All IPE articles in September 2021 (Magazine)
View all stories from this issue.
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Special ReportTop 1000 Pension Funds 2021: Powering on ahead
With a gross headline increase in pension assets of over €800bn – or 9.8% – Europe’s pension fund asset pools can be said to have powered through the COVID-19 crisis, riding the market highs to bank a solid recovery.
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Country ReportCountry Report – Pensions in the Netherlands (September 2021)
Dutch pension funds are hesitant to exclude companies or entire sectors from their investments universe and instead prefer to take the route of engagement, as we find out in our latest in-depth report on Dutch pensions. The report also covers how experiences from other countries can help illuminate the current Dutch pension reform, and analyses why the traditionally sleepy market for pension administration is undergoing unprecedented upheaval.
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FeaturesIPE Quest Expectations Indicator - September 2021
The delta variant has caused a new COVID-19 wave in many places but it is different in character from previous ones. New hospital admissions are typically from among the unvaccinated. The average age of COVID patients has also come down significantly. In western Europe, the current wave seems largely under control, albeit at higher levels in the old EU member states.
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Asset Class ReportsUK Micro Caps: Below the line of abandonment
Kestrel Partners exploits a structural inefficiency in the UK’s micro-cap market
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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
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Special ReportBelgium: Government sets universal access task
The Vivaldi coalition wants to increase second-pillar coverage and boost contributions
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Special ReportRisk transfer: The accounting perspective
The effect on liabilities from an accounting point of view is an important factor when considering a buy-in or buyout
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Opinion PiecesPolicy underpins action
Politicians in a variety of different places understandably want to harness the capital of institutional investors. Dutch and UK politicians in particular have made no secret of their desire for local pension funds to invest for domestic ends.
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Special ReportDenmark: ATP gets green light to adjust risk-reward balance
New legislation clears the way for ATP to take on more investment risk
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Country ReportDC switch shakes up the admin market
A combination of new technology and pension reform has prompted alliances between existing players and the entrance of new players
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Opinion PiecesAfrica’s challenge for Europe
“Europe needs to create a new ‘spice route’ through Africa to the markets of Asia”. That was what Martin Schoeller, managing director of the Schoeller Group, a diversified services company with a focus on sustainability, told me in a discussion on the need for greater European investment in Africa.
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FeaturesPerspective - After Merkel: in search of a new model for pensions
Germany’s new government will feel the pressure to transform the pension system. Some parties have embraced new funded concepts and have put forward credible ideas
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Special ReportItaly: Reform season lies ahead
Italian policymakers are discussing further changes to the pension system but are reluctant to address the fundamental problems
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FeaturesAhead of the curve: Will rising rates see value stocks win?
There is growing global anticipation that central banks are likely to increase short-term rates. The spectre of inflationary pressure on longer-term rates looms large. What does this mean for value and growth stocks? Value might be expected to come up top and growth to lose out. But this is not the whole story. We examined stock returns during several historical periods of rate increases in the US and UK to see which factor would ultimately come out on top, and when.
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InterviewsOn the record: Aiming for carbon neutrality
Two Nordic pension funds discuss their ambitious climate transition strategies
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Opinion Pieces
Notes from the Netherlands: Truly Paris aligned
A milestone was reached in July when the first Dutch pension fund announced its divestment from fossil fuels. Surprisingly, the fund in question was neither civil service scheme ABP nor healthcare fund PFZW, the two largest Dutch funds, both of which have the ambition to be leaders in sustainable and responsible.
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Special ReportUK: Funding challenges amid continued market uncertainty
The UK’s pension regulator emphasises the need for schemes to focus on long-term planning, transparency and risk management
