Latest from IPE Magazine – Page 117
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Special ReportFocus on Fixed Income: ETFs: the natural home for fixed income
In recent years, fixed income ETFs have been grabbing a larger slice of the ETF market as investors look to capitalise on the enhanced diversification, tradeability, price transparency and liquidity they can provide to bond portfolios. According to the latest research by Citi Business Advisory Services, fixed income ETF assets have increased at a robust 25% annual compound growth rate over the last decade, hitting more than $870bn by the end of 2018.
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Special ReportFocus on Fixed Income: Do fixed income ETFs distort the market?
In this article, which is an excerpt from a recent State Street Global Advisors publication, we address one of the key misconceptions about fixed income (bond) ETFs – namely, that they have become so large that they are distorting the underlying bond market. Instead, we argue, despite their recent growth, fixed income ETFs represent a relatively small proportion of the world’s debt markets.
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Special ReportFocus on Fixed Income: Bond ETFs, the Swiss army knife in a time of need
Fixed income will play both a pivotal and multi-faceted role in European pensions scheme portfolios. Whether it be for growth, income or liability and cash flow matching, many schemes in the region will need to hold bonds as they de-risk in a low yield environment.
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Special Report
Focus on Fixed Income: Actively managing today’s green bond opportunities
In this article we examine the process for green bond labelling and certification and its implication for index investors. Passive (index-tracking) green bond funds are bound by eligibility rules and each index has its own labelling requirements.
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Special ReportMarkets & Regions: Factor investing in commodities: a sector-based approach
Commodities have long been a staple of multi-asset investors. Traditionally used to diversify exposure to fixed income and equity holdings, they are more recently also a source of alternative risk premia. Whatever the use case, the desired feature of any commodities allocation is some combination of attractive performance, sufficient liquidity, and a transparent methodology.
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Special Report
Markets & Regions: China unleashed: taming the dragon through ETFs
Despite its favourable fundamentals and widely acknowledged growth potential, China continues to be under-owned by most global investors.
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Special ReportInnovation: What could disrupt ETFs?
Over the last two decades, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) have been one of the most disruptive forces in the asset management industry. But could the tables be turned? In an era of excitement over the possibilities of financial technology (fintech), are ETFs vulnerable to being displaced themselves?
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Special ReportInnovation: Bringing ETFs into the digital future
Over the past 18 months there has been an explosion in the number of ETFs focusing on new technology. From iShares to Ossiam, DWS to veteran investor Jim Rogers, it seems everyone has launched a fund based on how digitisation will revolutionise our lives.
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Opinion PiecesPensions in a hostile climate
Outside the realm of US public pension plans, where generous return assumptions and inflated discount rates are common, the medium and long-term outlook for asset classes is of serious importance to most pension funds.
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Country ReportFrance: PACTE changes the landscape
The new PACTE law will transform pension saving in France
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Special ReportManagement & outsourcing: The rush is on
Competition is intensifying among providers of data analysis and benchmarking solutions
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FeaturesBriefing: Draghi’s parting gift on ECB stance
If anyone in Europe was left in any doubt on 11 September about the dovishness of the European Central Bank (ECB) under Mario Draghi’s leadership, by close of business on the next day their doubts were surely dispelled. On that day the outgoing president of the ECB unleashed a bout of monetary easing, in an attempt to boost euro-zone inflation from 1% to its target of “below, but close to, 2% over the medium term”.
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Asset Class ReportsSmall & mid-cap equities: Public or private markets?
Public markets are shrinking while private markets are attracting huge amounts of capital. But it is still not clear which is the better bet
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Opinion PiecesStoring up future pain
Anyone who back in 2008 had accurately predicted what monetary policy would look like today would certainly have been regarded as unhinged.
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Country ReportSystem reform: A hot political plot
Pension reforms have reached a second stage as President Macron seeks to push through radical changes
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FeaturesBriefing: US makes rapid turnaround
Father Christmas delivered a sack of coal to equity markets last Christmas Eve, with the S&P 500 index losing 1.8%, following a three-day slide. Forecasters had previously been expecting two or three rate hikes in December, as Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell steered that discussion. He had mistakenly assumed that the economy had not yet reached a normal, neutral level but it already had, forcing him to backtrack.
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Asset Class ReportsThe small-cap conundrum
Academic studies have cast doubt on the existence of a premium for investing in small-cap stocks
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Opinion PiecesDo not let costs become an obsession
Our report this month on management and outsourcing discusses how pension funds must increasingly rely on external organisations to analyse their portfolios, particularly from a cost perspective.
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Country ReportPension regimes: The second pillar evolves
The second-pillar pension regime for private sector employees, AGIRC-ARRCO, is entering a new phase of its development
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FeaturesBriefing: Deep tensions threaten EU vision
This is not a commentary on the UK within or without Europe. Brexit has been a compelling distraction but it is one macroeconomic strand in a complex world. The overwhelming coverage has also moved attention away from key internal tensions within the European project.
