BofA desk head joins JPMAM for global income role

J.P. Morgan Asset Management (JPMAM) has hired the head of Bank of America Merrill Lynch's global equity sales desk as co-manager on its £86m Global Equity Income fund.

James Davidson, who ran a long-short equity portfolio for the bank, joins Gerd Woort-Menker on the fund, which has recovered from what managing director Jasper Berens (pictured) called “lacklustre” performance during the financial crisis. Before joining BofA Merrill Lynch, Davidson spent five years as a US equity portfolio manager with Morgan Grenfell Asset Management. He began his career in Edinburgh on the US equities desk at Baillie Gifford. The fund has returned 67.4% over five years, putting it bottom of the IMA Global Equity Income sector, but has performed better of late, retur...