More comment – Page 7
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Opinion Pieces
Viewpoint: Recent stock story is two steps forward, one step back
Consider everything investors have been through in recent years: a global pandemic, rapid inflation, war in Europe, volatile markets, and, in recent weeks, reminders of weaknesses in parts of the global banking system. It’s reasonable to feel uneasy in the face of so much uncertainty. Now imagine it’s the end ...
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Opinion Pieces
A farmer's revolution could upset pension reforms
The new populist Farmers’ Party (called BBB) won Dutch provincial elections in a historic landslide victory in March. Mainly attracting older voters in rural areas, the party rode a wave of public dissatisfaction about the government’s policies.
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Opinion Pieces
Questions BP investors should ask themselves
A lot has happened in sustainable finance since the last AGM season: an energy crisis in Europe, an escalating legal campaign against ESG in the US, a credibility crisis for the world’s biggest net zero investment group, and ground-breaking political agreements to protect the planet’s natural resources and marine ecosystems.
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Opinion Pieces
Australia: Super funds shift to fixed income
With fear of recession in Australia and globally, superannuation funds have gone into defensive mode. Cash and liquidity are two key considerations for CIOs, and some are waiting to take advantage of attractive market opportunities.
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Opinion Pieces
US: Private equity losses weigh on pension funds
US public pension funds should brace for a big negative surprise when they prepare their reports for the fiscal year ending 30 June 2023. Only then will their returns reflect losses from 2022 in their private equity (PE) portfolios.
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Opinion Pieces
Banking crisis delivers a lesson on equity strategy
We may never know the precise reasons why the in-house equity team of Alecta, the €105bn Swedish pension scheme, chose to invest in excess of €1bn in risky US banks including Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), much of which has now been written off.
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Opinion Pieces
Emerging market investors should take the long view
For institutional investors, investing in emerging markets is a true test of fiduciary duty. The asset class – if it can be defined as such – has enormous potential, yet it is also risky, not just in terms of volatility but also of reputation.
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Opinion Pieces
Guest viewpoint: LDI regulation should not ignore private asset solutions
In the aftermath of the liability-driven investing (LDI) crisis, The Pensions Regulator (TPR) in the UK drew up guidelines for pension funds to improve the resilience of LDI strategies. These guidelines primarily aim to support the creation of liquidity buffers so that pension funds can withstand yield shocks. To that end, the guidelines advise pension funds to conduct stress tests and identify suitable collateral with respect to both leveraged and unleveraged LDI strategies using yield-shock scenarios.
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Opinion Pieces
Viewpoint: Stewardship beyond the surface: not all engagement is created equal
Put simply, good engagement leads to better client outcomes over the long run – and the opposite also applies
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Opinion Pieces
Viewpoint: Can we use gender diversity to generate greater investment returns?
The effect of gender diversity on company performance has been well researched, but can it be used to identify the potential for better investment outcomes? Realindex conducted a new study to find out.
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Opinion Pieces
Viewpoint: The power of prioritisation
When you can’t decide on return and risk, you think of the window of light
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Opinion Pieces
The cost of gender equality in pensions
The gender pension gap continues to be a significant issue in the European labour market, where women are at a disadvantage compared to men in terms of retirement income.
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Opinion Pieces
Guest viewpoint: The elephant in ISSB's drawing room
In mid-summer 2022, the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) invited public comments on exposure drafts of its first two white papers: IFRS S1 on general requirements for disclosure of sustainability-related financial information, and IFRS S2 on climate-related disclosures. It received what was described as a “torrent” of responses.
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Book Review
Books: Financial crises and the failure of risk measures
This is a great book for anybody who would like to understand the causes and dynamics of financial crises. The author delivers deep insights into systemic financial risks for our economies, and why risk management tools and regulations fail when it matters most. The text is written in conversational style, full of anecdotes, wisdoms and polemics, which makes reading a pleasure even for the non-expert. To be recommended not only for risk managers but also for investment directors and trustees.
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Opinion Pieces
Viewpoint: Progress managing climate risk means stops as well as sprints
A climate stocktake may feel like a delay – in fact, it is crucial to making progress
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Opinion Pieces
Viewpoint: China - Reopening should drive growth
After a year of anaemic growth – by China’s standards – we expect a recovery in Chinese economic activity to gradually take place in 2023
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Opinion Pieces
Viewpoint: Clearing made easier and more resilient, but you can’t make an omelette without breaking eggs
CCP clearing is highly concentrated in a few financial centres around the globe, with the City of London playing a very important role
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Opinion Pieces
Germany'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 Pieces
Denmark: Seeking answers on unlisted valuations
The perennial problem of how unlisted assets should be valued has reared its head in Denmark. Data collated by one financial adviser on pension funds’ 2022 private equity investments has led to worries about an apparent black-box approach to valuation processes.
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Opinion Pieces
Full 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.