All IPE articles in June 2002 (Magazine) – Page 2
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Features
Sensible first step
The report by the European Federation for Retirement Provision (EFRP) ‘Rebuilding Pensions’ attracted little publicity when it was published two years ago. However, there are now signs that the European Commission (EC) is paying serious attention to its proposals. Last year, in his communication on the elimination of tax obstacles ...
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Features
Market-friendly faces needed
Hungary’s change of government following the April elections heralds more changes for the pensions industry. The centre-right Fidesz government of prime minister Victor Orban lost by a narrow majority to the Hungarian Socialist Party/Alliance of Free Democrats coalition headed by former finance minister Peter Medgyessy. Although left of centre on ...
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Features
Why everyone wins with z-scores
The publication of the first performance test of the Dutch industrywide funds has put the spotlight on the Netherlands’ unique system of pension fund rating – known as the z-score. The test is an assessment of how funds have measured up to their investment strategies in the years since the ...
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Features
Europe still struggling
As the dust settles on the Deutsche Börse and Clearstream merger, the European clearing and settlement picture is no clearer. High costs and inefficient market practices still dominate and many institutions – particularly investment management firms – are struggling to implement straight-through processing (STP) solutions. Put simply, STP is a ...
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Features
Inflation fears stalk Euroland recovery
The recent spate of optimism in Euroland’s equity markets is beginning to wane as inflationary fears keep resurfacing. “I have very little confidence in the equity markets at the moment. It’s not that the markets are doing badly, but they have become somewhat stagnant. Until the ECB increases rates and ...
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Features
Pensions to drive future of funds
The Italian fund management industry has been among the most attractive markets in Europe for quite some time, but this picture is changing slightly. The extraordinary growth that this industry experienced during the last decade has significantly slowed down, according to a study published by London-based FERI Fund Market Information ...
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Features
Dollar languishes in the doldrums
Is something happening to the dollar? Something big and bad? Between the beginning of March and mid-May of this year, the US currency has declined just over 5% versus the euro. Not that noteworthy perhaps and the foreign exchanges have certainly seen much more drama than that in the past. ...
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Features
Swedes mass migrate to DC
The transformation of the Swedish pension system since the mid 1990s is perhaps the most comprehensive endorsement of the defined contribution (DC) scheme in Europe. More than two million people have been moved into second pillar contribution-based plans in the space of five or six years. The first pillar has ...
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Features
Shifting the emphasis to the continent
A defining moment for Watsons, the UK’s oldest actuarial firm, and probably for international consultancy, was the alliance with the US-based Wyatt in 1995. “That was a big step in our history,” says Paul Thornton, the firm’s senior partner, based in Reigate. “Our end became Watson Wyatt Partners and in ...
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Features
Reacting to local conditions
The Northern Ireland (NI) economy is made up of small businesses – the figures from the Equality Commission that monitors employment patterns in the province for businesses over 11 employees, show that of the 3,800 businesses in the private sector, over 2,700 had less than 50 employees in 2000, and ...
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Features
The shape of things to come
The new shape of the Belgian pension fund industry is preoccupying Karel Stroobants, the former general manager of the VKG/CPM pension fund and just re-elected as president of the Belgian Pension Funds Association. “I want to do everything possible to put the new Belgian pensions law into place, once it ...
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Features
Risk clouds equities
Asset allocation is often emphasised as the most important single decision in the investment process leading to a good result. For portfolio managers a good result, of course, is outperforming a benchmark. As soon as the macroeconomic scenario is established, factors such as expected return on the different asset classes, ...
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