More comment – Page 33
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Opinion PiecesLetter from a country in crisis
Empty streets and squares are not a usual sight in Italy, a country whose people love to socialise. The deadly COVID-19 pandemic has even taught Italians to make orderly queues outside supermarkets. The reality is that while Italians are not good at prevention, they are outstanding at reacting to emergency situations, thanks to their experience dealing with earthquakes and other natural disasters.
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Opinion PiecesThe case for a UK sovereign wealth fund
In November 2012 I suggested in an article in IPE that the UK should set up a sovereign wealth fund. The House of Commons had a parliamentary debate on setting one up in December 2016* and included the IPE article in the background papers. Unfortunately, Brexit overshadowed all else, but now that it is done, there may be a case for revisiting the arguments.
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Opinion PiecesLetter from US: The Democratic agenda takes shape
“On day one, [Joe] Biden will use the full authority of the executive branch to make progress and significantly reduce emissions. Biden recognises we must go further, faster and more aggressively than ever before, by (among other things) requiring public companies to disclose climate risks and the greenhouse gas emissions in their operations and supply chains.” That is Joe Biden’s ‘Plan for a Clean Energy Revolution and Environmental Justice’ as it appears on joebiden.com, the official campaign website.
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Opinion PiecesGuest Viewpoint: Steve Waygood
History may well look back on 2019 as the year the world finally woke up to the threats posed by climate change. Yet, with the negotiation failures that occurred at the 2019 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Madrid (COP25), the year ended on a significant downer.
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Opinion PiecesViewpoint: Bond Yields Will Rise, But When?
U.S. bond yields have been declining for four decades; why would the next decade be any different? - Jim Caron, Morgan Stanley Investment Management, explains
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Opinion PiecesInvesting in an age of pandemics
Pandemics are master classes in managing existential uncertainty. Being overwhelmed is ‘normal’. Here are seven actions that we can take as citizens and investment professionals. The focus is on the US and the UK: their governments are floundering. The unravelling in the US is dangerous for investors. Both the UK and the US are very responsive to the financial sector.
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Opinion PiecesCoronavirus: Letter from Liam Kennedy, editorial director, IPE
Very few of our readers will not be affected in some way by the spread of coronavirus and COVID-19. For IPE and most of its editorial team based in the centre of London, the virus has curtailed travel and meetings. We have also taken the decision to postpone events, including ...
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Opinion PiecesDelivering sustainable long-term value
Some private equity investors claim the increased focus in private ownership imposes a new long-term perspective
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Opinion PiecesEasier to abolish than to reform
The collective pension plan in its various iterations is probably one of the most significant, and undersung, financial and policy innovations of the 20th century. Workplace pensions represent one of the most important, if not the most important financial assets for millions of people.
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Opinion PiecesJudgement needed more than ever
There are good reasons why even the most ardent technophile should be wary of the excitement surrounding new investment-related technology. Big data, artificial intelligence, machine learning and blockchain all no doubt have promising applications in the investment world.
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Opinion PiecesEquities – European banks see light ahead
The European banking sector is moving into positive territory as the tough regulatory pressure of recent years levels off
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Opinion PiecesA belated but welcome debate
The belief that the corporate culture of an asset management organisation affects its performance is gaining ground. Some investment consultants make reference to corporate culture as a factor driving manager selection. This may be marketing, but it could spark debate.
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Opinion PiecesSuper asset managers: size matters
Institutional investors must question how the emergence of super asset managers have really benefited them over the years, especially since the cycle of mergers and acquisitions seems to have continued 10 years on.
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Opinion PiecesDavos Diary: Benefitting all stakeholders
January’s World Economic Forum meeting in Davos captured the spirit of the early 21st century with the overall theme of “stakeholders for a cohesive and sustainable world
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Opinion PiecesLetter from the US: Lower rates, deeper holes
Something unprecendented happened in the US in the first weeks of January when the Milliman 100 PFI discount rate fell 35bps to a 20-year low of 2.85% “It was a very poor month for defined benefit (DB) plans, not a good start of the year and it dug an even deeper hole in their financial situation,” points out Zorast Wadia, principal, consulting actuary at Milliman. He is also author of the Milliman 100 pension funding index (PFI), an annual study of the 100 largest DB pension plans sponsored by US public companies.
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Opinion PiecesPerspective: Striving for net zero
Günther Thallinger, a member of the board of management at Allianz and chair of the steering group of the UN-convened Net-Zero Asset Owner Alliance, spoke in Davos about the role of asset owners in reducing carbon emissions
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Opinion PiecesGuest Viewpoint: Gregg McClymont
If the purpose of a pension system is to deliver a stable income in retirement, then the UK, strictly speaking, is on a path to leaving pensions behind.
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Opinion PiecesViewpoint: DB funding regime change
What might the UK Pension Schemes Bill and upcoming changes to the funding regime mean for managing DB schemes?
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Opinion PiecesViewpoint: A more precise way to unlock targeted factors
Factor investing is built on the premise that investors can manage risk and returns by applying an appropriate mix of equity factors such as value, quality, size, momentum and low volatility.
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Opinion PiecesViewpoint: Investing in green doesn’t equal greening the world
Financial products and services marketed as green must make a clear and measurable difference to the transition to environmental sustainability, argues Ben Caldecott.
