All Equities articles – Page 7
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News
DB schemes over-reliant on ‘historically improbable’ returns
On the go: Underfunded defined benefit schemes in the UK will require “once-in-a-century” equity performance if they are to avoid carrying their funding gaps well into the 2030s, according to a new report from Willis Towers Watson.
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News
Ombudsman decision sets financial loss precedent
A recent Pensions Ombudsman determination has opened the floodgates for financial loss claims resulting from the mere possibility of missing out on stock market profit, due to trustees being tardy in processing transfers.
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Opinion
Has the DGF had its day?
Diversified growth funds have been a staple of UK pension allocations across corporate defined benefit, the Local Government Pension Scheme, and defined contribution schemes since the financial crisis of 2008-09 demonstrated the perils of poorly diversified, heavily equity laden, market dependent investment.
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News
Widows switches into ESG fund as integration becomes standard
Scottish Widows has aligned a chunk of its pension portfolios with the transition to a low-carbon economy, as the integration of environmental, social and governance factors emerges as a competitive driver in the commercial defined contribution sector.
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News
South Yorks breezes through Covid but warns of potential danger ahead
The South Yorkshire Pensions Authority is reducing its exposure to equity market risk, after it escaped through the Covid-19 crisis largely unscathed.
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News
Lords commit TPR to preserving open DB schemes
The House of Lords has amended the pension schemes bill to ensure that open defined benefit schemes are not forced to derisk their investments in the same way as closed plans, in one of four defeats suffered by the government.
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OpinionWhat role does culture play in value for money?
Data crunch: I have previously stated that not all managers are equally willing or able to give data, and some are better in both attitude and application than others.
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NewsBoE governor reignites row between superfunds, insurers and regulators
In an intervention which laid bare a deep divide both in the industry and between regulators, Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey has reignited a long-running feud between traditional insurers and advocates of new superfund models, while casting doubt on the Pensions Regulator’s ability to oversee consolidators.
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News
Blow to investors as TPR rules risk further dividend drought
On the go: New guidance from the Pensions Regulator could prolong the “dividend drought” currently hampering income investors, experts have warned.
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OpinionUpside down: why trustees should be wary of unexpected outperformance
I would be willing to bet that most investors, particularly pension scheme trustees, wish they had spent more time looking at their true risk exposures before 2020.
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OpinionDoes paying more deliver more performance?
You get what you pay for, right? As far as fund management is concerned, this old adage does not quite ring true, although as ever there are some caveats.
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OpinionEconomies of scale: do they exist?
Data crunch: Does size matter? Many fund products come with tiered fee structures, leading to the mantra that the larger the mandate, the lower the unit cost.
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News
LGPS has £2bn invested in alleged ‘illegal Israeli settlement’ companies
Thirty-three Local Government Pension Scheme funds retain investments worth more than £2bn in arms manufacturers and in companies accused of supporting illegal Israeli settlements, as some of these schemes opt for engagement instead of divestment.
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News
Poor Q1 returns catch up on risky fiduciary managers
Fiduciary managers with heavily equity-based portfolios suffered the heaviest losses in the first quarter of 2020, as the wide variation in strategies continues to provoke discussion about the right level of growth portfolio diversification.
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OpinionAsset allocation analysis reveals UK’s governance weakness
Recently, I was tinkering with the asset allocation data for a large sample of defined benefit pension schemes and ‘accidentally’ came across an interesting, and possibly controversial, story relating to asset allocation.
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News
DB deficits fall £7bn in April as equity markets recover
On the go: The aggregate deficit of the 5,422 defined benefit schemes in the Pension Protection Fund 7800 Index fell by £7.4bn in April.
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News
Third of fiduciary managers disappoint in 2019
On the go: New research has revealed the stark differences between best-in-class and stragglers in the fiduciary management market.
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Features
Coronavirus hits unhealthy DB schemes hard
Data crunch: A new report from consultancy Barnett Waddingham has found that the coronavirus crisis has exacerbated the funding divide between UK defined benefit schemes, with severe implications for those at the bottom of the pile.
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News
Regulator concerned by master trust investments weaknesses
Investment strategies pursued by some of the UK’s authorised master trusts are exposing pension scheme savers to unnecessary risks, according to the Pensions Regulator.
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News
Border to Coast seeks China equity manager
On the go: The Border to Coast Pensions Partnership is looking to appoint a specialist China equity manager, in a mandate worth between £200m and £300m.