All Investment articles – Page 64

  • News

    Pandemics, climate change pose ‘systemic risks’ to actuarial work

    2020-06-11T00:00:00Z

    On the go: Global pandemics and the threat of a climate catastrophe present dire risks to the quality of actuarial work, according to a new report by the Joint Forum on Actuarial Regulation.

  • News

    London boroughs add real assets income fund

    2020-06-11T00:00:00Z

    On the go: The investment pool for London’s Local Government Pension Scheme partner funds has launched a new real assets fund aiming to steadily outstrip inflation, with seed money from the boroughs of Redbridge and Bexley.

  • News

    Fiduciary managers outperform during coronavirus crisis

    2020-06-10T00:00:00Z

    Analysis: A year after emerging from the scrutiny of the Competition and Markets Authority, fiduciary managers are now embracing transparency to advertise outperformance of traditional advised defined benefit schemes.

  • News

    Regulator to issue rules for consolidators ‘in the coming weeks’

    2020-06-09T00:00:00Z

    The Pensions Regulator is shortly to issue interim regulation covering commercial consolidators, Pensions Expert can reveal.

  • Opinion

    Economies of scale: do they exist?

    2020-06-09T00:00:00Z

    Data Crunch: Does size matter? ClearGlass’s Chris Sier digs into the asset classes that offer economies of scales to large or consolidated investors, and explores the possibility that size creates a cost drag in others.

  • Podcasts

    Podcast: 'Crystal ball-gazing' makes ethical investment tough for trustees

    2020-06-05T00:00:00Z

    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.

  • News

    Lockdown spikes fears of democratic deficit in LGPS

    2020-06-05T00:00:00Z

    As the Covid-19 crisis unfolds, there could be a worrying governance and democratic deficit in some local authority pension schemes, with only 27 per cent of councils having virtual pension committee meetings.

  • News

    Brunel achieves carbon intensity reduction target

    2020-06-04T00:00:00Z

    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.

  • News

    Suffolk holds firm through equity volatility storm

    2020-06-02T00:00:00Z

    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.

  • News

    Railways scheme among DB backers in biomass plant acquisition

    2020-06-01T00:00:00Z

    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.

  • News

    Morrisons’ shareholders advised to vote against pension payout

    2020-06-01T00:00:00Z

    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.

  • Opinion

    Segregated mandates – a club for large pension schemes only

    2020-06-01T00:00:00Z

    Data crunch: Dr Chris Sier’s latest cost data insight looks deeper into the divide between users of pooled funds and segregated mandates - and the tricky implications for schemes lacking scale.

  • News

    USS divests from coal, tobacco and weapons manufacturers

    2020-06-01T00:00:00Z

    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.

  • News

    Poor Q1 returns catch up on risky fiduciary managers

    2020-05-29T00:00:00Z

    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.

  • News

    LGPS has £2bn invested in alleged ‘illegal Israeli settlement’ companies

    2020-05-29T00:00:00Z

    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.

  • News

    Small scheme bulk annuity deals set for surge in demand

    2020-05-29T00:00:00Z

    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.

  • News

    LGPS prepared for lower investment return in 2020

    2020-05-26T00:00:00Z

    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.

  • News

    Smart eyes alts allocations after Natixis backing

    2020-05-26T00:00:00Z

    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.

  • News

    Consumers unaware of pensions’ ESG power

    2020-05-26T00:00:00Z

    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.

  • Opinion

    Asset allocation analysis reveals UK’s governance weakness

    2020-05-21T00:00:00Z

    Data crunch: Another edition of Dr Chris Sier’s insights into cost data collection reveals an inability of large chunks of the UK scheme universe to fulfil their engagement duties fully, leaving policymakers with tricky questions over how to proceed on environmental, social and governance rules.