All articles by Rachel Fixsen – Page 205
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Features
Where do consultancies see their business growing?
In Portugal, Thomas says quite a sizeable pensions consultancy market is likely to grow in the next few years, as the state’s role in pension provision is reduced and wealth moves from state control to the private sector. The details, however, are still unclear. “There is a lot of uncertainty,” ...
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Features
Busy times in Belgium
Pensions consultants in Belgium are doing a swift trade. The Belgian parliament approved new legislation on supplementary pension last May. The new law, which takes force in January, is far-reaching, and pension schemes have called in consultants to deal with its implications. “There’s a lot to do, and it affects ...
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Special Report
Vigilante armed with a torch
Pension funds in the UK are battling to deal with a public loss of confidence in them. Not only are asset values dwindling for the third year in a row, but high profile cases of excessive pay for top executives at some of the country’s biggest corporations has led to ...
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Features
Clamping down on costs
There is more pressure than ever on pension funds to keep a lid on their costs. “That’s because of the current environment,” says Ron Hitchens, financial controller of the Xerox pension fund in the UK. “Falling markets and therefore falling values of pension funds are happening at a time when ...
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Features
Off the floor
With the FTSE 100 index poised to push up through key resistance levels, sentiment in the London equities market has brightened. But strategists are not holding their breath. Share prices in the UK are unlikely to make any lasting upside progress just yet. The fact that prices have come off ...
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Features
Looking for yield pick-up
o Anna Lees-Jones, manager of the M&G Corporate Bond Fund, puts the fund’s success down to its research resources. She has access to the group’s 28 different credit analysts, all of whom are career analysts, having worked in the industry for at least 10 years. “That’s a huge advantage to ...
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Features
Asset to be avoided?
Despite a widespread flight to cash within the international investment community in periods over the last two years, by and large, pension funds have remained loyal to equities markets. With the FTSE All-World index down 38% since November 2000, many investors have seen cash as a safe haven. But while ...
