All Features articles – Page 85
-
Features
Bolt the penthouse door
The apparent recovery in the UK and converging spreads in euro-zone bond markets mask deep structural flaws in economies that have seen little genuine reform, argues Eamonn Butler
-
Features
Sounding boards
Charlotte Valeur argues that fund governance should be improved with more pro-active communication between investors and boards, independent of the investment adviser
-
Features
The big picture
The ECB’s actions and words after its June meeting were met with approval throughout the world’s capital markets. As much of what was announced was already priced in, there was a fairly muted response, which wasn’t sufficient to weaken the euro too much.
-
Features
Risk in emerging markets and beyond
Book review Emerging Markets in an Upside Down World: Challenging Perceptions in Asset Allocation and Investment, Jerome Booth (Wiley, £29.99)
-
Features
Pensions cart before the horse
It may come a surprise that the UK, Europe’s leading pension market by assets, has been one of the least innovative in terms of benefit design – something the present government is keen to rectify.
-
Features
Put the trust back
Italy is a self-perpetuating paradox. Structural and historical forces keep the country under constant pressure; yet they drive a search for innovation to solve long-lasting problems. The pension system is a perfect example.
-
Features
How we run our money: My door is always open
Alfredo Granata and Paola Muratorio tell Carlo Svaluto Moreolo about their fund’s drive to invest in the real economy and its openness to new ideas
-
Features
Can the UK import concepts from abroad?
Government plans for pensions caused ripples in the industry after the official opening of the 2014-15 UK parliamentary session.
-
Features
Pension Fund Governance: ABP to the ballot box
For the first time, the €309bn Dutch civil servants fund has held elections for its accountability body. More controversially, pensioners will now sit on the main board, writes Mariska van der Westen
-
Features
Focus Group: Do you get what you pay for? (Part 2)
Just half of the participants to this month’s Focus Group think diversity on a pension fund board is important – but three respondents ranked it as “very unimportant”. “[It is important] both in terms of employer representation, member representation, cultures and gender. Diversity is a key aspect of our communication strategy,” said a UK fund.
-
Features
All new IAS19: the verdict
The International Accounting Standards Board issued revisions to its pensions-accounting standard IAS19 in 2011. But has the project delivered the goods? Stephen Bouvier asks KPMG’s Naz Peralta about the evidence
-
Features
Pressure on, pressure off
The 22 July deadline for implementation of the Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive (AIFMD) is looming. As with other EU financial legislation, AIFMD will be enforced via national regulators and with varying approaches, so this will not be consistent across EU member states.
-
Features
Look to the north
In the Netherlands we are sensitive to environmental problems and are aware of our vulnerability as a low-lying nation to rising sea level. After all, you have to if a fifth of your land and a fifth of your people are below sea level.
-
Features
Nudging its way to reform
Nearly two years after the German pension association aba threw its weight behind the introduction of auto-enrolment, little has happened to increase the coverage of the second pillar.
-
Features
Investing in a slow-growth world
Demographic trends probably mean slower economic growth in the developed world. Katherine Davidson argues that a thorough understanding of demographics will be essential for generating alpha in this environment
-
Features
Fuelling risk
Investors need to consider the extent to which their portfolios are exposed to rising climate-change risk, writes Mark Nicholls
-
Features
High frequency problems
High frequency trading (HFT) has scuttled into the limelight this year since the publication of Flash Boys, Michael Lewis’ recent book on the subject. While most people agree that faster, smarter trading is generally good, and that rigged markets are an entirely bad thing, there is by no means agreement where HFT fits in.
-
Features
Focus Group: Do you get what you pay for?
Asset management offers poorer value for money than other service industries, if IPE’s latest Focus Group survey results are anything to go by.
-
Features
Focus Group: Do you get what you pay for?
Asset management offers poorer value for money than other service industries, if IPE’s latest Focus Group survey results are anything to go by. Eighteen out of 36 respondents feel that it is worse while only 10 feel that it is better. Passive management is considered best in terms of value for money and investor-friendly fee structures, followed by benchmarked long-only active management and smart beta. Private equity and especially hedge funds are seen as the worst offenders.
