All Investment articles – Page 103
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Opinion
Nationwide, Strathclyde and British Coal among top five 2014 investment stories
Ditching hedge funds, the rise of responsible investment and the growing success of property mandates have all featured in a tricky year for UK pension fund investment.
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Opinion
Does your scheme lack a 2015 strategy?
Any other business: Most schemes lack a set strategy for the new year, governance experts say, as the industry turns its attention to the challenges of the next 12 months.
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Opinion
Nest: Our ethical strategy, and why talking to scheme members is crucial
Over the past 15 years the ethical consumer market has more than tripled in size, with consumers insisting on more ethical products and expecting higher standards from companies and their suppliers.
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News
How stewardship has moved up the scheme investment agenda
As many as four out of five UK pension funds now screen their managers for stewardship activity as part of the selection process, demonstrating the growth in environmental, social and governance considerations among institutional investors.
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Opinion
Why the equity market is some way short of a bubble
The years following the financial crisis have been a golden period for equity investors. Global equity indices are near all-time highs, following a prolonged period of extraordinary monetary stimulus, while global economic growth remains sluggish.
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Opinion
How to battle the key threats to your fixed income holdings
In the latest edition of Technical Comment, Natixis’s Olivier de Larouziere argues that pension funds’ asset allocations will have to adapt to a “lower-for-longer” environment on interest rates.
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News
Managers predict cash will be king for many post-April retirees
It may be a caravan rather than a Lamborghini, but scheme managers across the country are getting ready for a wave of savers cashing in their pension pots come April’s introduction of George Osborne’s retirement flexibilities.
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OpinionEditorial: Just around the corner
The level of calm within a given pensions department ahead of the advent of the new pension freedoms is probably related to how well you know your scheme membership.
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News
Nest to switch TDF goalposts from annuity purchase as April looms
DC: The New Investment Journey. Nest is planning to amend its target date funds that currently aim for annuity purchase in light of the greater flexibility in retirement options available to scheme members from April 2015.
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News
Surrey sets up trigger-based framework for £90m gilt repo move
The £2.9bn Surrey County Council Pension Fund has set a framework to buy leveraged gilts upon hitting inflation and interest rate triggers, as part of a wider move into liability-driven investment.
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Opinion
Rapidly shrinking yields leave investors needing more complex mandates
Six years ago, at the start of the global financial crisis, it was simple to find attractive yields in fixed income.
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Opinion
Gilts present pathetic value. What are the alternatives?
Henderson’s Kevin Adams looks at how to protect your scheme from capital loss and prosper in a rising rate environment, in the latest edition of Informed Comment.
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OpinionEditorial: Breaking down a door
There used to be the cult of UK equity. Pension funds were to invest in their home country’s businesses so the accrued capital of workers’ retirement holdings was reinvested into capital-creating entities, driving growth and producing return.
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News
Unilever swaps asset allocation approach to focus on outcomes
Consumer goods giant Unilever's pension fund has adopted an outcome-led investment approach split into five key objectives, jettisoning its previous focus on asset allocation in a bid to avoid short-termism.
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Features
CofE scheme mulls infrastructure diversification to drive returns
The Church of England Pensions Board is considering spreading its infrastructure portfolio outside Europe, following a similar decision to rebalance its property portfolio towards the US and Asia in a hunt for return.
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News
UK lags Europe in passives drive for smart beta and ETFs
UK pension schemes are lagging behind their European counterparts investing in smart beta strategies, according to research that adds to criticism of actively managed strategies.
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Opinion
How global events hit your pension fund
Despite many months of turbulent news stories – the continuing advance of Islamic State, pro-democracy demonstrations in Hong Kong and the spread of Ebola – the markets failed to react to this increased uncertainty until last month.
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Features
Non-disclosure agreements: schemes give mixed reaction
Scheme managers and consultants have given a mixed response to the question of non-disclosure agreements for fund management fees, after concerns were raised that they may inhibit schemes’ ability to negotiate value for members.
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Features
Caterpillar scheme delays derisking over stock volatility concerns
Caterpillar Pension Plan has postponed a decision to cut its equity exposure to increase its liability-driven investment allocation as a result of concerns over stock market volatility.
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Opinion
Why industry critics are wrong about 'reckless conservatism'
Dear editor, do you agree with the view that defined contribution pension schemes should focus on young savers’ risk capacity and ignore their risk appetite, because future contributions will more than dwarf any losses incurred in the early years?