All Alternatives articles – Page 6
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Special ReportCase study: Varma - A bespoke approach to ETFs
Varma, the €57.4bn Finnish pension insurer, has been at the forefront of sustainable investing for several years and has used exchange-traded funds to get there.
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Special ReportCase study: Caja de Ingenieros Gestion - The rise of smart beta
The Spanish pension provider Caja de Ingenieros Gestion serves more than 215,000 members, predominantly from the Spanish engineering sector, using an investment style based on independent analysis, with a bottom-up approach.
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Special ReportFaith-based investing: how to build Shariah-compliant investment portfolios
Ethical investing can be a nuanced task, as aligning one’s investment principles with their beliefs can often be contradictory. On the one hand investors want to maximise their return and minimise their risk to ensure they benefit from the best possible investment outcome. However, on the other hand, they may want to ensure they don’t fund any enterprise which derives revenue from provision of ‘unethical’ goods or services.
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Special ReportCase study: Ilmarinen - Building a climate-focused future
Finland’s second-biggest pension provider is a keen investor in exchange-traded funds (ETFs), having allocated more than €6bn to a range of equity vehicles in recent years.
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Special ReportCase study: How CalSTRS uses ETFs to support the energy transition
The California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS) manages US$315.6bn (€294.3bn) on behalf of teachers and education staff in the state of California. Environmental considerations and the transition to a low-carbon economy are high priorities for the pension fund, which is one of the biggest public sector funds in the US.
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Special Report
Case study: MHPF - Searching for greater transparency
Transparency is one of the most important elements of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) for many investors. For some, however, there is always room for improvement.
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Special ReportInnovation and choice challenge the established players
The wonderful breeding ground of ETFs means that you can now allocate to any sector or specialism you like, from artificial intelligence to recycled gold; export-tilted Japanese companies to carbon credits. New launches this year include Texas Equity, following the fortunes of companies headquartered in the Lone Star State; the euphoniously named Clouty Tune, which brings global exposure to music, entertainment and media; and Breakwave’s Tanker Shipping ETF, which tracks an index for crude oil tankers.
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Opinion PiecesUS pension funds hone in on private credit
Private credit has been one of the fastest growing asset classes in the institutional world over the past several years, according to Catherine Beard, senior vice-president in consultancy Callan’s alternatives group.
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Special ReportDecarbonisation outcomes: preparing portfolios for a low-carbon world
The climate challenge is clear, and more investors are looking to include climate investing solutions in their portfolios. Next to funding climate solutions and enabling negative emissions, the decarbonisation of portfolios is one of the most important objectives for climate investing.
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Special ReportFocus returns to fixed income ETFs
Fixed income is back, baby! In the seven months to the end of July 2023, flows into European-domiciled fixed income exchange-traded funds were €39bn compared with €14bn for the same period last year, according to Morningstar.
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Special ReportSustainable fixed income products gain ground
Institutional investor exposure to sustainable investment products has declined in recent months as macroeconomic developments have driven a shift back into fixed income products.
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NewsPrivate equity still too expensive – GSAM survey
Real estate is the least popular alternative asset class, with three in 10 investors looking to decrease their exposure
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NewsGerman institutional investors plan higher exposure to alternative credit
Versorgungswerke aim for an alternative investment quota of over 50%
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NewsSwiss pension funds over invested in real estate, alternatives
PPCmetrics recorded for the first time rise in average technical interest rate
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NewsSweden’s AP3 generates 5.5% in H1 after holding tight to strategy
Listed equities’ surge almost entirely responsible for buffer fund’s positive return for January to June
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Special ReportSumitomo Mitsui Trust's Yoshio Hishida on Japan's unique position to attract investment
Yoshio Hishida, CEO of Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Asset Management, one of Japan’s largest investment managers, talks to Christopher Walker about his company’s focus on retail and attracting international capital
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FeaturesFixed income, rates & currency: Uncertainty persists
As the major central banks in developed markets reach, or at least near, the end of their hiking cycles, markets, rather than identifying when policy rates will peak, focus is now on the conundrum of just how long these policy peaks will be maintained.
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NewsSweden’s tech-heavy AP7 trumpets 17.7% first half return
Buffer fund AP2 lags peers with 4.8% H1 gain; pensions firm Folksam reports 5.6%
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NewsIlliquids balance blamed, as ATP loses most of Q1 gains
‘Always thinking about alternatives-liquids balance’, says Danish statutory pension fund CEO on asset mix of geared investment portfolio
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NewsAPK Pensionskasse tactically increases allocation to alternatives
Alternatives now make up 12% of APK’s investment portfolio





