Asset Allocation – Page 269
-
Features
In search of super glue
At this month’s conference hosted by the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia (ASFA) in Cairns, Queensland, delegates will have a chance to assess how far Australia has progressed in its bid to develop a greater global outlook. In recent years, the country has attempted to become the hub for ...
-
Features
Using insurance to wrap stakeholder pensions
The recently launched stakeholder pensions in the UK look set to have a significant impact on the balance of power between asset managers and insurance companies. While the asset managers won substantial business with the growth of the defined contribution (DC) market, the different requirements demanded by stakeholder pensions are ...
-
Features
0 dawn or not?
Global financial markets are at a critical juncture. After having partially recovered from the sharp decline in the first quarter of this year, stock markets are showing renewed signs of weakness. Whether the second quarter rebound was a false dawn or only the first leg of a more fundamental and ...
-
Features
Euro assets under cloud
Inflationary pressures, stagnant interest rates and an ever weakening euro are keeping investors out of Europe, leading to a lack of consumer confidence and keeping the markets across Euroland on an ever downward spiral. “Inflation in particular is becoming more of a serious issue,” says Harald Sporleder, a European fund ...
-
Features
London 'back on front foot'
The London Stock Exchange, often seen to follow rather than lead, took rivals by surprise in May with the announcement of plans for its own listing, alongside the first signs of a real ‘European strategy’. Commenting on the announcement of the intention to list, Don Cruickshank, chairman of the exchange, ...
-
Features
Complexity may hold back new plans' growth
The pension reform known as the ‘Riester package’ will be implemented with amendments to some 19 laws, and by introducing one new law for the certification of pension products for the third pillar. Most important is the introduction of a system of tax allowances and direct subsidies, which will be ...
-
Features
Europe's biggest LTCI market
Long-term care insurance (LTCI) is booming in France: the market has grown by almost 50% in the last 18 months. Everything is relative, of course, and total sales amount to just 750,000 policies sold, and that is over a 15-year period. Although LTCI policies have been around for a long ...
-
Features
Bringing life to Italy's post office
Erik Stattin is an unusual occupant of an executive’s chair in the traditional world of Italy’s postal service. But then Posteitaliane is less and less its traditional self with each mail delivery – witness its very successful life assurance operation Postevita, which he runs. Now pensions business is on his ...
-
Features
Modest gains only on cards
The major valuation anomalies of the past few years – equities overpriced relative to bonds, TMT (technology-media-telecommunications) stocks overpriced relative to other stocks, and large-capitalisation stocks overpriced relative to small-capitalisation stocks – have been largely eliminated. Most equity and bond markets are now trading close to fair value, as are ...
-
Features
Mefop chooses on performance
Make no mistake about it. The Italians are deadly serious about developing their pension funds, adopting the latest and best from outside, but only after a thorough and rigorous analysis as to what they need and how it can serve their needs. This message came through very clearly at the ...
