual center of excellence on investing in the post-crisis world.

Under the initiative, NGAM has expanded its Client Insights research program to include a global survey of Institutional investors and consultants; a survey of financial advisors in the U.S., the U.K. and France; and a global survey of high-net-worth investors. All told, the results will provide insight into the perceptions and actions of a wide spectrum of investors.

In addition, the initiative taps leading investment minds within the NGAM global organization for unique perspectives across a range of topics and asset classes. The program features investment perspectives from the firm’s affiliated investment managers and key learning from its Portfolio Research and Consulting Group.

NGAM’s long-established practice of sharing data and discussing findings with financial professionals around the world gets significant focus in the research center program. In essence, NGAM’s approach offers a practical peer review and discussion of best practices for implementing more durable portfolio strategies.

Loomis’ Fuss earns Lipper lifetime achievement award

Loomis Sayles portfolio manager Dan Fuss, a 50-year bond veteran, recently earned the prestigious Lipper Award for Excellence in Fund Management for 2012.¹

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The Award for Excellence in Fund Management “recognizes an outstanding asset manager who has delivered consistently strong risk-adjusted returns to their investors and, in the opinion of Lipper’s research analysts, represents the best of the funds industry,” according to Jeff Tjornehoj, head of research for Lipper Americas.

Lipper has presented the award only twice, and both times the recipients have come from the Natixis Global Asset Management complex, reflecting the quality of management across asset classes found within the firm’s line-up.

Last year, Harris Associates portfolio manager Clyde McGregor received the award in the equity category. He was recognized for his achievements during his 34-year investment career, most of it with Harris Associates.

About the Lipper Fund Awards
The Lipper Fund Awards are part of the Thomson Reuters Awards for Excellence, a global family of awards that celebrate exceptional performance throughout the professional investment community. The Lipper Fund Awards are given annually in 23 countries worldwide, and the 2012 U.S. awards were presented at a ceremony held on March 8 in New York City.

¹Award qualifications are based on risk-adjusted returns, and the asset manager must have been top-rated by Lipper’s research analyst and served a minimum of five years at a fund.

Where is the growth?

Globally, investors are hopeful that the U.S. economy has perhaps finally turned the corner. Of course there are still concerns in Europe regarding sovereign debt, austerity measures and anemic growth. While all of this is playing out, many are wondering if the emerging markets will be able to sustain a healthy growth rate. To find out where the expectation for real growth is, we asked a panel of experts from around our organization for their thoughts. Read moreHide

To begin, Philippe Waechter, the Chief Economist for Natixis Asset Management, says the question of global growth is difficult to gauge right now as many different scenarios are occurring.

Overall, Waechter expects that the U.S. economy will remain a low-risk environment, largely because of its large internal market. Likewise, he believes the emerging countries are a good bet but says China’s behavior will have a lot of influence in this area. Finally, when looking at a weakened Europe, Waechter anticipates that the recently enacted reforms will create efficiencies in the markets (goods, services and labor), but it will take time.

Additional comments are offered by Tom Tibbles of Hansberger Global Investors, David Herro of Harris Associates, and David Rolley of Loomis, Sayles & Company.

See how it all comes together in your region.

United States:

• Individual Investors
• Financial Advisors
• Registered Investment Advisors
• FAs with non-U.S. clients

Worldwide:

• Professional Investors