All articles by John Lappin – Page 7
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Features
German firms lag on costs
German companies may be handicapped in labour competitiveness because of pensions costs, according to figures from international consultants.Watson Wyatt Investment Consulting has produced a country-by-country comparison of the average return companies obtain from pension investments (see figure 1), which gives German companies and German-based subsidiaries the most to worry about.Mark ...
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Features
DB or DC: the debate
Supporters of defined benefit put up a spirited defence of their system against the advocates of defined contribution during a debate at the Asinta network’s annual conference in Rome last month.Roy Cecil, director of human resources Europe, Beckman Instruments, accused proponents of DC of cowardice and gross violations of human ...
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Features
Europe eyes the Dutch market model
The successful restructuring of the Dutch economy is attracting the attention of other European countries seeking to strengthen their international competitiveness, reports John LappinThe Dutch economy is the subject of media scrutiny in continental Europe as countries look for a blueprint for increased competitiveness. Economic success, reflected in recent stock ...
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Features
Legal snag hits Italian plans
Legal difficulties surrounding the participation of trade unions on the boards of planned Italian company pension plans mean the first contributions will not be paid until 1998.The Corte dei Couti, a body which oversees the content of legislation, last month struck down a decree put forward by labour minister Tiziano ...
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Features
Hong Kong: Strength from within
The Hong Kong market has been affected by sentiment indicators but is fundamentally strong, according to Chung Man Wing, director of HSBC Asset Management Hong Kong, which manages part of the pension investments for HSBC’s em-ployees in Hong Kong and elsewhere.In the very near term, worries about the local property ...
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Features
EURACS warns of danger ahead for Euro companies
Europe’s companies, particularly those based in southern Europe, could find themselves bearing the cost of social security cutbacks, a European consultancy network has warned.The warning accompanies the re-cently published report EURACS Pension Summaries, a survey of social security and pensions arrangements across Europe, compiled by EURACS member firms.In a statement ...
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Features
Winterthur's Pensionkasse marks Austrian expansion
The Winterthur Pensionskasse recently formed by the Swiss group in Vienna is seen as an important step in its pensions provision in Austria and for expansion in central and eastern Europe.The Pensionskasse has just become operational as an independent pension fund and taken on its first three clients, one of ...
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Features
Belgian pension funds look for equality with insurers
Belgian pension funds are looking for a level playing field with insurers as the authorities review the relevant regulations.Pension funds hope to expand into fixed commitment funds by running funds on the basis of a tariff and mortality tables - in addition to conventional funds, according to Hervé Noel president ...
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Features
Unison uncertainty as brokers merge
The future of the Unison consultancy network is in jeopardy as a result of merger plans between US in-surance giant, Marsh & McLennan - parent company of William Mercer - and Johnson & Higgins (J&H), the core of the Unison employee benefits network.The Unison network covers insurance broking as well ...
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Features
New law means all change for French pensions
France’s long-awaited Pensions Law finally arrives, reports John Lappin
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Features
Norway: Running with the bulls
With the factors driving Norway’s bull market still very much in place, the question is not whether it will continue to grow but how far. The market, reflecting a booming oil-driven economy has increased by 10% since the start of the year. With most indicators predicting continued growth the biggest ...
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Features
Change at political pace
With a new pensions law in place, the investment climate in France is changing, despite the government’s timidity on financial reform and public opposition to planned privatisations. John Lappin reports The historic exterior of the Paris Bourse belies the dynamism with which it is stealing a march on other markets ...
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Features
UK committee criticised for pensions recommendations
The UK-centred debate over Europe’s pensions liability and its affect on EMU heated up last month when a lobbying group published a paper criticising the Parliamentary Social Security Committee for recommending that unfunded pensions liabilities should be included in the EMU convergence criteria. In addition, in mid-February, the committee held ...
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Features
French company schemes 'a winner', says survey
The new French company pensions law should be a guaranteed success according to a survey carried out by Frank Russell Paris for Groupe AXA. Sixty-nine per cent of the companies surveyed aim to set up plans under the new law. A total of forty companies responded to the survey, carried ...
