Nomura Asset Management Launches New Venture for Alpha-Oriented
Global Fixed Income Products and Solutions
for investors –
New York, June 30, 2008 – Nomura Asset Management U.S.A. Inc. ("NAM USA") announced today the launch of Nomura Global Alpha LLC ("NGA"), a New York City-based venture focused on managing alpha-oriented fixed income products and solutions for both institutional and retail investors. The new venture will commence operations on July 1st 2008 and represents an important initiative to provide a broad range of products to Nomura Asset Management's existing and future global investors. Dr. Rajiv Sobti will head the team responsible for portfolio management and will be the Chief Investment Officer of NGA. The NGA portfolio team in New York City will work in close cooperation with the existing fixed income teams of NAM USA's affiliates based in Tokyo and London.
"This move represents an excellent opportunity for us to leverage our global platform and existing portfolio teams to offer our investors a broader set of investment strategies that will complement and enhance the achievement of their investment objectives. The capital markets in the US offer a very robust opportunity set and the new venture enables us to focus on these opportunities using a variety of approaches, with an emphasis on portable alpha products. I am confident that under Dr. Sobti's leadership these products, using state-of-the-art risk management approaches, will serve our investors well," said Mr. Shigeru Shinohara, President and CEO, NAM USA.
Dr. Sobti most recently served as President and Chief Investment Officer of Proxima Alfa Investments (USA) LLC ("Proxima") where he and the NGA investment team managed separate accounts and commingled institutional funds for the last four years. Prior to Proxima, Dr. Sobti was Co-Head of Fixed Income at BlackRock Financial Management where he oversaw and managed a broad spectrum of funds and strategies.
This initiative represents a commitment to expand and enhance Nomura Asset Management's investment capabilities with alpha-oriented products. In addition, NGA will provide investment strategies where various forms of market risk, or "beta" factors, will be the primary drivers of investment returns. Using low leverage and comprehensive risk management, NGA's strategies are designed to meet the critical and evolving objectives of institutional and retail investors.
"This is the latest in a series of important strategic initiatives geared towards the enhancement of services that will build out the capabilities required to meet the needs of our global investors. We look forward to NGA's ongoing success as it assumes a major role in the organization," commented Mr. Atsushi Yoshikawa, President and CEO, Nomura Asset Management Co., Ltd.
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Notes to editors:
Nomura
Nomura is a leading financial services group and the preeminent Asian-based investment bank with worldwide reach. Nomura provides a broad range of innovative solutions tailored to the specific requirements of individual, institutional, corporate and government clients through an international network in 30 countries. Based in Tokyo and with regional headquarters in Hong Kong, London, and New York, Nomura employs about 18,000 staff worldwide. Nomura's unique understanding of Asia enables the company to make a difference for clients through five business divisions: domestic retail, global markets, global investment banking, global merchant banking, and asset management. For further information about Nomura, please visit www.nomura.com.
Nomura Asset Management
Nomura Asset Management U.S.A. Inc. ("NAM USA") specializes in providing investment management services to institutional investors and collective investment vehicles. Its client base includes pension plans, governmental agencies and investment funds operating in North America and Japan. NAM USA, a subsidiary of Nomura Asset Management Co., Ltd. ("NAM"), has registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission as an investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. NAM and its investment advisory subsidiaries are collectively referred to as Nomura Asset Management.
