IPE Magazine
July 2012Analysis
Alarm call
Persistently low rates are taking their toll on pension funding levels throughout Europe. Now they have forced authorities in three European countries – Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden – to act...
02 Jul 2012
Have bond markets become myopic? 02 Jul 2012
Long live the deal... 02 Jul 2012
Briefing
Vision to reality
Who’s ahead in the race for cross-border pension assets? Gail Moss reports on factors behind the choice of domicile
02 Jul 2012
Back to 4%? 02 Jul 2012
Defined ambition and supervision 02 Jul 2012
Diary of An Investor
Back to the future
A few weeks ago I phoned an old colleague of mine from years back. Jean-Pierre is from Paris. For many years he worked in the asset management department of a big French insurer but now he works in...
02 Jul 2012
ESG Reports
The trouble with fracking
The full environmental impact of shale gas extraction is not known, so investors must engage with companies to make sure they are acting responsibly, says Nina Röhrbein
02 Jul 2012
Guest Viewpoint
Chris Sutton, Towers Watson
Pension funds find themselves between a rock and the hard place as they struggle to provide for ageing populations in a tough investment climate. As a result of this, and of an inheritance of...
02 Jul 2012
How We Run Our Money
Against the grain
Mike Weston of Daily Mail & General Trust Pension Scheme tells Nina Röhrbein about his fund’s forward-looking approach to investment decision making
02 Jul 2012
Investing In...
Structured Credit & Loans: A structural spread
European loans seem to offer compelling value against the US market. But Joseph Mariathasan uncovers some telling structural disadvantages on this side of the Atlantic
02 Jul 2012
Structured Credit & Loans: Collateral damage 02 Jul 2012
Structured Credit & Loans: Don’t go it a-loan 02 Jul 2012
Letter from Brussels
A welcome day
You can almost hear the sound of satisfied occupational pension fund representatives rubbing their hands together at the news that the IORP II Directive has been postponement.
02 Jul 2012
Letter from the US
Taft-Hartley blues
Labour unions are not having the best time. Last month they suffered a major setback in Wisconsin, where Governor Walker won a recall election against union members and Democrats, who were protesting ...
02 Jul 2012
Long-term Matters
Long-term Matters: Starting in their back yards
Foundations often exist to do public good. Their mission should be both to invest and provide grants. Protecting capital should be a priority; foundations do not need to be liability driven, have no...
02 Jul 2012
Off The Record
Still life in the ‘supercycle’
Eighteen respondents (56%) to this month’s Off The Record survey had commodities or commodity futures in their portfolio.
02 Jul 2012
On The Record
Avoiding energy playsPensions Accounting
Willingly deceived
The world wants to be deceived and deceived it will be. The Roman satirist Petronius’s acerbic critique of human nature is a convenient introduction to an issue in front of the IFRS interpretations...
02 Jul 2012
Pensions In
Italy: A new order
First-pillar reforms and proposals to change investment rules for second-pillar funds represent a step change for Italian companies and pension funds. But they have not been matched by a commitment...
02 Jul 2012
Italy: Meeting the governance challenge 02 Jul 2012
Italy: A mixed picture 02 Jul 2012
Securities Services
Hot competition
Iain Morse surveys Sweden’s highly competitive custody market
02 Jul 2012
Special Reports
Commodities: Puffed-out dragon?
China’s slowing economy – and its longer-term transition away from investment-led growth – is raising questions about ongoing demand for commodities. But Martin Steward suggests that it’s too early...
02 Jul 2012
Commodities: All hail the shale 02 Jul 2012
Commodities: An American story 02 Jul 2012
Strategically Speaking
The implementation game
Russell’s recent move to Seattle from its historic location in Tacoma, Washington, just a few miles to the south, had the inevitable effect of pleasing urbanite employees happy to work and live in...
02 Jul 2012
Practising what it preaches 02 Jul 2012
