More defined benefit news – Page 31
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NewsGilt yields drop while schemes plan for life after mini-Budget U-turn
Pension schemes are reviewing their asset allocations and resilience to future market shocks, as gilt yields fell in response to the abandonment of most measures presented in the September “mini” Budget.
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NewsKwarteng out as LDI derivative losses set to hit £149bn
Market moves: Liz Truss sacks Kwasi Kwarteng, with Jeremy Hunt installed as chancellor; JPMorgan estimates market-to-market losses from liability-driven investment derivatives could hit $167bn (£149bn); and schemes rush to prepare as the Bank of England ends its bond-buying programme.
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NewsBoE demands ‘appropriate levels’ of market resilience
On the go: The Bank of England has called on market participants to learn lessons from the current volatility in gilt markets and has said that it is monitoring the behaviour of liability-driven investment managers, with its gilt-purchasing programme set to end on October 14.
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NewsClara-Pensions expects consolidator competition ‘within a year’
On the go: The commercial consolidator Clara-Pensions expects to see other offerings providing competition in the market “in a year’s time”, according to chief executive Simon True, despite the “unhelpful economic environment”.
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NewsExperts warn DWP rules could lead more schemes to LDI
With pension funds still dealing with the current market turmoil, experts point out the government’s proposed rules for defined benefit funding could force schemes into an even lower-risk environment, increasing the need for liability-driven investments.
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NewsTPR’s Counsell: DB schemes are not at risk of collapse
Defined benefit pension schemes were not on the verge of collapse before the Bank of England’s gilt market intervention, the Pensions Regulator’s chief executive Charles Counsell has said.
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NewsColumbus’s egg and leverage in LDI
Eversheds Sutherland partner Simon Daniel considers how schemes may now use leveraged liability-driven investments.
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NewsYields ‘can’t spike again’: Schemes respond to liquidity pressures
Analysis: On September 23, chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng rose to his feet in the House of Commons to deliver a “mini” Budget that would have profound consequences for pension schemes.
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NewsTPR reached out to BoE for gilt market intervention
The Pensions Regulator has told MPs that it contacted the Bank of England and other regulators before the launch of its gilt-purchasing programme, to establish what actions they could take in response to volatility in the gilt market.
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NewsTPR moots LDI power of attorney as Bailey rules out more support
The Pensions Regulator has called on defined benefit pension schemes to review their liquidity, liability hedging and governance processes, suggesting that managers of their liability-driven investments could be granted power of attorney over some assets to quicken trading.
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NewsPPF urges trustees to plan for funding and risk changes
On the go: The Pension Protection Fund is encouraging trustees to have a contingency plan due to changes in funding and risk profile, despite the PPF 7800 index surplus continuing to rise.
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NewsLDI: Pension funds appeal for more BoE support
Market moves: Some pension funds think the Bank of England’s gilt market intervention should go further, while schemes pull capital out of multi-asset credit funds.
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NewsBoE widens gilt purchases after continued bond market volatility
On the go: The Bank of England has widened its bond-purchasing programme to include index-linked gilts after another turbulent day in UK bond markets.
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NewsBoE expands measures to protect schemes from market turmoil
The Bank of England has announced additional measures to support pension funds through the current market turmoil, including an increase in the size of its gilt daily auctions and a temporary initiative to ease liquidity pressure on schemes holding liability-driven investments.
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NewsFirst half of 2022 sees record number of bulk annuity deals
On the go: The first half of this year witnessed 78 bulk annuity deals, a record for the period, which registered 19 more transactions than the first six months of 2021.
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NewsUniversity employers stick to USS cuts despite strike threat
Universities Superannuation Scheme employers have rebuffed renewed calls by the University and College Union to restore benefit cuts in response to the scheme’s controversial 2020 valuation, arguing there is “no solid evidence” to make benefit changes before the 2023 valuation.
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NewsProcess non-red-flagged transfers ‘as speedily as possible’
On the go: The Pensions Administration Standards Association has encouraged schemes and administrators to process transfers that do not raise red flags as quickly as possible.
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NewsLDI fund managers look to lower leverage in wake of market turmoil
Managers of liability-driven investments are likely to reduce the level of leverage used in their funds in the aftermath of the Bank of England’s intervention, investment consultants say.
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NewsGovernment prolongs relaxation of NHS pension rules
The government will extend amendments to the NHS Pension Scheme designed at boosting health worker numbers, prolonging measures that were introduced in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
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NewsLDI: Could trustees be sued?
Market moves: A law firm speculates that trustees could be subject to legal action as a result of gilt market instability, the Association of Consulting Actuaries urges defined benefit schemes to review their hedging strategies, and a former pensions minister asks if liquidity pressures will undermine the government’s push for scheme infrastructure investment.