Asset Allocation – Page 337
-
Features
Austria: Government action depresses equities
The Austrian market has been underperforming in comparison with other continental markets where it normally shows a high correlation due to changes in its company taxation.Yet analysts believe that the market could still provide opportunities for stock selection.Paul Severin, head of re-search Austrian equities at Creditanstalt Investment Bank in Vienna ...
-
Features
Poland adopts the Chilean model
The Polish Parliament is expected to pass legislation allowing Chile-style mandatory pension funds to be set up, with contributions in the first year of operation, expected to be 1999, estimated at $3bn.The new funds, in which major domestic and international banks and insurance companies are expected to be shareholders, will ...
-
Features
Austria: Venturing from home
The BVP pensions fund, based in Vienna currently invests by far the greatest part of its equities investment outside Austria, given the poor performance of the domestic market, relative to its neighbours.The director of the BVP pension fund, Ferdinand Kernbauer, explains that while the fund has asset allocations catering to ...
-
Features
BAT looks to boost global performance
In 1995, the tobacco and financial conglomerate, BAT Industries decided to develop a corporate pensions function,” appointing Simon Dudley - who had worked in a similar role at Unilever - as its pensions and benefits manager. Dudley, recently promoted to head of group personnel, has begun to implement an international ...
-
Features
What the Belgian doctor ordered
In three years, the pension scheme for Belgian doctors and dentists has been transformed, writes Fennell Betson. No one said it was going to be easyWhen the pension scheme for doctors and related professions in Belgium switched from a pay-as-you-go to a funded basis, it broke moulds. Brussels-based Caisse de ...
-
Features
Multinationals outline benefits plans
Akzo Nobel, the chemicals multinational, plans to set up a common investment fund for its European pensions arrangements. Discussing the company’s plans Bert Kiffen, co-ordinator international pensions affairs, said: It is our view that with a single currency, one investment fund will be possible.” The scheme is still at the ...
-
Features
Flexible benefits 'sweetener'
Giving mobile employees appropriate salaries as they move from country to country rarely poses a problem for an employer.The provision of benefits - especially those such as pensions - can be far more difficult. Local laws often make it impossible for the employee to remain in the home country” pension ...
-
Features
BT's defensive strategy
We continue to see an extended cycle of moderate world growth and low inflation. The global economy is out of sync: the US is leading the growth cycle and Japan, Europe and Asia are lagging. We expect the US to slow in response to tightening monetary conditions in 1998 but ...
-
Features
Prime's candidates
In the first quarter, we began a gradual reduction of our position in equities and an increase in the share of bonds. We are now underweighted in equities and overweighted in bonds as compared to international benchmarks. The reasons for this follow.We are underweighted in the US. We think the ...
-
Features
Colossus of public pension finances
French giant CDC looks after the retirement arrangements of over 5m public sector workers. Fennell Betson meets the man in charge
-
Features
The costs of regulation
Danish pensions funds are overburdened with regulations, and could perform better if they had more freedom to make their own investment decisions, says Peter Dencik, managing director of Singer & Friedlander International Asset Management.Dencik, who used to be deputy executive director of the pension fund administration company PKA in Denmark, ...
