All Features articles – Page 124
-
Features
Does compulsion work?
Gail Moss looks at whether compulsory contributions make for better workplace pensions
-
Features
Solvency fears persist
The European Union’s decision to establish a special purpose vehicle with funds of up to €500bn to provide loans to euro-zone countries caused an initial rise in equity markets. But while it addressed liquidity problems, there remain concerns about solvency issues.
-
Features
Survival of the fittest
Surviving the financial meltdown has left the strongest names ready to monopolise the wave of public and private sector refinancing. But Richard Hemming still finds that a return to the heady valuations of the pre-crisis unlikely
-
Features
Funds talk tactics
In this month’s Off The Record survey, 56% of the 34 pension fund respondents stated that they implement tactical or some other form of intermediate/interim asset allocation. A Danish fund described their process as such: “We review the allocation periodically, at least every six months, to enhance potential returns by exploiting perceived market misalignments, utilise momentum, or take early profits”. A UK fund added: “[We employ] in-house tactical asset allocation relative to the benchmark set by the investment committee, primarily using derivative overlays with clear limits [plus or minus] per asset class.”
-
Features
Old structures on the way out
Iain Morse reports on the transformation taking place in the Italian custody market
-
FeaturesDC: Lessons from around the world
Gail Moss asks whether Europe can learn lessons from the DC systems in countries such as Australia, Chile and the US
-
Features
EFRP surveys workplace pensions
Julie Henderson reports on the results of EFRP research into the state of workplace defined contribution schemes across Europe
-
Features
Preparing for the challenges ahead
The recent Global Pension Survey highlights a number of positive changes that pension fund managers are implementing to develop a business model that works in bull and bear markets alike. Changing demographics, pensions reforms in mature economies and fickle financial markets are creating strong tail-winds. But the ride will be ...
-
Features
Funds boost engagement
Pension funds have stepped up their corporate engagement processes in 2010 with the widely-backed campaign for more disclosure on the costs and impacts of Canadian oil sands projects.
-
Features
BVK’s new risk criteria
Liquidity is now a key issue for the €43.2bn Bayerische Versorgungskammer (BVK), Germany’s largest institutional investor, but the fund is not shying away from diversification.
-
Features
Pension Fund Horeca & Catering: Rare species
Liam Kennedy spoke with Ernst Hagen (pictured), head of asset management at Pension Fund Horeca & Catering (PH&C), which covers the Dutch hospitality sector
-
Features
On the comeback trail
This month’s Off The Record survey focuses on pension fund investment in private equity. Of the 34 funds that completed the survey, 70% stated they currently invest in private equity, while 30% did not.
-
Features
Keeping the global engine cool
Emerging markets might not have suffered the same financial pains as developed markets during the credit crisis, but Maha Khan Phillips finds they have a host of fiscal and monetary decisions to make as things get back to normal
-
Features
Swiss custodians rule at home
Iain Morse finds that local custodians dominate the Swiss market
-
Features
Diary of an Investor: Understand everything
Apologies for returning to an important theme that is still running in Holland – that the definition of good governance is one where the pension fund boards must only approve investment in strategies they completely understand. Think about that for a moment. Now picture this
-
Features
Untapped potential
Charlotte Adlung makes the case for Africa, warning that poor governance and infrastructure is the main stumbling block to investment
-
Features
Do as I say, not as I do
Consider this statement by International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) member Patricia McConnell in June 2006: “Is General Motors necessarily bankrupt because it has a huge pension obligation? No, as long as you can look at future obligations and say it will pay down that liability.”
-
Features
Cautious optimism in first GPS study
The first Global Pensions Survey (GPS) got off to a good start in February in the first phase of its launch, with a total of 78 European pension fund respondents from 16 countries in the initial round.
-
Features
Irish reforms under fire
More than two years after the Irish government first published its green paper on reforms to the pension system, the National Pensions Framework has been unveiled, proposing increases in state retirement age and auto-enrolment into pensions.
-
Features
Regulation roundup
Gail Moss highlights key legislative and regulatory developments for pensions across seven European countries
