All interest rates articles – Page 5
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PodcastsPodcast: TPR to make changes to DB funding ‘fast-track’
Podcast: The Pensions Regulator will make changes to the fast-track approach proposed in its defined benefit funding consultation due to the impact of Covid-19, revealed its executive director of regulatory policy, analysis and advice David Fairs.
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News
DB scheme accounting deficits jump £13bn in a month
On the go: The accounting deficits and liability values of the defined benefit schemes of the UK’s 350 largest listed companies rose by £13bn last month alone, according to research by Mercer.
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NewsUSS strikes £300m deal with with affordable housing investors
The Universities Superannuation Scheme has entered into a £300m 45-year debt facility arrangement with a real estate investment trust, funding shared ownership housing developments.
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OpinionPension funds face a dilemma if negative rates materialise
The spectre of negative rates is not a new one for trustees of UK pension funds. Real interest rates, which are returns adjusted for inflation and represent growth or loss in purchasing power, have long been mired well below zero.
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News
Schemes to take a £5bn hit as analysts predict deflation
On the go: Pension schemes already suffering the funding implications of Covid-19 could be facing a further £5bn of pressure, as the prospect of deflation later in the year produces a “ratchet effect”, according to analysis by LCP.
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News
BoE adds to DB woes as stimulus struggles to ease covenant strain
On the go: The Bank of England's decision to slash its base interest rate to 0.25 from per cent 0.75 per cent will swell defined benefit liabilities, according to experts, who doubt the ability of monetary policy to ease covenant concerns but say Budget measures may offer some help.
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News
National Grid completes £1.6bn buy-in with Legal & General
On the go: The National Grid UK Pension Scheme has completed a £1.6bn buy-in with Legal & General.
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Features
Private debt inflows continue as storm clouds gather
Data crunch: Patrick Marshall is worried about the prospects for the private debt sector. The direct lending veteran and head of private debt at Hermes Investment Management says the possibility of markets coming back down to earth could leave some of his peers, and by extension the reputation of the industry, facing serious damage.
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OpinionUK gilts: The inconvenient truth for schemes
From the blog: Gilts have been a perennial favourite for UK pension schemes, not simply for their liability-matching properties, but also because of the returns they have delivered for schemes in years when markets have wobbled.
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News
Lessons from Oz: Former regulator urges hybrid product adoption
A former deputy chairman of the Australian Securities and Investments Commission has urged UK defined contribution schemes to better protect members by developing default retirement products combining drawdown and lifetime income.
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News
Bank of England raises base rate to 0.75%
The Bank of England has raised its base interest rate to 0.75 per cent, its highest level since February 2009.
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OpinionIndustry must keep member confidence strong through slowdown
There are troubling signs in the global economy. While concerns about an imminent recession may be premature, a marked slowdown in output growth in both the UK and eurozone, as well as building inflationary pressures in the US, do not bode well.
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News
Record corporate debts – a covenant warning signal?
UK companies’ net debts hit record highs over 2017/18, a new study has found, prompting concerns about how some sponsors of the UK’s defined benefit pension schemes will weather a turn in the interest rate cycle.
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OpinionRising rates: to hedge or not to hedge?
With interest rates on an upward move, pension schemes that can afford to be tactical should review their hedging strategy without delay.
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News
Rising interest rates threaten sponsor covenants, say experts
PLSA Investment Conference 2018: Interest rate and inflation risk could pose imminent threats to schemes and sponsors, while quantitative easing might not have been bad news for schemes, experts have said.
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OpinionHas the interest rate hike affected annuities?
From the blog: Planning for retirement is as important now as it has ever been. With the ageing workforce, interest rate hikes and the changing pension landscape, there are a lot of external factors weighing down on the retirement saving plans of savers.
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OpinionReasons to be cheerful: What to expect from markets in 2018
There were two big positive surprises in 2017.
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NewsEconomic gloom overshadows quiet Budget for pensions
Autumn Budget 2017: With chancellor Philip Hammond omitting pensions almost entirely from his speech, it was, as Barnett Waddingham senior consultant Malcolm McLean put it, a “steady as you go Budget”.
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OpinionRate rises are not the solution for DB woes
From the blog: After its meeting on September 14, the Monetary Policy Committee issued its strongest guidance yet that it expects to raise interest rates from their historic 10-year low.
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OpinionReady for the next 20 years?
Pensions Expert 20th Anniversary: The future of pensions has never been less certain than it is today.