http://www.pensions-expert.com/More/The-Weekly-Wrap-June-27-edition
More

The Weekly Wrap: June 27 edition

By Daniel Scanlon | June 27, 2014

A round-up of pensions and investment stories published across the FT Group – from German investors eyeing global real estate, to a call for pension fund transparency over carbon exposure.

German investors eye international property funds

The week in numbers 

River and Mercantile expects to receive £15m from its IPO.

At an estimated £100bn, the LGPS funding deficit could be more than twice the official estimate

Partnership Assurance is planning to get rid of 100 roles in a bid to cut costs.

MandateWire: German institutional investors are increasing their investments in alternative asset classes, seeking diversification outside their domestic market and focusing on real estate. Alternative asset classes account for 56 per cent of all planned investments in Germany recorded by MandateWire since the start of 2013.

River and Mercantile lists with valuation of £150m

FT: Asset management and pension consultancy River and Mercantile has listed on the London Stock Exchange with a valuation of £150m. The company – formed in February from a merger of consultancy P-Solve and asset manager River and Mercantile – expects to receive £15m in the initial public offering.

Deficit of UK regional pensions questioned

FTfm: The funding deficit of the Local Government Pension Scheme is twice as large as the official estimate, according to independent pensions consultant John Ralfe. The official figure announced last week following the LGPS’s triennial valuation was £47bn, but Ralfe claimed the scheme’s cash funding deficit was close to £100bn in 2013.

UK annuity group Partnership Assurance to cut one in five jobs

FT: Partnership Assurance is planning to cut around 100 roles as part of an effort to reduce expenses by £21m – about a fifth of its annual operating costs. Steve Groves, chief executive at Partnership, said: “Whilst this is regrettable, we believe this action is necessary to manage our cost base to reflect the impact of the pension changes.”

Pension funds urged to publish climate risks

FTfm: Concerns over the long-term investment risks of carbon-intensive portfolios has led to growing calls for transparency around pension funds’ carbon exposure. Sweden’s minister for financial markets, Peter Norman, has said he wants global pension funds to “publish their carbon footprint”, although he does not want restrictions on where they can invest.

Most read on pensions-expert.com

Schemes face costly tax defeat after HMRC ruling
Altmann: Exceptional measures needed as monetary policy tightens
Schemes plough £24bn into gilts despite low yields
Six key graphs on the regulator's uphill task on scheme data
How JP Morgan and RBS give DC members retirement flexibility

This week's social media comment

 

Back to the blog

Print