All Investment articles – Page 58
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PodcastsPodcast: 'Crystal ball-gazing' makes ethical investment tough for trustees
Trustees aiming to make ethical investment decisions can find it tough to justify them without recourse to a crystal ball, as the legal requirements are ill-defined, says Irwin Mitchell’s pensions partner Penny Cogher. In this episode she’s joined by independent consultant and long-time pensions expert Malcolm McLean for a discussion covering capital-backed endgame deals, the complications of new insolvency laws, and some morally dubious LGPS investments.
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News
Brunel achieves carbon intensity reduction target
Brunel Pension Partnership has achieved its target of reducing the carbon intensity of its active portfolio by 7 per cent a year in time for the UN’s World Environment Day, but smaller schemes saddled with pooled products may lack the clout required to emulate them.
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News
Suffolk holds firm through equity volatility storm
Suffolk Pension Fund has reported a bounceback in its asset values after taking a £327m hit in the first quarter of the year, as experts said it is still legitimate for immature defined benefit schemes to lean on the equity risk premium.
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NewsUSS divests from coal, tobacco and weapons manufacturers
The UK’s largest pension scheme has announced it is to divest from selected coal, tobacco and weapons manufacturers, following years of campaigning by members and activist groups.
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OpinionSegregated mandates – a club for large pension schemes only
With a few exceptions, most pension schemes do not go overboard with the number of asset management products they use.
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News
Morrisons’ shareholders advised to vote against pension payout
On the go: Morrisons’ shareholders have been advised to vote against executive pension payouts, as they are not aligned with the majority of the retailer’s workforce.
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News
Railways scheme among DB backers in biomass plant acquisition
On the go: The Railways Pension Scheme is among the defined benefit pension schemes behind the takeover of Sleaford Renewable Energy Plant in Lincolnshire, led by private equity company Greencoat Capital.
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News
Small scheme bulk annuity deals set for surge in demand
On the go: The number of small scheme buy-ins and buyouts could increase by 25 per cent in 2020, according to research from LCP.
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News
LGPS has £2bn invested in alleged ‘illegal Israeli settlement’ companies
Thirty-three Local Government Pension Scheme funds retain investments worth more than £2bn in arms manufacturers and in companies accused of supporting illegal Israeli settlements, as some of these schemes opt for engagement instead of divestment.
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News
Poor Q1 returns catch up on risky fiduciary managers
Fiduciary managers with heavily equity-based portfolios suffered the heaviest losses in the first quarter of 2020, as the wide variation in strategies continues to provoke discussion about the right level of growth portfolio diversification.
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News
Consumers unaware of pensions’ ESG power
On the go: The majority of consumers take steps to improve the sustainability impact of their daily lives, but fail to apply these lessons to their finances, according to a new study by master trust Nest.
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News
Smart eyes alts allocations after Natixis backing
On the go: Master trust Smart Pension has attracted investment from asset manager Natixis, in a strategic partnership that the companies hope will see members gain access to the fund house's suite of alternative strategies.
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News
LGPS prepared for lower investment return in 2020
On the go: While the Local Government Pension Scheme had a return of 6.2 per cent in 2019, its advisory board is monitoring the current market turmoil closely and is prepared for a downturn in 2020.
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News
BEIS-backed clean growth fund seeks pension capital
On the go: The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is seeking to attract pension fund investment to a “clean growth” venture capital fund it has seeded with CCLA Investment Management.
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OpinionAsset allocation analysis reveals UK’s governance weakness
Recently, I was tinkering with the asset allocation data for a large sample of defined benefit pension schemes and ‘accidentally’ came across an interesting, and possibly controversial, story relating to asset allocation.
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News
True scale of pension scams unknown, says PPI
On the go: The “true scale” of pension scams remains unknown, as only a minority are reported and data is not collected in comparable ways across the industry, the Pensions Policy Institute has warned.
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Features
Widening spread on buyouts makes self-sufficiency harder to justify
Data crunch: An already booming market for pensions insurance has received a two-pronged boost from the coronavirus pandemic: the turmoil rippling through the economy is providing schemes with the best ever pricing for buy-in deals, just as the demand for shedding investment risk is at its greatest.
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News
Investment-grade back in favour with DB schemes
On the go: An illiquidity premium has appeared in long-dated investment grade bonds, according to consultancy Aon, which has urged clients to take advantage of coronavirus volatility to turbo-charge their matching allocations.
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News
Implementation hurdles in opportunistic strategies
On the go: The coronavirus crisis presents a number of opportunities for savvy investors, but schemes should be wary of inflated estimates of return, according to a new report from Bfinance.
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OpinionIf you think you know your costs, you could be wrong - UPDATED
Data crunch: The third of Dr Chris Sier's insights into cost transparency gets right to the heart of the issue: just how much of a pension schemes total costs were previously unknown?