Top news
Robeco’s new framework to help investors engage with governments
Countries with significant investment exposure and high sustainability challenges are relevant candidates for engagement
Danske saw ‘high investor interest’ for Alecta-bought social bond
Could take time for institutions to find right place in mandate for this type of impact investment, says Hökfelt
Retrospective LGPS exit credit change is lawful, says court
‘The court concluded there were compelling public interest reasons for making a retroactive change, and that any interference in property rights was justified’
Large Dutch pension funds see €1.1bn cost hike
Investment management and transaction costs of the 10 largest Dutch pension funds increased from €6.3bn to €7.4bn in 2020
Italy roundup: Inarcassa carries on with private debt allocation
Plus: Journalists fund to invest in real assets; Institutional investors turn to ESG; Fondo Pegaso’s performance
PensionsEurope conference: Financial returns of impact assets must stack up
Plus: Fausto Parente, executive director of EIOPA, on IORPs and crossborder pensions
PensionsEurope conference: PGGM yearns for switch to DC
‘We are in need of a new pension system to avoid investing to a very large extent in very long-dated euro government bonds or swaps to hedge our liabilities’
Danish pensions lobby calls new laundering rules ‘out of proportion’
Swiss parliament moves forward to reform AHV
UK roundup: Pension funds focus on their ‘endgames’ – Aon study
Alecta invests $100m in part state agency-guaranteed EM social bond
Proposal to reform German pension system creates resistance
Dover Harbour picks River and Mercantile as fiduciary manager
People moves: UK green taxonomy advisors named
Dutch think tank proposes mandatory minimum pension
UK DB consolidator Clara appoints Kempen as fiduciary manager
SASB, IIRC merge to form Value Reporting Foundation
AP funds, ATP, AMF in Swedish green battery firm’s $2.75bn placement
DACH roundup: Austrian Pensionskassen turn to private markets
UK finalises TCFD-based pension scheme climate risk regs
Few material changes seen in response to feedback and most significant ones respond to practical concerns
‘Green Swan’ conference: Pension fund execs highlight carbon pricing, data needs
Senior executives from Alecta, AP4, FRR and VER discuss the key ingredients needed to harness market forces in favour of the effort to combat climate change
On the record: Stewardship in action
IPE asked three pension funds about their stewardship strategies and agendas ahead of the 2021 AGM season
Strategically speaking: Hayfin – no hayseed
Europe’s abortive football super league didn’t collapse from want of loan capital this April. It collapsed, instead, because of a catastrophic lack of cultural fit with the ethos of the sport.
How we Run our Money: LGPS Central
Mike Weston (pictured), CEO of LGPS Central, talks to Carlo Svaluto Moreolo about creating a state-of-the-art investment-management operation
Interview: Mitesh Sheth, chief executive officer at Redington
A year and a half ago, Phoenix Equity Partners, a UK mid-market private equity firm, agreed a majority investment in Redington, an independent investment consultancy.
Strategically Speaking: Cardano
The central argument of the 2015 documentary ‘Boom, bust, boom’, which features several high-profile experts including Nobel laureates Paul Krugman, Robert Shiller and Daniel Kahneman, is that financial crises are natural events caused by human nature.
Wilshire spearheads Europe expansion with key staff hire
US consulting firm sees London as new Europe hub, hires FTSE Russell and Man veteran
PRI CEO Fiona Reynolds steps down
Australian to leaving after nine years in the role to be closer to family
Briefing: China bonding with the world
It is tantalising to imagine the concept – that the standard global fixed-income portfolio, which has stood the test of time for so long, may be about to unravel. The standard bearers – US Treasuries, the UK Gilts, German Bunds and Japanese government bonds (JGBs) – may soon have to share the stage with a brash newcomer: Chinese government bonds (CGBs).
Briefing: Credit-risk niche gains interest
In a world of prolonged low interest rates, institutional investors are scouring different pockets of the investment landscape to generate additional returns. One area is capital regulatory transactions, which are far from new but are being put under the microscope for their potential as part of an alternative credit portfolio. However, these transactions can be more complex than other alternative credit asset classes and require specialist expertise, skills and understanding.
Net-zero opportunities: Global green momentum boosts prospect of a mining super cycle
The Covid-19 pandemic has given everyone pause for thought. It has also been a catalyst for action. For some, global warming seemed like a nebulous, distant concern. But the fragility of life on earth has been laid bare.
Bridgewater: Fluent in risk, return… and impact
Bridgewater Associates, one of the most prominent macro hedge funds, is reflecting the integration of sustainability in its research process with two senior appointments.
Establishing a sustainable path
Investors increasingly want to take a more environmentally, socially and governance-conscious approach to investing. Despite the growing choice of ESG strategies, the wide range of products and a lack of uniformity can make it difficult to compare the options.
The recovery does not eliminate systemic risk
The world’s economy is already recovering from the damage inflicted by the lockdown measures imposed to contain the spread of COVID-19 in 2020.
Viewpoint: Why companies and investors must leave ESG ratings behind
ESG ratings are an oversimplication, says Alexandra Mihailescu Cichon of ESG data science firm RepRisk
Notes from the Nordics: GPFG brought into politics
The Norwegian Government Pension Fund Global (GPFG) is a phenomenon – the world’s largest sovereign wealth fund owned by a population of just 5.3m, accounting for a sixth of all SWF assets and the owner of 1.5% of all listed equities.
Establishing a sustainable path
Investors increasingly want to take a more environmentally, socially and governance-conscious approach to investing. Despite the growing choice of ESG strategies, the wide range of products and a lack of uniformity can make it difficult to compare the options.
The recovery does not eliminate systemic risk
The world’s economy is already recovering from the damage inflicted by the lockdown measures imposed to contain the spread of COVID-19 in 2020.
The rising tide of corporate governance
In the last year, there has been a broad shift in corporate governance focus towards social issues, including human capital management – the ‘S’ of ESG.
Activist investors: Muscular stewardship
New types of activist investor are attracting support from long-term asset owners, particularly on environmental and social topics
Portfolio strategy: Factor investing
COVID-19 has added a further blow to a decade of factor investing underperformance and highlighted the increasing impact of environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations. In this report, we analyse how it may be possible to complement traditional factors with ESG-related measures.
Asset class report: Emerging market equities
The pandemic has substantially altered the landscape for emerging markets. While some countries have contained its effect better than any developed market, others have been devastated. How should investors regard the impact of COVID-19 in their decision-making on future increases on allocations to emerging markets? In this report, we analyse the outlook for the asset class in general, and find out why Brazil continues to hold the interest of investors.
Fixed income & credit
As the world still grapples with the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic, credit investors continue their search for attractive yields in an environment where liquidity, even for long-term investors, could become critical. In this report, we look at different aspects of the fixed income & credit universe, including multi-asset credit strategies, the changing US high yield market, and the opportunities for institutional investors in trade and supply-chain finance.
European Equities: Breath of optimism
The roll out of COVID vaccines has brightened the outlook for European large caps facing a changed landscape
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