All Analysis articles – Page 8
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Analysis
Brussels to develop rules for social funds
Brussels looks set to flesh out the existing EU regulation for European Social Entrepreneurship Funds (EuSEFs), which lays down broad principles as to how funds should be governed.
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Analysis
Time to face facts
The Detroit bankruptcy ruling and the new bookkeeping rules from the Government Accounting Standards Board (GASB) could trigger a wave of changes for the US state and local pension funds this year. Government leaders struggling with budget problems, bondholders that lend money to municipalities and states, and unions that negotiate pension benefits all have to deal with the impact.
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Analysis
Long-term critics
The European Commission’s report on responses to its consultation paper on long-term investing looks to be at least six months late. But don’t imagine the debate has gone away. The issue is likely to re-ignite in Brussels in the coming months after the Commission produces its assessment this quarter.
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Analysis
Not ready yet
‘Retirement readiness’ is the catch phrase of 2014 in the US pension industry.
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Analysis
A phoney war for KID
A phoney war is in operation. No guns are being fired. No bombs falling. But there a number of indications of an arms race over the matter of a simple two page information document known as KID – and its possible extension to cover the occupational pension sector.
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Analysis
Too big to fail?
Are US asset management firms ‘too big to fail’? In other words, do they represent systemic risks similar to those posed by the largest banks, so much that they must be subject to ‘enhanced’ supervision?
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Analysis
A Lithuanian bottleneck
Yet another Brussels go-slow on IORP II legislative revisions? Yes, but it’s not just rules for occupational pensions. A let’s-put-off-until-tomorrow syndrome is hammering swathes of financial legislation and the Brussels machine is now close to deadlock.
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Analysis
Activist stances
US public pension funds are slowly recovering from their worst years, 2008-09, when their assets fell to a low of $2.1trn (€1.6trn). In the latest fiscal year ending 30 June 2013, assets increased 8.4%
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AnalysisThe assets of healthcare
A trend that has already taken place in pensions is now happening in the healthcare sector in the US
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Analysis
IORP governance
Suggestions to make the basis for a systematic set of codified rules to cover the governance of occupational pension schemes across the entire EU have emerged from a working group of pension stakeholders.
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Analysis
Retirement on course
Five years after the Lehman collapse, Americans’ retirement savings look like they have overcome the shock and are growing steadily. In fact they’ve reached the record amount of $20.8trn (€15.7trn) according to the latest data published by the Investment Company Institute (ICI), the national association of US investment companies.
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Analysis
Happy in the hot seat
Jeremy Woolfe asks Gabriel Bernardino, the chairman of the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority, about the challenges he faces stuck in the crossfire of the conflicting interests of the European pensions industry
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Analysis
OTPP looks east
The CAD129.5bn (€96.4bn) Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan (OTPP) believes it is one of the best managed pension funds in the world. To remain that way, it is looking east for growth and is adjusting to the new demographic trends, but not abandoning its defined benefit (DB) model.
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Analysis
A long-term dream
Philippe Maystadt, former Belgian finance minister and European Investment Bank (EIB) president, recently fleshed out the European Commission’s policy paper to promote long-term investment.
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Analysis
Fink’s nod to Australia
Are mandatory saving accounts coming to the US? It looks possible after BlackRock chairman and CEO, Laurence Fink, said they should be part of a comprehensive solution to the retirement funding crisis.
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Analysis
Letter from the US: Retirement concerns
“Our priority is to be sure that Americans save enough for retirement,” explains CEO and executive director of the American Society of Pension Professionals & Actuaries (ASPPA), Brian Graff. The problem is that Americans are not saving enough, because of the way pension plans are offered and structured, and because of the economic situation.
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Analysis
The growth agenda
The European Commission’s green paper, Long-term Financing of the European Economy, is a rarity– it gets applause from all quarters.
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Analysis
Step-change for DC
“Our retirement philosophy is changing the industry”. So says Glenn Dial, head of retirement for Allianz Global Investors (AGI). Dial has been in charge of this business in the US since February 2011, focusing on a target-date strategy that is reinforced by the findings from AGI’s Centre for Behavioural Finance.
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Analysis
Anti-SII bloc victory?
The bloc of EU member states opposed to the inclusion of Solvency II-inspired provisions in the planned IORP II Directive, appear to be on the road to victory.
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Analysis
Letter from Brussels: Social and labour issues
Disputes between Brussels and national governments are likely to emerge when the European Commission unveils in June its position on the rules concerning national social and labour law (SLL).
