French fund to add externally managed portfolios

Etablissement de Retraite Additionnelle de la Fonction Publique, Paris, plans to add externally managed active international developed markets equity and euro-denominated credit bond portfolios, spokesman Ted Marx confirmed. “We are currently considering the necessity of widening our investment universe” to diversify the fund’s portfolio, Isabelle Szendy, deputy CEO of the €4.7 billion ($7.4 billion) fund, said in a news release. As of the year-end 2007, 14% of assets were invested in externally managed equities. The fund internally manages sovereign bonds, which accounted for 78% of the entire portfolio. The remainder was invested in local authority and other bonds, which are also managed in-house. The fund is looking for two managers to handle an initial total of about €150 million, with about the same amount added annually, while the investment-grade credit bonds strategy will initially have about €250 million, also with the same amount of assets added annually. A standby manager will be named for each strategy. Funding will come from new asset inflows, Mr. Marx added.