New York Times Blogs – The biggest regulatory changes since the 1930s are bearing down on the U.S. securities and investment industry, and many firms are ill-prepared, according to a new study by research firm TowerGroup.

From derivatives and hedge funds to capital standards and short selling, the range of issues “encompasses almost every line of business and every functional area,” TowerGroup senior research director Dushyant Shahrawat told Reuters.

Business models will adapt or perish in the new order, which regulators aim to make more transparent, accountable and globally consistent, according to the report released on Thursday.

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West Palm Beach (HedgeCo.net) – UK fund manager, River & Mercantile, is launching an Equity Income Fund with the aim to invest in the best ideas generated by their UK team.

Hedge fund manager Richard Staveley is taking the lead with a philosophy which involves analyzing companies based on their potential, valuation and timing. In other words, he is looking for the potential growth opportunities in companies throughout their life cycle; companies that are attractively valued; and companies with earnings upgrades as the timing of these upgrades can have a positive impact on share prices.

Staveley qualified as a Chartered Accountant with PriceWaterhouseCoopers in 1999, before joining the hedge fund boutique Bradshaw Asset Management as an Assistant Fund Manager. In 2001 he moved to SGAM and became Head of UK Small Company investments in 2002. Richard joined River and Mercantile in August 2006. He holds the CFA designation. Richard is Research Director with responsibility for the team research function. As a Fund Manager he will be focused on the UK Unconstrained and Small/Mid Cap strategies.

At launch the fund is expected to yield approximately 5.1% and it will invest in companies of all sizes. In order to monitor risk, it will however invest no more than 15% in smaller companies and no more than 30% in medium sized companies. It can invest up to 100% in larger companies if this is where the manager finds the best opportunities.

River and Mercantile is a new long only investment management boutique. The business was incorporated in 2006 as a Limited Liability Partnership with significant management interest. The cornerstone investor is Pacific Investments which is owned by Sir John Beckwith.

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