Quantcast
The MFWire
Manage Email Alerts | Sponsorships | About MFWire | Who We Are

Subscribe to MFWire.com's News Alerts [click]

Rating:WSJ: Why Don't Fund Firms Publicly Criticize Their Portfolio Companies? Not Rated 0.0 Email Routing List Email & Route  Print Print
Wednesday, February 17, 2010

WSJ: Why Don't Fund Firms Publicly Criticize Their Portfolio Companies?

News summary by MFWire's editors

Wall Street Journal Fund Trackreporter Sam Mamudi takes a stab at explaining why fund firms are staying silent on the issue of Wall Street compensation despite being some of the largest shareholders of the banks at the center of the issue.

Fund firms rarely take public stands on management issues, most times preferring to sell their shares rather than enter a public debate if they disagree with management in a portfolio company.

Mamudi picks up on that tendency, observing that MarketWatch (owned by Dow Jones as is the WSJ) asked Pioneer Investments, T. Rowe Price and Lord Abbett & Co. officials for comment on Lazard Ltd's increase in staff compensation to 72 percent of recenue in 2009 from 56 percent in 2008. The increased compensation came in the face of a 95 percent fall in profit, according to the paper.

Not surprisingly, none of the three fund firms would comment on the issue. All three are among Lazard's largest shareholders.

Janus Fund co-manager Dan Riff did discuss the issue on a meta level, explaining that Janus portfolio managers usually choose to talk to management in private rather than discussing the issue publicly or selling the shares. The Janus Fund does not own Lazard shares, according to the article, which may be why they discussed the article with Mamudi.

One source who did comment was Morningstar's director of fund research Russel Kinnel.

"I don't think it's a coincidence that the short-term profit drive of corporate America happened at the same time that mutual funds became the major owners of these companies," Kinnel told Mamudi. Kinnel further attributed fund firms reluctance to pick a public fight with management to a fear that such fights will limit fund managers access to information and potentially cost them investment banking, 401(k) or other business. 

Edited by: Sean Hanna, Editor in Chief


Stay ahead of the news ... Sign up for our email alerts now
CLICK HERE

0.0
 Do You Recommend This Story?



GO TO: MFWire
Return to Top
 News Archives
2024: Q4Q3Q2Q1
2023: Q4Q3Q2Q1
2022: Q4Q3Q2Q1
2021: Q4Q3Q2Q1
2020: Q4Q3Q2Q1
2019: Q4Q3Q2Q1
2018: Q4Q3Q2Q1
2017: Q4Q3Q2Q1
2016: Q4Q3Q2Q1
2015: Q4Q3Q2Q1
2014: Q4Q3Q2Q1
2013: Q4Q3Q2Q1
2012: Q4Q3Q2Q1
2011: Q4Q3Q2Q1
2010: Q4Q3Q2Q1
2009: Q4Q3Q2Q1
2008: Q4Q3Q2Q1
2007: Q4Q3Q2Q1
2006: Q4Q3Q2Q1
2005: Q4Q3Q2Q1
2004: Q4Q3Q2Q1
2003: Q4Q3Q2Q1
2002: Q4Q3Q2Q1
 Subscribe via RSS:
Raw XML
Add to My Yahoo!
follow us in feedly


  1. 2024 Closed-End Fund Conference, November 12
  2. MFDF webinar - ETF Share Class, November 12
  3. MMI webinar - Investment Advisory Pulse Survey Results: 'Great Expectations', November 12
  4. WE Phoenix - Mentorship Program Launch, November 12
  5. WE SoCal - Peace of Mind and Portfolio In 2025, November 12
  6. MMI webinar - The Past, Present, and Future of Alternative Investments in the Wealth Management Industry, November 13
  7. MFDF Director Discussion Series - Open Forum (Los Angeles), November 13
  8. MFDF Director Discussion Series - Open Forum (San Francisco), November 14
  9. WE Philadelphia panel discussion - ETF multi-share class, November 14
  10. Expect Miracles In Boston 2024, November 14
  11. WE Denver - wine tasting and networking, November 14
  12. IDC webinar - 2024 Post-Election Insights: Implications for Fund Boards and the Asset Management Industry, November 14
  13. 31st Annual Baron Investment Conference, November 15
  14. MFDF webinar - AI and Fund Compliance, November 18
  15. MFDF webinar - The Power of Custom In-Kind Baskets, November 19
  16. Schwab Impact 2024, Nov 19-21
  17. MFDF webinar - Mutual Fund CCO Compensation: the MPI Annual Survey Update, November 21
  18. IDC Foundations for Fund Directors, Dec 4-5
  19. MFDF webinar - BDC Board Service 101, December 10
  20. MFDF webinar - ETF Product Trends: Board Implications, December 11
  21. MFDF webinar - Visually Mapping Board Composition: Skills Matrices in Fund Board Rooms, December 18
  22. MFDF 2025 Directors' Institute, January 27 - 29, 2025
  23. MFDF 2025 Fund Governance & Regulatory Insights Conference, March 6 - 7, 2025
  24. The 36th Sub-Advised Funds Forum, April 29 - 30, 2025




©All rights reserved to InvestmentWires, Inc. 1997-2024
14 Wall Street | 20th Floor | New York, NY 10005 | P: 212-331-8968 | F: 212-331-8998
Privacy Policy :: Terms of Use