Analysis and opinion – Page 8
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Features
EC’s expert group releases landmark climate taxonomy
The European Commission’s expert group on sustainable finance last month published its long-awaited final recommendations for a taxonomy of environmentally sustainable activities, which is at the heart of the EU executive’s plan to harness the finance sector for its fight against climate change.
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Features
Dutch pensions agreement dodges the real issues
Social partners have agreed compromises relating to the state pension age and early retirement Many crucial aspects are yet to be confirmed and could still derail efforts to reform the system
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Book Review
Book review: Achieving Investment Excellence
Fix asset allocation and the numbers will follow. This rule of thumb originated from an influential study published in 1986, which showed that 93.6% of variations in a portfolio’s returns are due to asset allocation policy.
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Features
IAS 19: How did they do it?
Two academics have analysed key amendments to IAS 19 and how they came about
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Features
Perspective: Growing buzz around cannabis
Legalisation of cannabis raises ethical questions for some investors, while presenting an investment opportunity for others
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Features
Research: Passive investors, active owners
The rise of index investing raises important question about ownership rights and governance
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Features
Policies needed
The new European Commission will inherit a coherent but partially implemented Capital Markets Union (CMU) in the autumn. But much needs to be done to consolidate, refocus and re-energise this landmark constellation of policies and objectives.
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Features
No going back
There is no going back to the days when the key political divide was between mainstream left and right
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Features
Europe belatedly turns eastwards
The EU’s lack of a common strategy to respond to the rise of China as an economic superpower suddenly came to the fore earlier this year, as Italy joined China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
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Features
DC’s collective voice could be decisive
Australian pension funds could soon become the biggest shareholders in their country’s equity market (see page 5), with researchers at Rainmaker Information forecasting their combined domestic stock holdings to hit 60% by 2033.
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Features
Interview: Haukur Hafsteinsson, LSR
The government pensions veteran bids farewell to LSR, Iceland’s largest pension, after 34 years as its chief executive
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Book Review
Book review: The Rise of the Working-Class Shareholder
David Webber is well placed to rehearse the legal and political arguments around public pension funds’ power to change companies
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Features
Interview: Sharon Bowles – A forensic assessment
The former chair of the European Parliament’s Economic Affairs Committee talks to Stephen Bouvier
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Features
IPE Perspective: Two sides to the MMT premise
Is there any merit in functional finance versus classical economic theory?
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Features
Connecting climate dots
The transition to a low-carbon economy should lead to significant economic opportunity
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Features
Cultivating judgement
One of the big challenges we face, both in the financial world and in everyday life, is how to overcome our biases
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Features
Pension funds act as Nordic drama engulfs Swedbank
Sweden’s largest pension funds have been thrust into leading roles in a money-laundering scandal over the past few weeks, as Swedbank was raided by fraud investigators and forced to fire its CEO.
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Features
UK pools slam ‘simplistic’ guidance
UK local authority funds have accused the government of imposing higher costs through changes in its stance towards asset pooling.
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Features
Handelsblatt Conference: De-risking comes to the fore as past costs loom large
German pension schemes reveal ambitious overhauls to reduce sponsor burdens; Generali moves to reassure over sale of insurance business to Viridium
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Features
Madan Pillutla: Debiasing needs more attention
Madan Pillutla, professor of organisational behaviour at the London Business School, outlines the reasons why biases are so hard to overcome