Insights

According to The Times, DFM services are the fastest-growing wealth management sector. As of June 2021, AUM had increased from £432bn in 2016 to a record £708bn. Signature Sales Director Duane Hasnip shares his views on the growth in the sector and what has changed to drive growth in assets managed by DFM businesses.

Under several consultative papers, the FCA is setting out a new single Prudential Regime to replace requirements currently set out under various prudential sourcebooks. The Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID) created a 'one size fits all' approach across all EU states. Now the FCA want to take the opportunity to align their prudential rules to the way firms operate within the UK.

Growing fears about rapidly inflating bubbles in certain parts of investment markets have led to renewed focus on one of the oldest – and most fundamentally misunderstood – relationships in finance, between price and value.

As the saying goes, forewarned is forearmed: in this document, we raise a regulatory risk warning to all Principal firms and Appointed Representatives who have arrangements involving seconded AR discretionary investment management staff. This document is also relevant to members of the discretionary investment management community contemplating striking out independently. 

Investment stories rarely make the front pages – beyond intermittent ‘billions wiped off in single day’ headlines – so it has been fascinating to watch events surrounding US firm GameStop, several hedge funds and an army of social media-fuelled day traders in recent weeks.

A long time ago, in a discretionary investment management business far, far, away, I was sitting in a rather nice meeting room listening to a quite brilliant lawyer explain why the firm I had just joined was not a fiduciary.

The internet has transformed the global economy. But the arrival of social media giants such as Facebook and Twitter has raised new ethical questions.

Like everybody else, I could not have predicted what 2020 was going to bring, however the one area I would have predicted correctly was more regulation.

As obvious a line as it might be, it is difficult to resist the attraction of ‘vaccine news provides a shot in the arm for markets’ as a succinct review of Q4, offering much-needed hope of a better 2021.

Anyone who has attended one of our presentations over the last few years will have heard us discuss the concept of winning by not losing, which we often illustrate, care of Aesop, with the fable of the tortoise and the hare.

New research from Morningstar on the UK fund of funds (Fofs) market shows strategies investing in passive vehicles have produced the best performance over the last five years.

When the FCA issued its 'Dear CEO' letter in January, it was clear that suitability of advice, particularly within the retirement sector, was number one on its agenda, and has firmly remained in its spotlight.