Latest from IPE Magazine – Page 634
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Features
Sectors have arrived
European institutions have little choice but to invest in European equities, be it via a domestic or foreign equity allocation, structured as a euro or pan-European mandate, or the European element of a global mandate. Four years after the birth of the euro, the means by which institutions achieve European ...
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Features
Continuous cycle of advice
The whole point of the pensions consultancy business is to help pension schemes do what they have to do in the best possible way. They are there to provide backing at all levels, from expert advice on arcane investment instruments to performing some of the day-to-day administrative chores a company’s ...
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Features
Where do consultancies see their business growing?
In Portugal, Thomas says quite a sizeable pensions consultancy market is likely to grow in the next few years, as the state’s role in pension provision is reduced and wealth moves from state control to the private sector. The details, however, are still unclear. “There is a lot of uncertainty,” ...
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Features
Self assessment rules OK?
The pensions industry relies heavily on consultants, but increasingly, there are calls for them to quantify what exactly it is that they do, and how they do it. In the UK, some of the major consultancies have responded by publishing analysis of their own results – putting into basis points ...
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Features
Biting the hand that feeds
IPE’s look at investment managers’ attitudes to consultants makes sobering reading for some consulting giants. When asset managers were asked to name the five firms that impressed them most in order of preference some of the biggest firms barely got a mention, while others failed to be number one with ...
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Features
Funds' qualified support
European pension funds are strong supporters of pensions consultants. According to the responses to a survey undertaken by IPE, the overwhelming majority of (91%) – use external pensions consultants. Of those which do not, just 6% say they have in-house expertise. One respondent however went further: “Our pension fund has ...
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Features
Value for money?
The cost of something depends on people’s willingness to pay the price. In pension consulting it requires them to place a value on advice where local knowledge is vital and limits cross-border competition and so the UK leads the way in charging clients the most. In part this is because ...
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Features
Ironing out the creases
In their eagerness to court increasingly powerful consultants, investment management firms throughout Europe have created consultant relations positions. But the consultants themselves are still not convinced that they are getting what they need. Like client relationship managers, consultant relations executives are the first point of contact for consultants looking for ...
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Features
Torn by conflicts of interest
It is estimated that up to 90% of a quoted service company’s market capitalisation is due to its reputation. But this reputation can take a knock from clients and investors if people think there are conflicts of interest in the service provided and firms are no longer perceived as independent. ...
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Features
Next on the US chopping block?
The investment consulting business in the US is very concentrated, with the leading firms controlling 70% of the market. But this situation is slowly changing, because of the increasing competition coming from new entrants and because of the recent mutual fund scandal’s ripple effects. “The top 20 leading consulting firms ...
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Features
Lure of sound regulation
Rightly or wrongly, offshore jurisdictions are associated with light regulation, and the main job of offshore regulators is perceived to be placing as few obstacles as possible in the way of multinational companies wishing to set up pension schemes for their employees. Guernsey, for example, has specifically exempted international pensions ...
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Features
Philips focuses on the possible
Though the Philips Group as a worldwide electronics company operating in over 60 countries worldwide has a total workforce of 166,500 employees, it currently does not have any multinational pension plans. The pension plans the group has across the globe were established as the company grew its activities over the ...
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Features
Dedicated follower of market trends
When mad cow disease was discovered in Washington state last December, cattle futures collapsed. However, the US dollar also continued its downward slide. As a result, the Mulvaney Capital Management Global Diversified programme, which invests in a mixture of commodities and financials, ended the month 5.35% up. Managed futures is ...
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Special Report
One manager's crusade
Corporate governance and better investor relations have become some of the main buzzwords for listed companies and investors in continental Europe. But there is much discussion without coming to the point. Commissions hold dozens of meetings and statements are made without any commitments. Especially in Germany, the concept that the ...
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Features
Getting the best from custodians
Has your custodian ever lost any of your assets? Probably not. Should you worry about such risks? Surely yes. But how much should pension fund directors get involved in custody issues? In fact, there are normally no major problems that would require the attention of pension fund boards. Custody seems ...
