Asset managers may be in for a rough Q4, Merrill Lynch analyst Cynthia Mayer wrote in a note to clients picked up by Reuters. While Mayer thinks that although asset managers are well positioned for the long haul, they are in for a rough ride in Q4 as assets under management have fallen rapidly with the market. She thinks that bigger firms will have more troubles as their fixed costs are higher.

Federated Investments, Mayer said, is well positioned because of its defensive asset mix and its money-market funds which are now supported by the government. Franklin Templeton and AllianceBernstein have taken a hit because of the rally in the U.S. dollar, Mayer said.

In August, before the current crisis hit its boiling point, a group of Merrill analysts also picked Federated as the top asset manager. (see MFWire August 25, 2008). 

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