All Derivatives articles – Page 2

  • Opinion

    How will Emir shape the way schemes use LDI?

    2016-03-16T00:00:00Z

    Roundtable: Pension schemes have been granted a transitional exemption from having to centrally clear derivatives – a rule contained in the European Market Infrastructure Regulation – but the exemption will end in August 2017. How will schemes be affected and how are they preparing? In the third part of this roundtable series, Bestrustees’ Huw Evans, HR Trustees’ Giles Payne, Aviva Investors’ Rakesh Girdharlal, KPMG’s Simeon Willis, Cambridge Associates’ Benoît Jacquemont and P-Solve Asset Solutions’ Barbara Saunders discuss what the new requirement will mean for schemes.

  • Opinion

    What fixed income ETFs can bring to your portfolio

    2015-10-11T00:00:00Z

    Low yields and unpredictable markets make life difficult for fixed income investors. BlackRock’s Brett Olson asks whether ETFs could provide some relief.

  • Mark Davies
    Opinion

    Kissing goodbye to complexity

    2015-09-14T00:00:00Z

    From the blog: How many readers of this would travel to New York by boat?

  • Rupert Brindley
    Opinion

    Four problems with today’s LDI strategies

    2015-09-11T00:00:00Z

    It is time to move on from outdated notions of liability-driven investment, says JPMorgan’s Rupert Brindley, and keep up with the strategy’s modern design.

  • Phil Boyle
    Opinion

    Rising rates: Hope for the best, plan for the worst – don’t press pause

    2015-09-01T00:00:00Z

    Trustees have been blighted by low interest rates since 2008 and uncertainty about possible rises continues to make it hard to plan. LCP’s Phil Boyle says schemes can still manage this risk.

  • Thibault Jeakings and Maria Rodia
    Opinion

    Europe: What UK schemes need to know about legal changes

    2015-08-31T00:00:00Z

    European regulators have eased off on some of the more stringent requirements for trustees, but CMS’s Maria Rodia and Thibault Jeakings say trustees still need to keep up to date with legal changes.

  • News

    EU banking directive brings risks to schemes' derivative contracts

    2015-07-09T00:00:00Z

    Schemes with liability-driven investment strategies should review counterparty creditworthiness, say lawyers, as a new EU directive has granted national authorities the power to suspend schemes’ contractual rights with struggling banks. 

  • News

    Royal Mail posts £700m to options to deliver risk reduction

    2015-06-15T00:00:00Z

    Royal Mail Pension Plan has invested £700m in an options mandate, as schemes increasingly explore derivative-based strategies to reduce risk while seeking growth.

  • News

    Schemes win extended reprieve from European OTC clearing rules

    2015-02-05T00:00:00Z

    The European Commission has recommended schemes be given a two-year reprieve from over-the-counter derivative clearing requirements. But industry experts still expect pension funds to end up paying higher transaction costs.

  • Opinion

    How should you benchmark your manager?

    2014-11-26T00:00:00Z

    In the final part of this three-part debate on fixed income, Aon Hewitt's Tim Giles, Hymans Robertson's Carl Hitchman, Law Debenture's David Felder, M&G Investments' William Nicoll and the Pension Protection Fund's John St Hill run through the different options for measuring the performance of a fixed income manager.

  • Features

    Royal Mail rachets up hedging derivatives to reduce risk

    2014-08-26T00:00:00Z

    The Royal Mail Pension Plan has extended liability hedging in its portfolio by substantially boosting its use of swaps and gilt repurchase agreements, as it seeks to reduce risk in the scheme.

  • Opinion

    A scheme guide to swaps, swaptions and all things LDI

    2014-06-17T00:00:00Z

    Axa IM’s Jonathan Crowther gives a ground-up description of the derivatives that liability-driven investment managers use to mitigate against key funding risks, in the latest edition of Technical Comment.

  • News

    Schemes face LDI rethink to meet Emir collateral demands

    2014-05-15T00:00:00Z

    Industry experts have warned that schemes using liability-driven investment strategies may face higher costs and additional risks when the European Market Infrastructure Regulation’s collateral diversity requirements come into force. 

  • News

    Synthetic equities see interest as schemes look for creative ways to derisk

    2014-04-17T00:00:00Z

    Defined benefit schemes are showing interest in synthetic equity strategies in order to move cash from growth portfolios to liability-matching strategies in an effort to shore up funding levels.

  • Derivs graphic
    News

    Derivatives regulation leaves schemes liable for manager reporting

    2014-02-21T00:00:00Z

    News analysis: Trustees could be found liable for their investment managers not reporting derivative trades under extended derivatives regulation, with legal experts recommending reviewing contracts to hard-code duties.

  • News

    BA uses triggers to grab derisking opportunities

    2014-01-13T00:00:00Z

    British Airways’ New Airways Pension Scheme has implemented a liability-hedging framework aiming to capture outperformance, as schemes take a more opportunistic approach to derisking. 

  • News

    Scheme confidence drives LDI take-up

    2014-01-07T00:00:00Z

    News analysis: Three-quarters of UK defined benefit pension schemes are using or planning to use liability-driven investment strategies, as increasing delegation is encouraging more complicated approaches.   

  • Opinion

    Concerns of rate rises is putting schemes off LDI

    2013-12-09T00:00:00Z

    Schemes’ concerns that interest rates are going to rise is holding them back from derivatives-based LDI strategies, but this could be a mistake, argues Russell’s Sorca Kelly-Scholte, in the latest edition of Informed Comment.

  • Opinion

    Fireproofing your portfolio against market shifts

    2013-12-03T00:00:00Z

    BlackRock’s John Dewey sets out three approaches for schemes to protect themselves against dramatic market movements, in this week’s Technical View.

  • Features

    Rexam funding peak triggers risk reduction

    2013-09-27T00:00:00Z

    Rexam Pension Plan took advantage of a brief funding peak earlier this year to increase its inflation hedging and insure against equity losses, as more schemes implement trigger-based derisking strategies.