All articles by David White – Page 29
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Features
Pension funds hit hard by equities slump
The growth of an equity culture has been one of the success stories of continental European investment over the past 10 years, and pension funds have been an important part of this. Funds in Scandinavia, Switzerland and the Netherlands in particular have steadily increased their exposure to equities to take ...
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Features
The hunt for 'decorrelation'
In a climate of low interest rates and low growth, pension funds are finding it increasingly difficult to earn a reasonable return without an unacceptable increase in risk. A bull market in equities is now a distant memory, and returns from equities and bonds continue to converge. This is creating ...
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Features
Looking to outsiders
Pension funds in Europe have chosen to outsource their back office and IT activities for two main reasons. The first is that fund administration is often not a core activity. A pension plan’s primary task is the overall management of the plan. Specialised service providers can often run non-core activities ...
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Features
Europe's steady evolution
Three broad developments in European pensions are creating new business opportunities for third party fund administrators. The first is the move towards defined contribution (DC) schemes in countries like Italy and Germany. Germany’s first DC products, Pensionsfonds promoted by social security minister Walter Reister, are expected to produce a flow ...
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Features
Reform to state scheme now under discussion
For Norway, the most significant development in the past 12 months has been the introduction of legislation designed to encourage greater take-up of defined contribution (DC) pension schemes. The move brings the country further into line with Europe, where there is a continuing move away from defined benefit (DB) towards ...
