More comment – Page 25
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Opinion PiecesNotes from Switzerland: Work in progress
History repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce: now another referendum result in Switzerland is poised to obstruct changes designed for a long-term impact.
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Opinion PiecesSocial risks impact on employer covenant
The UK’s Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) recent consultation – Consideration of social risks and opportunities by occupational pension schemes – seeks to assess how trustees understand ‘social’ factors and how they aim to integrate financially material social factors into investment and stewardship activities.
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Opinion PiecesLetter from US: Hybrid plans in focus
The move from defined benefit (DB) pension plans to defined contribution (DC) has been ongoing for years in the US, both in the private and public sector. But more recently many state and local governments have adopted hybrid designs.
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Opinion PiecesPerspective: Swensen’s legacy grows
The late David Swensen achieved a remarkable performance edge for the Yale Endowment, can it be replicated by pension funds
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Opinion PiecesGuest Viewpoint - Cyril Demaria: Three lessons on private market investing
Writing our book Asset Allocation and Private Markets has led its authors to revisit an old adage, venture on an unusual path, and confront an academic theory.
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Opinion PiecesLetter from Australia: When the ‘kill switch’ misfires
The Australian government is attempting to push through Parliament legislation that would selectively benchmark the performance of superannuation funds – but has given up its intention to override investment decisions made by super funds.
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Opinion PiecesViewpoint: Bursting the bubble
Do widespread narratives about speculative bubbles stand up to the evidence?
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Opinion PiecesViewpoint: Why companies and investors must leave ESG ratings behind
ESG ratings are an oversimplication, says Alexandra Mihailescu Cichon of ESG data science firm RepRisk
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Opinion PiecesThe rising tide of corporate governance
In the last year, there has been a broad shift in corporate governance focus towards social issues, including human capital management – the ‘S’ of ESG.
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Opinion PiecesThe recovery does not eliminate systemic risk
The world’s economy is already recovering from the damage inflicted by the lockdown measures imposed to contain the spread of COVID-19 in 2020.
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Opinion PiecesEstablishing a sustainable path
Investors increasingly want to take a more environmentally, socially and governance-conscious approach to investing. Despite the growing choice of ESG strategies, the wide range of products and a lack of uniformity can make it difficult to compare the options.
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Opinion Pieces
Notes from the Nordics: GPFG brought into politics
The Norwegian Government Pension Fund Global (GPFG) is a phenomenon – the world’s largest sovereign wealth fund owned by a population of just 5.3m, accounting for a sixth of all SWF assets and the owner of 1.5% of all listed equities.
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Opinion PiecesIncorporating climate change within investment portfolios
Recording the possible impacts of climate change on investment portfolios is becoming a regulatory and reporting requirement. Asset managers and asset owners will need to incorporate it into future management information and reporting systems.
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Opinion PiecesLetter from Australia: Coalition mulls super hike
There are arguments both for and against a rise in compulsory superannuation contribution rate as Australia emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic .
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Opinion PiecesLetter from US: The rise of the new alternatives
Pension funds and other institutional investors used to invest in hedge funds aspiring to outperform public stock and bond benchmarks. Now, after years of disappointing performances, they have changed their attitude. They still invest in hedge funds, but the new expectation is simply to get a few percentage points above the return on zero risk investments.
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Opinion PiecesGuest Viewpoint: Principles for setting CEO pay
As we emerge from the AGM season, executive pay has, once again, been a lightning rod. Often pay is presented in simple headline numbers and narratives, but, in fact, pay is among the most complicated issues that percolate to board level. In my experience of sitting on boards for more than a decade, there are several principles that should guide the best global companies in setting executive pay.
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Opinion PiecesViewpoint: To kick or not kick the proverbial can down the road
With world leaders committing to reduced carbon emissions targets and with COP26 in November this year, achieving net zero is coming into sharper attention more than ever.
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Opinion PiecesViewpoint: Why ‘portfolio temperatures’ will be the investment measure of the future
Climate change has become one of the most pertinent issues facing society today.
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Opinion PiecesAbundant opportunity… and risk
In case you needed reminding, both China’s equity and fixed-income markets are the world’s second-largest after the US.
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Opinion PiecesEmerging markets require a rethink
A rethink of the term ‘emerging markets’ is long overdue. It has always been a catch-all category but the gap between the description and reality is becoming over-stretched.
