Latest from IPE Magazine – Page 426
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IP Asia
CAT bonds an alternative in correlated markets
CAT bonds expose investors to infrequent, extreme weather.
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IP Asia
Still work to do in India
Joseph Mariathasan talks to Gautam Bhardwaj, one of the architects of India’s pension reform.
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Features
AMF bonuses become a toxic issue
The outrage sweeping Europe and North America at bonus payments and large pension pots awarded to executives of loss-making financial services entities is also reflected in Sweden. The highest profile victim is AMF, Sweden’s largest pension insurance company and one of its most trusted brands.
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Features
Time to rethink Irish benefits
Accrued benefits in defined benefit (DB) schemes have previously seemed off-limits for employers looking to cut costs. But with an estimated 90% of Irish DB schemes failing the minimum funding standard it may be time for a rethink.
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Features
CEE funds air crisis challenges
The financial crisis and economic recession are taking their toll on the stability of the pension reforms, Chris Verhaegen, secretary general of European Federation for Retirement Provision (EFRP), told her organisation’s 24 March conference in Budapest on the private pension systems in central and eastern European countries.
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Country Report
Cross-border developments
The EU Commission has published the findings of a consultancy process on pension solvency it launched last year. Cornelia Schmid assesses the process and outlines the view of the German corporate pension fund association (aba)
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Country Report
Who’s afraid of BilMoG?
As the domestic accounting reform BilMoG passes into legislation, Alfred Gohdes and Nigel Cresswell assess the implications for German corporates
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Special Report
Prepare for inflation shock
Thomas Thygesen looks at how best to ease into an optimised and diversified exposure to an inflationary scenario
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Opinion Pieces
A stockpickers’ market
History suggests a good decade ahead for equities, but good stockpicking will enjoy handsome returns even in a stagnating market, argue Habib Subjally and Perry Winfield
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Special ReportShining the light of transparency
Efforts are increasing to stamp out corruption and to restore confidence in global capital markets. Nina Röhrbein reports
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Special Report
Credit crunch reshapes custody
Demand for custodians’ services is rising as the credit crunch forces trustees and pension boards to pay attention to previously neglected areas of risk, finds Iain Morse
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Features
Regulatory Risk
Wasserdicht Pensionskasse in Frankfurt invited me to talk to them about risk. ‘You can tell us what you think we should do and what you think best practice should be in terms of risk management. And we have asked an EU regulator to talk to us. You will like him’.
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Features
A risky business
It’s no exaggeration to say that the parameters of investment risk and reward were thrown out in the final three months of 2008 following the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers, as markets plunged at a time when interest rates plummeted and investment correlations approached zero.
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Interviews
Revolution for survival
Jan Straatman has chosen a quote from Charles Darwin as the motto for his plans to restructure €330bn Dutch investment management giant ING: “It is not the strongest of the species which survive, nor the most intelligent, but those most able to change.”
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Features
Undiminished allure
Last year’s equity market collapse made stocks look poor on a 10-year view against cash and bonds. But they remain the best way to get exposure to long-term economic growth. Lucy MacDonald makes the case for equities
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Asset Class ReportsBanking on animal spirits
Global equity valuations – both absolute and relative to credit – are proving difficult to pin down. Joseph Mariathasan finds managers tiring of paying a premium for defensiveness but are hopeful that ‘animal spirits’ can sustain an upward trend
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Features
Greeks bearing gifts
Volatility is one of the best diversifiers money can buy, and yet few pension funds recognise it as an asset class. Martin Steward explores the possibilities
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Special Report
Boost your hedge
Supplementing index-linked bonds with alternative investments in the liability-matching portfolio can take some pressure off of the return-seeking portfolio – thereby improving risk management, argues Lionel Martlellini
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Special Report
Maintaining the flow
Last year’s multi-faceted liquidity crunch will change the way funds of hedge funds manage their clients’ money, writes Beverly Chandler
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Special Report
Back to basics
Years of under-investment in risk management cannot be solved simply by buying the hottest new technology, warns Lynn Strongin Dodds
