The CAIA Association has named a series of new staff appointments to help support the association's programs and initiatives. The new appointments include Hossein Kazemi, Tom Porter and Bert Cliche.

AIS Fund Administration has successfully completed a SAS 70 Type II examination of specified middle-, back-office and fund administration controls by accounting and auditing firm Rothstein Kass.

HarbourMaster Capital Management has launched the HCM Loan Investments Fund which compliments the existing HarbourMaster Senior Loan Fund. Quintillion will provide fund administration for this new fund in addition to the existing products under administration.

The FSA released a consultation paper on 5 January 2009 proposing to withdraw the ban on short selling of UK financial sector stocks which was imposed without consultation on 19 September 2008. The ban prohibited the creation or increase of net short positions in these stocks. For existing short positions the FSA imposed a disclosure requirement where a net short position of 0.25% was held. The FSA wants to extend the disclosure requirement so that once a disclosure has been made further disclosures must be made where the net short position increases by 0.1% above the 0.25% threshold i.e. at 0.35%, 0.45% etc. Disclosure will also be required where a short position decreases by 0.1% or more but remains at or above the 0.25% threshold.

Ramius Fund of Funds Group , an investment advisor offering a range of institutional fund of funds products and managed accounts to a global client base, today announced that Stuart Davies, former Managing Director and Global Head of Investments at Ivy Asset Management, has joined the firm as a Managing Director and Chief Investment Officer, effective January 20, 2009. Davies will also be a member of the Fund of Funds Group’s Investment Management Committee.

Quintillon has announced that Eiger Asset Management have awarded an administration contract to Quintillion.

In a white paper released by Paladyne Systems, a solutions provider for the hedge fund industry, forecasts a significant shift in the way hedge funds will manage their infrastructure and operations in 2009. Paladyne predicts that hedge funds will aggressively explore and implement turn-key outsourcing strategies as a solution to the operational and cost challenges caused by the financial crisis and the reshaping of the prime brokerage landscape.

According to IMS Consulting, the Financial Services Authority has proposed to extend its temporary disclosure regime for significant net short positions in the stocks of UK financial sector companies until 30 June 2009. The FSA claims that continuing to require disclosure will reduce the potential for abusive behaviour and disorderly markets. However the FSA is not proposing to renew its ban on short selling of these stocks but has stated it is prepared to reintroduce the ban without consultation if necessary.

The EDHEC Risk and Asset Management Research Centre and the IEIF (an independent French real estate research institute), with the support of Finance Innovation, the global competitiveness institution, have announced the launch of the EDHEC IEIF Commercial Property Index (France). The EDHEC IEIF Commercial Property Index (France) will measure the performance of shares traded in an aggregate portfolio of unlisted property funds. This portfolio currently represents €7.5bn, spread between 3,400 assets.

Asia has turned a significant corner and is now well positioned to be the region that will lead the global economy out of crisis, according to Khiem Do, Chair of Baring Asset Management’s Asia Multi Asset Team. A combination of healthy balance sheets, structural improvements and continued urbanisation and consumer demand all point towards economic growth remaining robust in Asia over the long term.

GLG Partners has announced that its Board of Directors has determined not to continue paying a regular quarterly dividend on its common stock.

The new Chairman of the Alternative Investment Management Association has promised full and active cooperation with policy makers and regulators to facilitate the development of policy and any new supervisory framework for the industry in 2009.

The Hedge Fund Standards Board has broadened its international representation with the addition of signatories from Germany, Switzerland and Asia. A total of nine new hedge fund managers have now committed themselves to the HFSB’s best practice standards, bringing the total to 33.

Silk Invest has acquired Danfonds Frontier Fund, a Cayman based hedge fund, in an all equity deal. Danfonds Frontier Fund will be renamed Silk Invest Frontier Fund SPC and Danfonds Investment Management will be renamed Silk Invest (Cayman) Limited.

Aberdeen Asset Management has entered into a definitive agreement with Credit Suisse Group to acquire certain fund management assets and businesses.