Investor Strategy – Page 196
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BASF’s Belgian pension director steps down
BELGIUM – Sven Van Wichelen, director of the Belgian pension fund for German chemical giant BASF, is stepping down as of 1 December, the fund has confirmed.
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Julius Baer facing client attrition – Moody’s
SWITZERLAND – Bank Julius Baer & Co. could be facing client “attrition” as it seeks to absorb the three Swiss banks and the GAM arm it is buying from UBS, Moody’s Investors Service says.
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Italy’s Previcooper looking for asset managers
ITALY - Previcooper, the €70m complementary pension fund for employees of Italy’s distribution cooperatives, is looking for at least three asset managers.
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BGI’s Groenendijk joins Pensioenfonds Vervoer
NETHERLANDS – Barclays Global Investors principal Patrick Groenendijk has left to become head of investments at the €5bn Pensioenfonds Vervoer, the industry-wide transport sector pension fund.
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Demand for Germany’s Riester pensions surges
GERMANY – Demand for the Riester-Rente, a government-subsidised private pension launched in 2002, has increased dramatically this year, the German finance ministry has reported.
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Dutch employers critical of portability plan
NETHERLANDS – Dutch employers organisation VNO-NCW has criticised the European Commission’s proposed directive on pensions portability – saying it could threaten the Dutch pension system.
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Watson Wyatt hires Russell’s Penfold
UK – Consulting firm Watson Wyatt has hired Russell Investment Group’s Robin Penfold as a senior investment consultant.
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Ireland’s NPRF starts private equity programme
IRELAND – The €14.5bn National Pension Reserve Fund has initiated its new investment programme with a €75m private equity commitment with independent buy-out firm CVC Capital Partners.
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Achmea taps F&C for shareholder engagement
NETHERLANDS - Eureko's Achmea has signed up for F&C's Asset Management's shareholder engagement programme for €1.5bn in assets under management.
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Bond switch could cut UK profits – consultant
UK – A wholesale shift by pension funds away from equities to bonds prompted by liability-driven investing could cut UK corporate profits by billions of pounds, according to consulting firm Pension Advisor Review.
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Switzerland’s AVS may reduce US debt exposure
SWITZERLAND – The €15bn Swiss Federal Social Security Fund AVS is looking at investing in euro-denominated bonds following a possible cut-back in its investment in US bonds and dollar-denominated debt.
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Nestlé seeks pensions risk manager
UK – Nestlé is looking for a risk manager with experience in hedge funds to offer services, including the management of assets and liabilities, to its pension funds.
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ING’s Central Europe pension assets surge
EUROPE – Dutch banking group ING’s pension fund assets in Central Europe have risen by more than 32% to almost €7bn.
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Belgium to submit IORP law in January
BELGIUM - Belgian financial supervisors will present the final version of a new law for implementing the EU directive on occupational pensions in the first week of January.
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BGI looking for equity CIO as Annable exits
GLOBAL – Matthew Annable, European chief investment officer for active equities at Barclays Global Investors, is to leave next year in a “lifestyle change” – but his successor has not yet been chosen.
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Fortis Investments names Poland sales head
POLAND – Fortis Investments has named Grzegorz Swietlik as its new head of sales for Poland.
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€24bn UN pension fund ‘reviewing strategy’
GLOBAL – The $29bn (€24.7bn) United Nations pension fund may be reviewing its investment strategy to bring it more in line with the body’s humanitarian-based mission and objectives.
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Watson Wyatt earnings slip on acquisition costs
GLOBAL – Consulting firm Watson Wyatt & Co. has reported lower quarterly earnings – hit in part by a loss related to its acquisition of its European affiliate.
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Dutch actuaries respond to conflict fears
NETHERLANDS - The Dutch Actuarial Society, or AG, is to introduce a uniform statement for the assessment of the financial position of pension funds and insurers, it said.
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JPMorgan AM names new institutional head
EUROPE – JPMorgan Asset Management (JPMAM) has named Jens Schmitt as head of institutional business in Europe, replacing Peter Schwicht.
