More comment – Page 23
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Opinion PiecesGreen bonds – a ‘no-brainer’ paragon
Institutional investors are constantly searching for the elusive ‘no-brainer’ investment: the one that offers clear additional benefits without additional risk
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FeaturesSaudi Arabia at the crossroads
As the liberal democracies of the world resign themselves to dealing with the aftermath of the US pull-out from Afghanistan, they face the fact that, as former UK prime minister Tony Blair stated recently, “despite the decline in terrorist attacks, Islamism, both the ideology and the violence, is a first-order security threat”.
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Opinion PiecesEngagement, divestment and emerging alternatives
Investment analysts make contrasting buy and sell recommendations for individual securities based on identical financial information – down to the last decimal point. The differential is judgement.
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Opinion PiecesCo-investment newcomers need to be selective
The US and UK are seeing a diminishing number of companies in the listed markets whilst the private equity (PE) markets are booming. For investors, that raises a number of issues, of which fees are an important one. Private equity fees are much higher than those of listed equity managers.
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Opinion PiecesNotes from Germany: Parties mull pensions
It all started with a selfie posted on social media. The leaders of the Green party Annalena Baerbock, candidate to be chancellor, and Robert Habeck posed with the Free Democrats’ Christian Lindner and Volker Wissing to show how serious they were to bridge the divide to form a new government coalition, prior to meeting with the winner of the election, the SDP’s Olaf Scholz.
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Opinion PiecesLetter from Australia: Super funds: shame in a name
Named and shamed! Thirteen Australian superannuation funds have been forced to inform their million-plus members that they have failed an inaugural superannuation performance test mandated by the financial regulator, the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA).
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Opinion PiecesLetter from US: University endowments setting the pace on fossil fuel divestment
US university and college endowments control more than $600bn (€517bn) of investments. Their policies often influence the behaviour of public pensions. So it is interesting to see whether Harvard’s recent decision to end its investments in fossil fuels will be followed not only by other universities but also by retirement systems.
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Opinion PiecesGuest viewpoint: Alex Edmans
Tariq Fancy, former chief investment officer for sustainable investing at BlackRock, claimed in a March 2021 USA Today op-ed that “Wall Street is greenwashing the financial world, making sustainable investing merely PR, which is a distraction from the problem of climate change”.
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Opinion PiecesViewpoint: Why we need deforestation-free portfolios by 2025
‘If we are to address climate change, we need to put an end to deforestation’
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Opinion PiecesAn alternative pensions future
It’s no real news that ageing is changing our society in numerous ways – from simple things like product design (making smart phones for older eyes and fingers to use) to more generationally diverse workplaces.
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Opinion PiecesPension funds should seek fee reductions in private markets
Pension fund investment in non-listed assets has grown considerably since the 2008 global financial crisis.
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Opinion PiecesConsultants’ education role in net-zero world
Investment consultants play a crucial role within the savings and investments arena. They provide strategic advice to asset owners (pension funds, sovereign funds, endowments, insurers, and others) relating to strategy, asset allocation, asset manager selection and – now more importantly than ever – investment beliefs.
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Book ReviewBooks: COVID: The first 10 weeks
Ten Weeks into COVID-19: Psyche, Money and Narratives: An interpretation of the crisis, Pascal Blanqué, Economica, 2021
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Opinion PiecesNotes on the Nordics: Moves may set up net-zero goal for GPFG
Two events have happened in quick succession that increase the chances of Norway instructing its huge sovereign wealth fund to push for net-zero greenhouse gas emissions in its investment portfolio.
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Opinion PiecesAgriculture: Time to rethink farming
The latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), released in August, provides grim reading. According to the summary for policymakers: “It is unequivocal that human influence has warmed the atmosphere, ocean and land. Widespread and rapid changes in the atmosphere, ocean, cryosphere and biosphere have occurred.”
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Opinion PiecesLetter from Australia: Public places, private matters
AustralianSuper marked a milestone with its successful takeover in 2019 of education provider, Navitas, for A$2.1bn (€1.3bn).
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Opinion PiecesGuest Viewpoint: The climate is ripe for change
If there is to be a successful transition to a net- zero global economy, trillions of dollars need to be invested in renewable energy generation, electricity transmission and storage systems, and energy efficiency. The need is for fresh money. At scale.
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Opinion PiecesViewpoint: Dump fossil fuels?
It is unrealistic to expect energy to become cheaper in the months to come
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Opinion PiecesViewpoint: We cannot let the fear of greenwashing impede real change
You could be forgiven for thinking greenwashing is everywhere
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Opinion PiecesViewpoint: Reform lessons from abroad
Pensions systems can be hard to compare but experiences from other countries can help illuminate the current Dutch reform process
