Reuters – Bahrain- and London-listed investment house Investcorp INVB.BH plans to set up a fund worth up to $500 million to invest in U.S. real estate-related debt, its managing director said on Thursday.

Investcorp’s Managing Director Khalid al-Rumaihi told Reuters the company is seeking between $250 million and $500 million for the fund that will buy into U.S. real estate debt paper trading at a discount due to the financial crisis.

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Tags: bahrain, bh, financial crisis, investcorp, london, managing director, reuters, s real estate

Reuters – Switzerland’s fledgling hedge fund industry is set for strong growth in the coming years as the credit crisis forces the industry to focus on lower-cost centres and the country aims to lure managers back from London.

Lower living costs, as well as better personal tax rates than London in some cantons, improving tax terms for fund firms and a high quality of life are carrots Switzerland is dangling in front of continental European managers based in London.

And as the credit crisis and huge market volatility decimate returns in the hedge fund industry, Switzerland looks set to benefit as managers facing fee pressure and outflows look for cheaper places to relocate to in order to survive.

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Tags: bh, cantons, duke, eton-park, european-managers, federal-finance-administration, finance, fledgling, huge-market, personal-tax-rates, reuters-international, st-james

Reuters UK – Switzerland’s fledgling hedge fund industry is set for strong growth in the coming years as the credit crisis forces the industry to focus on lower-cost centres and the country aims to lure managers back from London.

Lower living costs, as well as better personal tax rates than London in some cantons, improving tax terms for fund firms and a high quality of life are carrots Switzerland is dangling in front of continental European managers based in London.

And as the credit crisis and huge market volatility decimate returns in the hedge fund industry, Switzerland looks set to benefit as managers facing fee pressure and outflows look for cheaper places to relocate to in order to survive.

"London is still dominant, but we’re seeing some activity (new funds) in Geneva," said Mark Lewis, senior investment funds partner at Cayman Islands-based law firm Walkers Global.

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Tags: bankruptcies, bh, cancellations, eton-park, finance, fund-positions, investment-arm, liquidation, reuters-international, st-james, time-difference, volatility