Reports
In-depth report on investing for our pension fund and asset management readers from our award-winning journalists.
Latest reports
European high yield stands its ground
Investors flocked to the European junk bond market last year and despite a strong US economy, there is still appetite for European issuers
Is buyout still the gold standard for UK pension funds?
Improved funding positions mean more DB schemes are considering run-on rather than off-loading their liabilities
Emerging market equities: investors grapple with peak political risk
As billions of people head to the polls in 2024, how will politics influence flows to emerging market equities?
Manager selection: Solving the pension liquidity puzzle
Advisers and fiduciary managers are working as hard as ever to meet the liquidity needs of pension funds
IPE Top 500 Asset Managers 2023: Asset management at a pivotal point
Data highlights from IPE Top 500 Asset Managers 2023: 2022 global asset management AUM is €102.6trn | 5.5% reduction on the 2022 total of €108.6trn | Global institutional AUM: €35.1trn | European institutional assets: €11.5trn
Top 1000 Pension Funds 2023: Europe’s pensions absorb a €646bn loss
Last year saw a net reduction in the asset stock of European pension investment retirement pools of 6.77% over the previous year, according to IPE’s annual study of the leading 1,000 pension funds across the continent, marking a sea change for pensions.
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Netherlands Country Report 2024: The pension transition dilemma
Dutch pension funds must tread a fine line between protecting funding levels and ensuring sufficient returns as they move to defined contribution
Private lending shows signs of recovery
Private credit is showing signs of recovery, but investors are focusing on defensive sectors
Natural capital special report: Getting to grips with the TNFD
More than 100 financial institutions have formally committed to adopting the recommendations of the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures. Here’s how some of them are getting on so far
Germany Country Report 2024: Unions take a more active role in pensions
Unions have a new role in determining the shape of occupational pensions but are mindful of their duty to protect workers
Equities portfolio strategy: Cautious optimism as hard landing fails to materialise in 2023
A shaky European economy will work in favour of quality companies when it comes to stock selection
Risk transfer special report: Pension liabilities shift to insurers
New players are waiting to enter the UK pension risk transfer market but this will depend on how accommodating Solvency UK will be
Ireland country report 2024: A no-nonsense consolidation approach
Ireland’s bid to reduce the number of single-member DC pension funds is succeeding but is not without teething troubles
Investors put weight behind bond markets
Exposure to bonds is rising at the fastest rate since the financial crisis, as investors focus on high-quality paper and the shorter end of the yield curve
CEE country report 2024: Poland’s auto-enrolment system - five years on
Slow but steady progress in auto enrolment is driving growth in workplace pension assets and membership
Fiduciary management special report: Has the UK peaked?
After years of growth throughout the 2010s, the number of fiduciary mandates has levelled off. Will trustees still opt for fiduciary now that insurance risk transfer is cheaper and consolidator funds have received the green light?
Class actions by European investors on the rise in the name of good governance and fiduciary duty
Deepwater Horizon, Volkswagen (Dieselgate), Wirecard, Silcon Valley Bank and Credit Suisse are recent, high-profile examples of corporate wrong doing resulting in losses for investors. As stewards of retirement savings and guardians of beneficiaries’ interests, it is only natural that pension funds should scrutinise the investments they are making – or outsourcing to asset managers to make – on their members’ behalf. This is a central plank of fiduciary duty.
Making sense of stock market concentration
The level of concentration within global equity markets is at record levels. This has significant implications for portfolio construction
Prospects special report 2024: CIOs on what awaits investors
Asset management CIOs and strategists answer key questions about investment for the 12 months and beyond
Nordic Region pensions funds report 2023: Norway's sovereign fund pivots north
Plans are afoot to set up a new base in northern Norway to manage sovereign wealth assets
ESG Guide 2023: The future of sustainable finance
With or without the backlash against ESG in the US, big questions have been looming over the sustainable finance industry – like ‘is sustainable finance working?’.
Refinancings: private equity out in the cold
Activity has been disappointing due to macroeconomic headwinds and geopolitical tensions
Spanish pensions report 2023: funds ride a wave of uncertainty
Diversification remains a key tool in pension fund portfolios
Switzerland pensions report 2023: funds consider next move with UBS and Credit Suisse
Fears of market concentration in asset management and custody services are leading Swiss Pensionskassen to rethink relations with the enlarged UBS
ETFs Guide 2023: Innovation challenges concentration as investors spread their ETF wings
ETFs’ steep upward trajectory continues, driven, as industry participants note, by their low cost, simplicity, and flexibility as an allocation tool. Globally the value of assets invested in ETFs, some $10.7trn (€10trn) at the end of August 2023, is 17.5% higher than at the same point in 2022, according to consultancy ETFGI. In Europe the increase was greater, at 20.8%, but from a much smaller base, with total investment in ETFs now standing at $1.7trn, with the lower take-up still being attributed to less favourable tax treatment.
Emerging market corporates struggle to sway bond investors
There are mixed views about the prospects for emerging corporate debt, despite the sound fundamentals
AI special report: Could investment management be transformed?
While many foresee a variety of roles for artificial intelligence, critics believe it has a limited role in crucial asset management activities
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