All Strategies articles – Page 24
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Asset Class Reports
European Equities: UK equities: The Liontrust approach
The UK equity market is still distinct from that of continental Europe because of factors such as its size, the large number of multi-nationals and mid-sized companies with global presence, and a still large domestic institutional investor base in the form of pension funds with relatively high domestic equity exposures.
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Asset Class Reports
European Equities: Corporate strength abounds
The picture is complex, but in general low indebtedness and high return on equity will cause capital flows to CEE corporates, writes Juraj Kotian
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Special Report
Hedge fund paradox
Nina Röhrbein looks at how the few responsible hedge funds are reconciling their short-term outlook with the medium to long-term nature of ESG investing
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Features
Forest funds snapshot
Céline Claudon presents the key findings from IWC’s comprehensive database of institutional timberland investment funds
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Features
Call off the funeral
Since the dotcom bust investors have endured a long period of headlines announcing the ‘Death of Venture Capital’. So why are practitioners telling Martin Steward to expect a new lease of life?
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Interviews
Breaking the bonds
Last month’s Strategically Speaking looked at how the dynamics of ageing, pension fund decumulation and tighter capital adequacy had influenced Schroders’ transformation from UK equities investor to global multi-asset manager.
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Features
Belgium’s conservative custodians
Iain Morse finds regulation change may force some smaller captive custodians to re-think their business model
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Asset Class Reports
Small & Mid-Caps: Global opportunities emerge
Surprisingly modest historical volatility and excellent diversification benefits: Rob Feldman, Chris Steward and Yogesh Borkar explore the under-analysed world of emerging market small-caps
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Features
Still at the station
Investors cursing themselves for missing the private equity secondaries train in 2009 can still get onboard, finds Martin Steward
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Interviews
Positioned for the new era in pensions
There are some clear long-term trends in pension asset management in Europe. Collective is giving way to individual provision. Defined benefit (DB) schemes are closing, crystalising liabilities and deficits, and implementing LDI programmes. This, together with accounting and capital adequacy standards and the decumulation phase of an ageing demographic, is pushing funds into fixed income. Where growth assets are still required, investors look beyond domestic markets because growth is expected to come from emerging economies.
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Interviews
Consolidating and concentrating
There has been a lot of change at Finasta Asset Management over the last two years. In 2009 parent company Finasta Group was sold by Lithuanian heavyweight Invalda to Bank Snoras, which had its own asset management outfit. This division was merged with Finasta Asset Management at the beginning of 2010, creating a rather odd-looking entity that was ripe for ‘synergies’.
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Asset Class Reports
Small & Mid-Caps: Small is beautiful
epoThe global small-caps universe is one of great diversity and opportunity. Joseph Mariathasan and Martin Steward speak to some top managers about their portfolios
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Special Report
Implementing ESG – the sustainable bank’s way
Some 75% of the core portfolios of KfW, Germany’s development bank, is managed sustainably, as Nina Röhrbein finds
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Features
Rare all-in business
The Danish pension and asset management industries are big enough to offer global custodians some glittering prizes. The mighty ATP, with assets in excess DKK610bn (€82bn) and effectively part of the state pension system, selected BNY Mellon as its global custodian in 2006.
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Interviews
Latin translation
“We have a saying in Spain,” says BBVA’s head of global asset management Luisa Gómez Bravo. “‘No vendas la piel del oso antes de haberlo cazado’.” Don’t sell the bearskin until you’ve hunted the bear. The proverb comes in response to the question of how the €140bn asset management unit of one of the biggest global banking brands remains so little-known among Europe’s institutional investors.
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Special Report
Fees: Just rewards
Unfairness, high levels, perverse incentives: fees are always guaranteed to raise temperatures. Martin Steward considers some imaginative proposals for alignment of interests
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Asset Class Reports
Emerging Market Equities: Emerging questions
The days of a simple emerging market allocation are over. Correspondingly, JosephMariathasan finds a variety of approaches among the top performing managers
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Features
Strategic dynamism
Optimal strategic asset allocation cannot be the same for investors with different levels of wealth at different moments in time, argue Philippe Aurain and Eric Bouyé
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Special Report
Clean India
Kirsteen Morrison identifies some showcase opportunities in renewable energy, water and agriculture in India
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Special Report
Fees: The big issue
Size definitely affects active management risks and returns, writes Matthew Craig. But the relationship is by no means a simple one