Gartmore

While the chances of fund managers gracing the pages of Hello magazine are thankfully slim, there's no doubt that managers are increasingly being touted as celebrities within our industry.

Fund managers and analysts are predicting emerging markets and Asian funds could see improved performance over the next 12 months as the Thailand coup d'etat is likely to improve the price and return on equities.

The private equity firm that controls Gartmore, the investment group, is proposing a merger that would create a £40bn giant boasting some of the UK's top fund managers, the Mail on Sunday reported yesterday.

Gartmore is placing its future firmly on the retail investment market and take to the road very soon to tell IFAs about its fresh focus, says one of its new owner executives.

Investors will have to get used to increased risk to their assets, warn IFAs and fund managers, as stockmarkets are likely to be more volatile in the future and there is less opportunity to protect assets in a downturn.

US PRIVATE EQUITY firm Hellman & Friedman has moved into pole position to acquire fund manager Gartmore after it emerged asset management company, Schroders has dropped out of the race, reports The Daily Telegraph .

Jeff Meyer has been appointed as chief executive officer of Gartmore Europe from the beginning of next month.

Gartmore is inviting questions from financial intermediaries about the future of US investment funds and the impact of US elections on the economy.

Interest in fixed income markets could soar with further development of "synthetic" bonds using derivatives to offer better yields than "real" bonds.

Gervais Williams, head of Gartmore's smaller companies fund management team, says cashflow, low gearing, a suitable inflationary environment and general market resistance to smaller firms are combining to create a hugely positive outlook for the sector...