Latest from IPE Magazine – Page 76
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Special ReportESG futures: building from a strong foundation
Environment, social and governance (ESG) criteria have moved to the forefront of fund managers’ decisions, meaning that risk, reward and sustainability are now the three key considerations when investing.
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Special ReportESG outperformance: not about one factor
The recent outperformance of many ESG indices relative to broad market indices is well documented. The resilience of ESG strategies during the COVID-19 crisis has broadened the appreciation and appeal of ESG.
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Special ReportTurning scale and commitment into influence
The popularity of passive strategies such as ETFs among institutional investors might at first sight appear inconsistent with the role of asset owners as effective corporate stewards. The reality is that passive does not equate to a lack of interest or influence.
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Special ReportIndex design: do your research
Thematic exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are not new but over the past year those with a sustainability and technology slant have captured the imagination. Inflows have surged but investors are advised to be vigilant and judiciously examine the index construction and approach. As past events have shown, it is too easy to be caught off guard by rebalancing or by stocks that may not fit the bill.
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Special Report
Sustainable evolution puts index design centre stage
As the growth in sustainable investing continues to gather pace, index-based solutions have become popular with investors as a simple, low-cost and transparent way to implement sustainable strategies.
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Special ReportWhat the data-led technology revolution means for ETFs
Since launching in the early 1990s, ETFs have had a considerable impact on the investment landscape, providing a low-cost, simple alternative to mutual funds.
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Special ReportTheme regime: thematic investing and asset allocation
Portfolio construction has come a long way from the early work of Markowitz back in the 1950s. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, investors found more sophisticated quantitative methods to assess risk, expected return and the associated investment opportunities through mathematical machinery such as factor modelling.
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Special ReportBonds, boutiques and Bitcoin: ETF trends in 2021
The extreme events of 2020 sent ripples through the exchange-traded fund (ETF) market. Highly volatile markets in the first quarter gave way to a huge rally later in the year, with thematic products in particular reaping the benefits of significant inflows.
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Special ReportSemi-transparent ETFs: balance and confidence
For now, active semi-transparent or non-transparent exchange-traded funds are likely to remain unique to the North American and Australian investment markets; their European counterparts appear reluctant to take the plunge, although some industry experts believe this will change in time.
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Special ReportChina bond ETFs: the path to a new opportunity
Historically, investors outside of China have struggled to access the country’s full range of unique investment opportunities. But this story is changing as policymakers seek to liberalise Chinese stock and bond markets to allow greater access to onshore Chinese investments.
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Special ReportEnhanced index strategies offer the best of both worlds
Passive investing strategies have been some of the biggest beneficiaries of above-average equity market performance over the past decade: they produced strong returns for investors without needing to take any active risk to generate performance.
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Special ReportThe European bond market is modernising
The European bond market is modernising at a rapid pace, and fixed income exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are playing a crucial role in driving this progress. ETF liquidity, price transparency and versatility are propelling many of the developments we see in the market today and are supporting a more robust and structured bond ecosystem.
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Special ReportEvolution and diversification outpace consolidation
Asset manager consolidation had a direct impact on the European ETF market this year when Amundi announced its acquisition of Lyxor. This will merge the two largest French providers of these product ranges.
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Special ReportTop 1000 Pension Funds 2021: Powering on ahead
With a gross headline increase in pension assets of over €800bn – or 9.8% – Europe’s pension fund asset pools can be said to have powered through the COVID-19 crisis, riding the market highs to bank a solid recovery.
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Country ReportCountry Report – Pensions in the Netherlands (September 2021)
Dutch pension funds are hesitant to exclude companies or entire sectors from their investments universe and instead prefer to take the route of engagement, as we find out in our latest in-depth report on Dutch pensions. The report also covers how experiences from other countries can help illuminate the current Dutch pension reform, and analyses why the traditionally sleepy market for pension administration is undergoing unprecedented upheaval.
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Asset Class ReportsAsset class report – Equities
The number of listed companies in the US and the UK has fallen dramatically over the past quarter century, putting more pressure on institutional investors to invest in private equity, as we cover in this report. The report also looks at the emerging market small-cap sector and UK’s micro caps.
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Special ReportEU sustainable finance: Pushing the green envelope
How the industry is reacting to the European Commission’s sustainability proposals – including green taxonomy extension, a social taxonomy and hard targets for asset management to decarbonise
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Special ReportRisk transfer: A story of pent-up demand
Next year’s transaction values could exceed 2019’s record as trustees’ attention turns to future longevity
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Asset Class ReportsInflation report – Pension funds riding the wave
As the outlook for inflation becomes increasingly cloudy, European institutional investors try to focus on long-term trends
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Country ReportTo engage or to divest?
Dutch pension funds are taking a variety of approaches in their portfolio exclusion policies when it comes to ESG
