All Features articles – Page 362
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Features
The standardisation of Europe
One of more comforting features of pension funds around Europe is their national differences but with the forthcoming adoption of International Accounting Standards this is likely to change. This change will arise as the European Union has adopted a regulation requiring publicly traded companies in the European Union to apply ...
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Features
External recognition of quality of revamped plan
The Dublin-based Electricity Supply Board Pension Scheme (ESB) ESB is delighted to have won an IPE Award for the second consecutive year. Last year it was for investment strategy but this year the ESB has picked up the prestigious country leader award for fund structure. “In a defined contribution (DC) ...
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Features
PBU works out to 'get fit'
The Pensionskassen for Børne- og Ungdomspædagoger (PBU) scheme has more than 72,000 members with premium benefits of DKK1.3bn (e175m) a year. Before the end of 2000, PBU had been wholly administered by Sampension. At that time, PBU had been imbued with a defensive attitude, costs that were deemed far too ...
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Features
Very singular focus
It’s been three years now since US west coast bond specialist Pimco was bought out by German giant, Allianz, and around a year since the firm began digesting the subsequent tie-up between Allianz and Dresdner. The firm could be forgiven for feeling a little sluggish on the back of such ...
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Features
Thoroughly 'modern' funds reaps rewards for the second time
What the judges said: “They are a serious player and are developing their strategy. In particular they have developed their reporting system in co-operation with an outside specialist and it is very modern by Finnish standards, for example providing for analysis of performance attribution. Their risk management system is also ...
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Features
Signal for other funds to take same steps
The Basel-based Novartis Pension Fund, the pension scheme of pharmaceuticals and health-care group Novartis, believes it was the novel idea to ‘monetise’ its real estate portfolios that led the IPE Awards judges to pick it as country group investment strategy winner for Switzerland. One judge commended it on the grounds ...
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Features
Global players making inroads
When the Second Swedish National Pension Fund (AP2) appointed State Street to provide global investment services for its $14bn of assets under management in June this year, the move highlighted a disturbing trend for the Nordic region’s domestic global custodians. Are the region’s larger pension funds players and insurance companies ...
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Features
Hands-off ownership
This month’s Off The Record takes a look at the subject of shareholder activism and the extent to which pension funds should get involved in the affairs of the companies in which they invest. European pension funds hold a significant share of corporate assets. Yet in general they take little ...
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Features
TotalFinaElf harmonises plans
TotalFinaElf employs what it calls a harmonised package of supplementary pensions and savings plans. The group has shown a willingness to put in place new common personnel administration procedures within group companies designed to facilitate mobility. The approach fits in with the new legal framework for long and short-term savings ...
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Features
Industriens trims strategy with hedges
Industriens Pensions’ invested portfolio, which is expected to grow significantly over the next few years as a result of increasing contribution payments, consists of a broad range of asset types, of which shares – according to the investment framework drawn up by the board – may constitute between 25 and ...
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Features
Managing the investment portfolio
Senior managers at some of Europe’s top pension funds agree on one thing: that they are investing for the long term, though they differ on how to achieve their aims in terms of how they manage their funds, allocate assets and monitor their absolute returns. The executives were speaking at ...
