Analysis and opinion – Page 5
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Opinion PiecesDelivering sustainable long-term value
Some private equity investors claim the increased focus in private ownership imposes a new long-term perspective
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Opinion Pieces
Easier to abolish than to reform
The collective pension plan in its various iterations is probably one of the most significant, and undersung, financial and policy innovations of the 20th century. Workplace pensions represent one of the most important, if not the most important financial assets for millions of people.
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Opinion Pieces
Judgement needed more than ever
There are good reasons why even the most ardent technophile should be wary of the excitement surrounding new investment-related technology. Big data, artificial intelligence, machine learning and blockchain all no doubt have promising applications in the investment world.
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Opinion Pieces
A belated but welcome debate
The belief that the corporate culture of an asset management organisation affects its performance is gaining ground. Some investment consultants make reference to corporate culture as a factor driving manager selection. This may be marketing, but it could spark debate.
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Opinion Pieces
Super asset managers: size matters
Institutional investors must question how the emergence of super asset managers have really benefited them over the years, especially since the cycle of mergers and acquisitions seems to have continued 10 years on.
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Features
Long term matters: To investors who care about the climate crisis – act before COP26
Rather belatedly, we have a new president of COP26 in the form of Alok Sharma, former UK international development secretary. But this sorry saga seems quite symbolic – we know that we need to do something big but we can’t quite get our act together.
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Analysis
Cheers and concerns over DWP climate amendments to pension bill
Climate change-related amendments to draft pension fund legislation tabled by the UK government have prompted words of welcome as well as concern from the pension industry.
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Opinion Pieces
Davos Diary: Benefitting all stakeholders
January’s World Economic Forum meeting in Davos captured the spirit of the early 21st century with the overall theme of “stakeholders for a cohesive and sustainable world
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Features
Integrated reporting: Accounting goes sustainable
Combining conventional financial reporting with non-financial reporting in a single integrated framework presents challenges
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Features
Letter from the US: Lower rates, deeper holes
Something unprecendented happened in the US in the first weeks of January when the Milliman 100 PFI discount rate fell 35bps to a 20-year low of 2.85% “It was a very poor month for defined benefit (DB) plans, not a good start of the year and it dug an even deeper hole in their financial situation,” points out Zorast Wadia, principal, consulting actuary at Milliman. He is also author of the Milliman 100 pension funding index (PFI), an annual study of the 100 largest DB pension plans sponsored by US public companies.
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Book Review
Book review: The Signs Were There - Spilling the saucerful of secrets
Tim Steer’s romp through the world of dodgy accounting practices and share price debacles is beyond shocking. He brings together his forensic examinations of publicly quoted companies’ accounts, and demonstrates clearly that “the signs were (indeed) there” in a way that induces reader incredulity.
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Interviews
Perspective: Striving for net zero
Günther Thallinger, a member of the board of management at Allianz and chair of the steering group of the UN-convened Net-Zero Asset Owner Alliance, spoke in Davos about the role of asset owners in reducing carbon emissions
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Opinion Pieces
Post Brexit questions
By the time you read this, the UK will have left the European Union, following three years of negotiation, renegotiation and delay
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Opinion Pieces
A perilous stability
A few years ago, when asset managers talked about market prospects, they often pointed to 2020 as the year when the world economy could run into difficulties
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Opinion Pieces
Trustees should always protect pensions
The proposal to phase out the Retail Prices Index (RPI), one of the main measures of inflation in the UK is among the pension industry’s biggest topics of debate.
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Opinion Pieces
Crossing boundaries
In 2020 many asset owners will be motivated to cross boundaries in search of stable returns. This is because despite big gains for equities and bonds during 2019, institutional investors are worried about low yields and slow growth hurting performance.
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Analysis
BlackRock goes big on climate risk
BlackRock announced last month it would be placing sustainability at the centre of its investment approach, and a host of measures to go with that.
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Analysis
Modi’s India: The red lights are flashing warnings
Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India is facing an existential issue that is polarising the nation
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Analysis
EFRAG: Reaching a compromise
It is hard not to feel some sympathy for the technical staff working on the European Financial Reporting Advisory Group’s pensions research project
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Analysis
Post Brexit questions
We will continue our coverage of issues that matter for European pension funds and institutional investors.
