More comment – Page 13
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Opinion PiecesViewpoint: Global custody for pension schemes – are you paying more than your neighbour?
The landscape for custodians has changed significantly
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Opinion PiecesViewpoint: Swap spreads at stress levels
Asset swap (ASW) spreads are currently trading at historically high levels as volatility in rates markets has remained high. We believe there is an opportunity for continental European pension funds to enter into Euribor receiver swaps and sell Bunds in their matching portfolio. Indeed, we expect that the peak in ...
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Opinion PiecesViewpoint: Modelling a longevity shock – A £1bn scheme would need to find £120m
By Howard Kearns, longevity pricing director at Insight Investment
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Opinion PiecesRobust central clearing is critical for millions of Europeans
Derivatives like interest rate swaps are now a central component of risk management best practice. According to a 2018 paper by ISDA and PensionsEurope, the percentage of hedged pension liabilities in Denmark, the Netherlands and the UK ranges from 40-60% of total liabilities.
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Opinion PiecesShareholder action to curb corporate lobbying is urgent
Corporate lobbying has always existed, but only in recent times have investors concerned with sustainability started to monitor the impact of the lobbying activities of their investee companies.
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Opinion PiecesSeesawing rates pivot European pension funding ratios
Many pension funds throughout Europe have had insufficient funding ratios for many years in part due to falling interest rates, even though pension funds’ investment choices and contribution levels also play a role.
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Opinion PiecesAustralia: A new sense of unity over superannuation funds
Australia’s leading political parties appear to have called a truce over often-politicised issues in the superannuation sector in the lead-up to this May’s Federal election.
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Opinion PiecesGuest viewpoint: How can DC schemes build a more sustainable future?
The UK government’s Build Back Better growth plan paves the way for significant investment in infrastructure, which could be attractive for defined contribution schemes. How might they take advantage of opportunities to improve outcomes for savers?
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Opinion PiecesUS: The SEC’s new climate disclosure rule is a watershed
Most investors, asset managers and consultants look like they are in favour.
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Opinion PiecesNotes from the Nordics: Finland on the frontier
Fear and uncertainty are rattling markets, but financial concerns are dwarfed by the human suffering caused by the war in Ukraine. In Finland, people have particular reason to worry due to the country’s long land border with Russia.
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Opinion PiecesViewpoint: Why the UK Investment Bank must nurture nature
By Gavin Templeton, partner at Pollination
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Opinion PiecesViewpoint: Post-war Ukraine
Post-war Ukraine offers threats and opportunities. Peter Kraneveld says it will pay to keep an eye on some key factors
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Opinion PiecesThe Ukraine war and what it means for pension funds
A health check for pension funds as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine raises questions about diversification and energy
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Opinion PiecesViewpoint: Invasion reactions show pension funds are more than investors
Before the Russian government’s decision to invade Ukraine at the end of February, the exposure of European pension funds to Russian assets was relatively low, and in some cases non-existent. Nevertheless, those funds that did invest in Russia acted quickly to reassess their exposure and divest from Russia entirely when possible, given the treacherous market conditions.
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Opinion PiecesGermany's debate on pension reform edges forward
The war in Ukraine, an unspeakable human tragedy, is forcing governments around Europe to reset international relations and find new partners to secure energy sources. The invasion has strongly tested the intent of the new German government to break with the previous administrations of Angela Merkel.
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Opinion PiecesLetter from Australia: Trustee accountability in focus
Despite having billions of assets under management, Australia’s superannuation funds have share capital ranging from as little as A$12 (€7.9) to A$100 (€66.2).
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Opinion PiecesLetter from US: US pension funds decide on Russian holdings
“We support efforts at all levels of government and across the public and private sectors, which include cross-functional and multi-agency partnerships, to divest State Treasury and pension funds from investments in Russian-domiciled companies. We are committed to taking steps that include divesting as soon as possible to have the quickest and most meaningful impact on this tragic situation.”
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Opinion PiecesUK's pension dashboard project should prioritise accuracy over simplification
The UK’s Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) consultation on the draft Pensions Dashboards Regulations 2022 closed last month. The DWP now aims to lay the regulations before parliament for debate later in the year.
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Opinion PiecesGuest viewpoint: The fault with the default setting for COVID mortality in standard tables
The Continuous Mortality Investigation (CMI) is a subsidiary company of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (IFoA) in the UK. The CMI has a long history of providing high-quality and impartial analysis on mortality and morbidity. It is mainly focused on gathering data to produce standard mortality tables across various sub-populations of interest to actuaries, including term assurances, annuitants and pension schemes.
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Opinion PiecesViewpoint: Inflation – becoming yesterday’s story
Although fears of an inflationary spiral may seem justified, a deeper analysis suggests otherwise
