Latest from IPE Magazine – Page 37
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FeaturesIPE Quest Expectations Indicator March 2023
The next Ukrainian offensive will be in April at the earliest, as modern tanks will have arrived by then. US Republican pushback of ESG and climate-related investments are a new bone of contention in relations with the EU, already strained by the Trump presidency, and a bad sign for US-EU co-operation on China policy, an issue Japan seems to be ducking successfully. Aided by a soft winter, EU energy concerns have become quite manageable.
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Special ReportUK pension risk transfer market set for bumper 2023
Improved pricing and funding levels turned 2022 into a busy year for insurers, with more demand expected in 2023. But can they cope with the higher demand and will pricing remain competitive?
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Country ReportCountry Report – Ireland (February 2023)
Ireland is preparing an Auto Enrolment Bill, which will kick-start the process of defined contribution pension reform in earnest, some 15 years after the concept was first mooted. The plan is for a Central Processing Authority to administer the system and for up to four providers to tender for a chance to manage member contributions.
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Asset Class ReportsEquities – Thematic funds tap into future trends
Themes have long captured the imagination of retail investors. Now institutions are showing interest, despite the lack of clear definitions
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Country ReportIreland: Viewpoint – Trustees, understand the employer covenant
Pensions may lose out if boards do not have a full grasp of the risks facing schemes
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Country ReportIreland: Final countdown to implementation for auto enrolment
Fifteen years after auto-enrolment was first mooted for Ireland, the automatic savings programme is nearly ready to be rolled out
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Country ReportIreland: IAPF view – The pension landscape is evolving fast
Reform of the Irish pensions system is in motion but much more needs to be done
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Country ReportIreland: Interview – Pensions Authority keeps an eye on LDI practices
Pensions Authority CEO Brendan Kennedy is not overly concerned about DB schemes’ LDI position, but feels the regulator needs more information. He speaks to Gail Moss about this and other issues facing the Irish industry
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Country ReportIreland: Taking stock of LDI
While there are no immediate concerns, liability-matching assets fell significantly last year following rising euro yields
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Country ReportIreland: In rude health
Heading into 2023, the largest schemes are in funding surplus for the first time
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Opinion PiecesGermany's first-pillar pension reform plans: tough to meet expectations
How would you design your asset allocation if you were building a portfolio from scratch? This is the question facing the governors of Germany’s new state pension buffer fund, the grandly titled ‘Generationenkapital’ (Generational Capital) fund. The expectations are high.
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Opinion PiecesFull steam ahead for UK de-risking market
This year is set to be the largest yet for the UK defined benefit (DB) pensions de-risking market, with at least £40bn (€45.8bn) in bulk annuity transactions and £20bn in longevity hedges expected to be completed, according to WTW’s latest de-risking report.
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Opinion PiecesAustralia: Super funds face the future of fossil fuels
After a year when fossil fuel stocks outperformed all other shares, Australian super funds face a conundrum – to buy, hold or sell?
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FeaturesWill the US pushback against ESG slow global progress?
Hostility towards asset managers embracing climate action and stewardship is raising questions on both sides of the Atlantic
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FeaturesPensionsEurope: Not all doom and gloom for 2022
After the bumper investment returns of 2021 – the best that many pension funds had ever experienced – last year’s results were disappointing.
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FeaturesFresh views on emerging markets
Despite a large, heterogeneous universe of opportunities across countries that have little or no commonality, risk contagion in the emerging market universe is still an issue, highlighted most dramatically by the 1997 Asian crisis and the risk on/risk off capital movements after the 2007-08 global financial crisis.
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FeaturesAccounting: Happy birthday to the ISSB
The International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) finds itself at a crossroads as it marks its first anniversary. On the one hand, it is redeliberating its first two sustainability standards and could finalise and issue them during the first half of this year.
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FeaturesResearch: Thematic investing is set to attract fresh capital
In the second article on the new Amundi-Create Research survey, Vincent Mortier and Amin Rajan highlight pension plans’ interest in thematic investing
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Opinion PiecesGuest viewpoint: The importance of asking the right questions about derivatives and net zero
“What is the carbon footprint of my portfolio?” is thought as the most dangerous question in sustainable investing. But do investors stop and ask: “Why am I measuring the carbon footprint? And how am I planning to manage it?”
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FeaturesHigh yield bonds: do your homework
Last year, European bond markets were struck by a toxic a combination of geopolitical, economic and market tensions. The picture has improved with the dawning of 2023, although the markets will continue to experience bouts of volatility and uncertainty will persist. High yield is back on the agenda, but selectivity and careful analysis will be key in identifying the right opportunities.
