More comment – Page 15
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Opinion PiecesBanking crisis delivers a lesson on equity strategy
We may never know the precise reasons why the in-house equity team of Alecta, the €105bn Swedish pension scheme, chose to invest in excess of €1bn in risky US banks including Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), much of which has now been written off.
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Opinion PiecesUS: Private equity losses weigh on pension funds
US public pension funds should brace for a big negative surprise when they prepare their reports for the fiscal year ending 30 June 2023. Only then will their returns reflect losses from 2022 in their private equity (PE) portfolios.
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Opinion PiecesGuest viewpoint: LDI regulation should not ignore private asset solutions
In the aftermath of the liability-driven investing (LDI) crisis, The Pensions Regulator (TPR) in the UK drew up guidelines for pension funds to improve the resilience of LDI strategies. These guidelines primarily aim to support the creation of liquidity buffers so that pension funds can withstand yield shocks. To that end, the guidelines advise pension funds to conduct stress tests and identify suitable collateral with respect to both leveraged and unleveraged LDI strategies using yield-shock scenarios.
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Opinion PiecesAustralia: Super funds shift to fixed income
With fear of recession in Australia and globally, superannuation funds have gone into defensive mode. Cash and liquidity are two key considerations for CIOs, and some are waiting to take advantage of attractive market opportunities.
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Opinion PiecesViewpoint: Stewardship beyond the surface: not all engagement is created equal
Put simply, good engagement leads to better client outcomes over the long run – and the opposite also applies
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Opinion PiecesViewpoint: Can we use gender diversity to generate greater investment returns?
The effect of gender diversity on company performance has been well researched, but can it be used to identify the potential for better investment outcomes? Realindex conducted a new study to find out.
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Opinion PiecesViewpoint: The power of prioritisation
When you can’t decide on return and risk, you think of the window of light
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Opinion PiecesMight Ukraine’s distressed assets one day look attractive to pension funds?
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 has tested Europe’s political and economic resolve. But where Vladimir Putin attempted to sow discord, he instead has failed to divide the West.
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Opinion PiecesHow to define natural capital and greenwashing
Last month, I wrote about recent challenges that have arisen from the terminology of sustainable finance – the legal and political consequences of the sometimes careless ways that terms like ESG, ethics, risks and impact have been interchanged depending on audience and public mood.
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Opinion PiecesGermany's gamble with sweeping pension reforms
This is without a doubt an interesting time for pension reforms in Germany, given the inevitable associated risks of failure.
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Opinion PiecesThe cost of gender equality in pensions
The gender pension gap continues to be a significant issue in the European labour market, where women are at a disadvantage compared to men in terms of retirement income.
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Opinion PiecesGuest viewpoint: The elephant in ISSB's drawing room
In mid-summer 2022, the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) invited public comments on exposure drafts of its first two white papers: IFRS S1 on general requirements for disclosure of sustainability-related financial information, and IFRS S2 on climate-related disclosures. It received what was described as a “torrent” of responses.
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Book ReviewBooks: Financial crises and the failure of risk measures
This is a great book for anybody who would like to understand the causes and dynamics of financial crises. The author delivers deep insights into systemic financial risks for our economies, and why risk management tools and regulations fail when it matters most. The text is written in conversational style, full of anecdotes, wisdoms and polemics, which makes reading a pleasure even for the non-expert. To be recommended not only for risk managers but also for investment directors and trustees.
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Opinion PiecesViewpoint: Progress managing climate risk means stops as well as sprints
A climate stocktake may feel like a delay – in fact, it is crucial to making progress
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Opinion PiecesViewpoint: China - Reopening should drive growth
After a year of anaemic growth – by China’s standards – we expect a recovery in Chinese economic activity to gradually take place in 2023
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Opinion PiecesViewpoint: Clearing made easier and more resilient, but you can’t make an omelette without breaking eggs
CCP clearing is highly concentrated in a few financial centres around the globe, with the City of London playing a very important role
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Opinion PiecesGermany's first-pillar pension reform plans: tough to meet expectations
How would you design your asset allocation if you were building a portfolio from scratch? This is the question facing the governors of Germany’s new state pension buffer fund, the grandly titled ‘Generationenkapital’ (Generational Capital) fund. The expectations are high.
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Opinion PiecesFull steam ahead for UK de-risking market
This year is set to be the largest yet for the UK defined benefit (DB) pensions de-risking market, with at least £40bn (€45.8bn) in bulk annuity transactions and £20bn in longevity hedges expected to be completed, according to WTW’s latest de-risking report.
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Opinion PiecesTime for honesty in the face of the ESG backlash
Sustainable finance is a broad church: it covers small investors whose clients want their capital to benefit society through to big managers who only consider environmental and social issues if they stand to make money.
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Opinion PiecesDenmark: Seeking answers on unlisted valuations
The perennial problem of how unlisted assets should be valued has reared its head in Denmark. Data collated by one financial adviser on pension funds’ 2022 private equity investments has led to worries about an apparent black-box approach to valuation processes.
