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Controlling costs in European asset management

February 2008

Profits were strong in 2006, but the recent market setback poses a serious threat to the industry's profitability.

Featured Financial Services, Investment Management Article, investing infrastructure
How investors can get more out of infrastructure

February 2008

Opportunities to invest in public infrastructure will increase during the next few years, but so will competition for deals.

Featured Financial Services, Investment Management Article, oil financial power brokers
The world’s new financial power brokers

December 2007

Four rising players will continue to grow in wealth and importance, even if interest rates rise and oil prices drop.

The Archive

2007
The opportunity in asset management in China

October 2007

The country’s asset-management market will grow by 24 percent annually for the next ten years, but the multinational companies attempting to serve it face vastly increased competition.

Focusing on the customer: An interview with the head of Merrill Lynch’s operations and IT

June 2007

Merrill Lynch has combined operations with IT in a single unit. Diane Schueneman, the head of the company’s Global Infrastructure Solutions, explains how she is changing both to focus on the customer.

Innovation in financial services: A McKinsey Global Survey Premium Content

April 2007

Financial-services executives say innovation is critical, but few companies have embraced best practices.

Private-investment opportunities for public transport

April 2007

Public-private partnerships represent a significant opportunity for private investors—but pose worrisome risks as well.

The future of public-pension systems: An interview with the president of the Chilean Pension Reform Commission Premium Content

April 2007

The chairman of a commission set up to investigate Chile’s private-pension system explains that the goal now is to supplement rather than replace it.

Capturing opportunities in the Gulf's financial sector Premium Content

March 2007

Foreign financial firms should focus on areas where scale and experience give them a competitive advantage.

Reforming Latin American pension systems Premium Content

March 2007

Pension reform and privatization have delivered benefits—shrinking deficits and greater transparency—but systems need to boost their returns and attract more workers.

2006
Saudi Arabia's global investor: An interview with Prince Alwaleed

December 2006

The biggest individual foreign investor in the United States discusses the pace of reform in Saudi Arabia, his investments, and the future of Islam.

Inside a hedge fund: An interview with the managing partner of Maverick Capital Premium Content

April 2006

What should a company do when a hedge fund shows up among its investors?

Winning strategies for US asset managers Premium Content

February 2006

Choosing the right approach will be of growing importance to sustain current profit margins.

2005
Why some private equity firms do better than others

February 2005

Investments don’t govern themselves; active ownership is the answer.

2004
Private equity's new challenge

August 2004

A changed competitive landscape calls for a different business model.

Agenda of a shareholder activist

May 2004

Fund managers should be good owners, not just traders, believes the head of Europe’s leading shareholder-activist fund.

US pension funds: Mind the gap

May 2004

Companies should deal with the problems now, before another benefits crisis—health care—starts to rear its head.

A halo for angel investors

February 2004

A portfolio of investments in socially responsible companies can generate returns similar to those of the S&P 500.

2003
The liabilities of Europe's asset managers Premium Content

June 2003

Many retail and institutional investment houses in Europe haven’t come to grips with the global economic slowdown. The clock is ticking.

Much ado about dividends

May 2003

Eliminating the double taxation of dividends is more notable for what it won’t do than for what it will.

2002
Who's afraid of variable earnings ? Premium Content

June 2002

Many companies waste effort smoothing short-term earnings. They would be better off focusing on long-term profit and return on capital.

Filling China's pension gap Premium Content

May 2002

Major changes are needed to rescue China’s pension system. When they come, they will be among the strongest drivers of development in the country’s capital markets.

2001
Managing the asset manager Premium Content

November 2001

A survey shows that the message on talent from asset-management employees to their bosses is an overwhelming "could do better."

2000
Private equity heads for Japan Premium Content

August 2000

The country's huge conglomerates move slowly, but they are moving to divest assets.

Asset management in Europe Premium Content

June 2000

To fill a gap in knowledge about European asset management firms, McKinsey conducted a survey of 33 of them, focusing on the amount and nature of their assets, as well as on staffs, revenues, and costs.

Investing in Europe Premium Content

February 2000

A growing pool of savings has made Europe a tempting target for non-European asset managers

1997
Mutual funds in Germany: Evaluating opportunities Premium Content

May 1997

Germany’s mutual fund market is growing in line with Germans’ realization that they can no longer rely on the state pension to provide for their old age. This article looks at the types of retirement product that are likely to emerge, and at the market roles fund providers old and new might take.

Will success spoil investment management? Premium Content

May 1997

The temptation to buy: instant breadth, stable earnings, and brand recognition. Before you move, answer some tough questions about sales, marketing, and distribution. Even when the potential is there, you can give it away with an unsound deal structure.

Making the money work: Improving investment performance in insurance Premium Content

February 1997

Insurance companies are among the largest asset managers in the world. Asset management often not regarded as a core skill of insurance companies. Investment return significant value driver for insurance companies.

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