All Features articles – Page 361
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Features
Nestlé optimises plan design to fit new opportunities
The beneficiaries of the Nestlé pension plan pay a fixed contribution of 2% of their respective salaries into the Nestlé Pensionskasse (NPK). In return they receive the benefit of participation in the Nestlé Versorgungkasse’s (NVK) defined benefit (DB) plan. The Nestlé Rückdeckungskasse (NRK) is a support fund, which serves the ...
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Features
Sign of distinction for strategies designed to meet goals
What the judges said: “The sophisticated financial, legal and economic unbundling of commercial real estate cash income streams as a means to protect the indexed portion of the defined benefit plan’s liabilities is assumed to reduce the overall risks of a mismatch between liabilities and assets. It has merit for ...
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Features
Determination to show Europe what group can provide
Innovation “with new investment vehicles” is how one judge summed up his view of France’s PRO-BTP Finance. This thriving operator has long benefited domestically from a good reputation reinforced by various awards from French organisations but the IPE Award for investment strategy may allow the company to exploit markets beyond ...
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Features
VPK diversifies strategies and managers for outperformance
Established in 1990, the Vereinigte Pensionskasse AG (VPK) is the largest general pension fund in Austria. The running contributions increased to e106m in 2001. In March 2001 the VPK commenced the formulation of a new equity holding concept. Two central themes dominated this formulation, namely strategy diversification and manager diversification. ...
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Features
Why sector shifts start to dominate
The past two years of dull market performance have made investors increasingly focus on a number of key issues that most impact portfolio diversification. Although one clear trend has been to minimise benchmark risk, the other area that has grown significantly has been the use of sector allocation as a ...
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Features
FP Métal opens door for sector plans
When employers and trade unions in the Belgian metal industry came together in 1999 to discuss the formation of what was to become the Fonds de Pension Métal, it was the first time ever that a sector-wide plan had been contemplated to provide an occupation-related pension plan for a group ...
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Features
A second win enhances fund's drive to make more improvements
Austria’s APK pension fund was more than delighted to learn that it had won the IPE investment strategy award for the second year running. “Winning this award again is a strong acknowledgement from Europe’s pension fund industry of our professionalism and leadership and it places substantial weight behind our general ...
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Features
Recognition as market leader highlights drive for
What the judges said: ”Sophisticated and well defined technically.” The judges noted that AP3 had made a clear statement of the problem, which they said was “very difficult to solve”. AP3, however, according to the judges, had come up with “innovative concepts” and an “honesty” in recognising the limitations of ...
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Features
Keeping their edge
Risk is a growing problem that has yet to be properly addressed by many cash investors. At the bottom of the economic cycle, investors would usually be expected to reduce risk, as rising corporate defaults and business failures significantly increase the chances of a loss of capital. But, because of ...
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Features
The end of pension schemes?
The Irish regulatory authority, the Pensions Board, has begun to examine submissions from providers of Personal Retirement Savings Accounts (PRSAs). PRSAs are a new type of investment vehicle, introduced under the 2002 Finance Act. They are intended to be a cheap, flexible and portable alternative for people who would not ...
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Features
Enhanced yield strategies
New lows in global short-term interest rates have rendered investing problematic for yield-seeking investors. While declining rates are good for bond prices, they are not very welcome news for the many investors who rely on a stable or growing stream of income. Weak global economic growth, lurching equity markets and ...
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Features
Europe is going specialist
With global financial markets continuing their struggle, many European pension funds are taking a closer look at their portfolios, and an increasing number are switching their assets into specialist mandates. A recent study by Mercer Human Resource Consulting revealed a 64% increase in specialist mandates in Europe over the last ...
