01/02/2012 Author: Tony Griffiths

Big names added to Lyxor platform

Marathon Asset Management and AQR Capital were among several big names to have funds added to Lyxor Asset Management’s industry-leading Managed Account Platform (Map) in December.

The news marks a strong end to the year for the Lyxor Map in terms of fund additions, with new products from Brevan Howard, Paulson & Co and Cheyne Capital also debuting in the final few months of 2011, filings on the Irish Stock Exchange (ISE) reveal.

Five new funds arrived in December, making it, along with July, Lyxor’s joint-best month of the year for additions.

January is yet to see any funds added to the platform although four have been removed, ISE information showed. They were: Lyxor/Avesta Fund, Lyxor/Martin Currie China Dragon Fund, Lyxor/Mariner Silvermine Fund and Lyxor/Apollo Distressed Fund.

The total number of funds on the commingled Map now stands at 104, with AuM of $11bn. It remains the largest such platform in the hedge fund industry.

The emerging markets were ably represented during the December influx, via Lighthorse Asset Management’s China fund, a Brazil vehicle – believed to be the first managed account with such a focus on any platform – from Bank of New York Mellon, and Marathon’s emerging markets opportunity fund.     

AQR’s Systematic Total Return Fund and Pinebank’s Catalyst Enhanced Fund rounded off the quintuplet. Information on the size of the launches was not available.

November’s two additions were similarly prestigious, with Cheyne’s European Event Driven fund and Brevan Howard’s Systematic Trading fund on-boarded. It is the first times that either manager has been represented on the Lyxor MAP.        

John Paulson’s gold fund was one of three new additions in September. No funds were added in October. A total of 28 funds debuted on the Lyxor MAP in 2011.

Last month, a poll of HFMWeek readers saw managed accounts (33.3%) voted the structure most likely to see the biggest rise in launches in 2012, comfortably beating Ucits funds from US managers (22.7%) and offshore funds from US managers (21.2%) to the top spot.