All Alternative assets articles – Page 3
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NewsTapping DC schemes for growth fund raises industry concern
Chancellor Rishi Sunak is reportedly hoping to draft defined contribution schemes into propping up the government’s proposed Long-Term Assets Fund, though experts have raised concerns about its practicality.
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NewsTPR: Trustees must ‘improve their understanding’ of liquidity risks
On the go: Trustees need to improve their understanding of liquidity risks and do more to monitor and mitigate against them, the Pensions Regulator has said.
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NewsLGPS assets drop 5% in 2020 as contribution income rises
Local Government Pension Scheme assets fell by 4.9 per cent in 2020 to £276bn, but funds saw increases in membership and contribution income, according to the most recent annual report from the LGPS Advisory Board.
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NewsUSS invests in Iberian solar energy platform
On the go: The £67.6bn Universities Superannuation Scheme has invested €225m (£193.7) in an Iberian solar energy platform.
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PodcastsPodcast: Pension schemes’ under-allocation to China is ‘anachronistic’
Podcast: UK pension schemes are too often under-allocated to China and missing out on the significant opportunities presented by its continued growth and development. There are, however, lingering environmental, social and governance concerns around investing in the “nominally communist” state, says RisCura investment consultant Lars Hagenbuch. He is joined by SEI Investments director Cyprian Njamma in an episode also covering Covid-19 mortality data and the Pensions Regulator’s proposed asset information reform.
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NewsCost Transparency Initiative sees 23% spike in schemes’ uptake
On the go: The Cost Transparency Initiative has recorded a 23 per cent increase in uptake during the past year, with 79 per cent of pension schemes now making use of its framework.
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NewsJPMorgan AM urges investors to globalise real asset portfolios
On the go: JPMorgan Asset Management has advised investors to globalise real asset allocations to avoid price volatility in times of crisis.
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NewsTPR, PPF propose tiered approach in asset information reform
The Pensions Regulator and the Pension Protection Fund have issued a joint consultation into proposals to change the asset class information TPR collects via the scheme return.
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PodcastsPodcast: Illiquids not necessarily the answer for DC
Podcast: Illiquid asset classes might seem attractive in theory, but there would be difficulties establishing them in a defined contribution pension portfolio, even if all the regulatory burdens were removed. Brian Henderson, partner and director of consulting at Mercer, is joined by Shola Salako, professional trustee at Dalriada, to discuss alternatives, putting the S in ESG, and fixing the problems with chair’s statements.
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NewsUKSIF urges pensions sector to ramp up sustainability
On the go: The UK Sustainable Investment and Finance Association has proposed a series of measures to increase sustainability in the pensions sector, as part of its new policy version.
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NewsTreasury committee calls for ESG regulations for smaller schemes
On the go: The Treasury committee published on Thursday a unanimously agreed report as part of its decarbonisation and green finance inquiry, which calls for environmental, social and governance regulations for smaller schemes.
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NewsEnvironment Agency to go net-zero, LGPS pool backs ESG framework
ESG spotlight: A roundup of the latest news on environmental, social and governance initiatives, with the Environment Agency Pension Fund targeting net-zero carbon emissions, and the Border to Coast pool supporting a framework for standards in alternative assets.
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OpinionForex risk – forgotten factor in private capital performance?
Kevin Lester and Haakon Blakstad, chief executive and chief commercial officer of Validus Risk Management, detail how schemes’ currency risk has grown over the past years with the rush to alternative assets, and how it can have a big impact on investment performance.
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Smart Pension invests in private market illiquids
On the go: The £1.5bn Smart Pension master trust has introduced private market illiquids into its default fund after developing a solution in partnership with Natixis Investment Managers.
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DWP consults on removing charge cap DC investment barrier
On the go: The Department for Work and Pensions on Friday opened a consultation into whether the charge cap acts as a barrier to defined contribution scheme investments in a range of alternatives, such as venture capital, illiquids and growth assets.
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Asset managers bullish about renewable infrastructure returns
On the go: Institutional investors’ appetite for renewable energy infrastructure remains strong, and asset managers have not reduced return expectations despite an increasingly competitive marketplace, according to a new report by Bfinance.
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Nest invests £250m in green energy
On the go: Master trust Nest has partnered with Octopus Renewables to invest £250m in green energy in UK and Europe.
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PodcastsPodcast: Budget 2021 - ‘Reckless conservatism’ in DB landscape
Podcast: Wednesday’s budget did not go far enough to counter the “reckless conservatism” in the defined benefit landscape when it comes to risk and growth assets, hampering the government’s drive to unleash pensions on the post-pandemic recovery, according to Conservative party peer baroness Ros Altmann. She is joined by Isio partner Mike Smedley, in a discussion that also includes the lifetime allowance freeze and what was missing from the chancellor’s statement.
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Net-zero targets present £350bn investment opportunity
On the go: Hitting the government’s net-zero climate change targets will present a £350bn investment opportunity over the next 30 years, according to an estimate by LCP.
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One-year contribution holidays could spur economic recovery
On the go: Conservative peer Baroness Ros Altmann has recommended that the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, announces a year-long contribution freeze for defined benefit scheme sponsors to boost business recovery.