All Investment articles – Page 55
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News
Mercer launches DB master trust as demand for consolidation increases
Mercer has launched a new defined benefit master trust promising sponsors enhanced governance and economies of scale, amid an accelerating trend towards consolidation and outsourced solutions, with pensions minister Guy Opperman stating that “bigger is better”.
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News
Credit downgrades pose ‘serious challenge’ for pension schemes
On the go: A decrease in the average credit quality of fixed income indices, coupled with increased competition for high-quality assets, poses significant challenges for pensions schemes, according to Axa Investment Managers.
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News
Covid and regulatory burdens push building society to outsource scheme
With the work of lay trustees becoming more complex, and the pandemic highlighting other areas in need of sponsors’ attention, the Furness Building Society has opted to outsource services for its defined benefit scheme, a trend that is expected to accelerate.
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News
DB schemes over-reliant on ‘historically improbable’ returns
On the go: Underfunded defined benefit schemes in the UK will require “once-in-a-century” equity performance if they are to avoid carrying their funding gaps well into the 2030s, according to a new report from Willis Towers Watson.
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News
Smaller schemes to prove value for members or face consolidation
Defined contribution schemes with assets below £100m will have to prove their value for members, or face being advised to wind up or consolidate, according to new rules proposed by the Department for Work and Pensions.
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News
Bulk annuity volumes hit £12.6bn in H1 2020
On the go: Total buy-in and buyout volumes reached £12.6bn in the first half of this year, the second-highest value on record, according to analysis published by LCP.
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News
Ombudsman decision sets financial loss precedent
A recent Pensions Ombudsman determination has opened the floodgates for financial loss claims resulting from the mere possibility of missing out on stock market profit, due to trustees being tardy in processing transfers.
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News
DB pension deficit falls £59bn in August
On the go: The aggregate deficit of the 5,422 defined benefit schemes in the Pension Protection Fund 7800 Index fell by £59bn in August.
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News
Consultants seek to push up industry sustainability standards
A new working group formed by 12 UK investment consultants is aiming to encourage standardisation of practices and meaningful action on sustainability among asset owners.
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PodcastsPodcast: DB schemes could be ‘doomed to failure’ by new funding code
Podcast: Defined benefit schemes could be “doomed to failure by measures that are designed to help them”, says Baroness Ros Altmann of the proposed new funding code. She is joined by SEI’s client strategy director Alistair Jones to discuss that issue, as well as the challenges faced by master trusts, and the increasingly bizarre McCloud remedy that, though intended to tackle age discrimination, has been accused of age discrimination.
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Opinion
Has the DGF had its day?
Broadridge’s Hal La Thangue asks whether the ability of low-correlation diversified growth funds to shine through crises can save them from a tarnished reputation.
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News
Unison presses LGPS schemes to work harder on green transition
Workers’ union Unison has called for local authority pension schemes to back ‘green’ causes with dedicated funds as part of their increasing commitment to climate-aware investing.
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News
Nest achieves tobacco-free goal ahead of schedule
On the go: Nest, the government-backed master trust, announced on Thursday that its investment portfolio is free of investments in tobacco companies.
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News
PPF levy expected to increase due to Covid-19 impact
As insolvencies ramp up and more defined benefit schemes are expected to end up at the Pension Protection Fund, the lifeboat might need to increase its levy to face a multibillion-pound hit, amid several other solutions, analysis from LCP shows.
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News
Covid-19 adds £10bn to inflation woes
As the government’s consultation to make changes to the retail price index draws to a close, the impact of aligning the inflation measure with the consumer price index including housing costs has increased by £10bn due to the pandemic.
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OpinionHow much has DB regulation cost?
Iain Clacher and Con Keating investigate the cost, including lost tax on businesses’ profits, of ever-increasing contributions to defined benefit pension schemes.
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OpinionTime in the sun for pension costs and charges
Strong take-up of the Cost Transparency Initiative should not mean the industry takes its eye off the ball on costs, argues chair Mel Duffield.
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News
Widows switches into ESG fund as integration becomes standard
Scottish Widows has aligned a chunk of its pension portfolios with the transition to a low-carbon economy, as the integration of environmental, social and governance factors emerges as a competitive driver in the commercial defined contribution sector.
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News
South Yorks breezes through Covid but warns of potential danger ahead
The South Yorkshire Pensions Authority is reducing its exposure to equity market risk, after it escaped the Covid-19 crisis largely unscathed.
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News
Investors urge companies to tackle modern-day slavery in Gulf
On the go: Brunel Pension Partnership is among a group of investors calling on companies to protect migrant workers in the Gulf, over concerns that job cancellations caused by Covid-19 are forcing them into debt bondage.