Asset Allocation – Page 188
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Features
Going with the flow
When we think of Switzerland it is easy to become carried away with one central theme: liquid. Glaciers giving way to babbling alpine streams and pristine lakes; sturdy mountain cattle providing the abundant milk that flows into some of the world’s best chocolate and cheeses; the cheeses make us think ...
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Features
Vital match point in France
The French have got used to relying on a relatively generous pay-as-you-go system of retirement provision but, as in other countries, this has become increasingly pressured by demographic trends and the limitations of the public purse so new solutions had to be found. Saving for retirement is a new concept ...
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Special Report
Active dialogue comes to fore
Gradually, socially responsible investment (SRI) is becoming more ingrained in the way that participants in the market do business. A survey by Mercer Investment Consulting in April concluded that SRI practices were becoming mainstream among investment managers. Within 10 years, it said, SRI would become a common component of mainstream ...
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Features
Case for active style allocation
Al though the existing literature seems to concur on the interest of hedge funds as valuable investment alternatives, there seem to be several shortcomings in current industry practice when it comes to fully capitalising on the advantages of including hedge funds in an investor’s asset allocation. So far, the only ...
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Features
Involuntary acts of generosity
“We are the best value MPs in Europe,” says Gerhard Hess of the Swiss Democrats. Swiss parliamentarians – MPs and senators, are unique in Europe, if not the world, in that they do not receive a salary. This means that while Swiss workers as a whole are among the most ...
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Features
Sweden’s PPM appoints board for ‘better advice’
The Swedish Premium Pension Authority, PPM, has created a four-strong scientific advisory board, which includes Michael Orzag of Watson Wyatt. The board is to function as a reference point for PPM’s work and give the authority advice in areas of academic research, financial economics as well as communication. It comprises: ...
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Special Report
Walk before you can run
Although most people in the investment industry agree pension funds are becoming more interested in SRI, there are many different ways of approaching it. From choosing how strictly they should judge companies they invest in, to defining why they want SRI in the first place, pension funds face a series ...
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Features
Belgians seek level playing field
The body advising Belgian minister Bruno Tobback on pensions issues is to consider a legal formula to create a level playing field between new sector-wide pension funds being established under the socalled Vandenbroucke Law (VDB) and pension insurance companies. In the formative period the new pension funds are not legal ...
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Features
Bridging the gap
Before they were united in the 19th century both Germany and Italy were described as geographic expressions rather than countries. There are those who suggest that the same thing might be said now of Belgium. Throughout the second half of the 20th century the central government responded to friction between ...
