Longevity Swap Market Still Constrained, Despite Growing Number of Deals
The lack of an established market to trade longevity risk may stymie the current flurry of deals to derisk pension schemes through swapping out this liability.
News Archive: Jan - 2012
Investment Consultants Tout Opportunities in Distressed Debt Amid Financial Turmoil
Opportunities in distressed debt abound in the face of Europe's sovereign debt crisis and near-stagnant growth, investment consulting firms say.
US Economy to Grow by Up to 2.5%, BlackRock Predicts
Bob Doll, Chief Equity Strategist for Fundamental Equities at BlackRock, predicts a "slow growth" world, with Europe slipping into a recession while US stocks achieve double-digit gains.
Mercer Approaches ‘Fund Manager’ Status
Mercer’s investment management focus intensifies as consulting takes a back seat in management shake-up.
Bank of England Brings in New Actuary for King’s Pension
Bank of England has appointed Punter Southall as actuary to its DB pension scheme, ousting Towers Watson.
GSAM Chairman Forecasts 2012
Unlike last year's bullish predictions, Goldman Sachs Asset Management chairman Jim O’Neill has outlined a slightly less optimistic array of predictions for 2012.
Pension Schemes Avoid Hedging Derivatives Despite Growing Funding Gap
Derivatives and liability-hedging through financial instruments are foxing pension schemes looking to derisk as funding levels fall.
Investors Flock to US Securities, Shunning Eurozone and BRICS in 2011
US bonds were favoured while Eurozone, BRIC, and US equities were avoided by institutional investors in 2011 as economic conditions spooked markets.
Investors to Pursue Clean Tech Private Equity Despite Challenges, Paper Says
A newly released article explains that institutional investors are seeking to better understand and invest more heavily in clean tech private equity.
New York Comptroller Clamps Down on Penalties for Corrupt Officials
Thomas DiNapoli, New York's comptroller, is introducing a program bill that would double the penalty for public officials found guilty of corruption.
Shell Launches DC-Only UK Pension Option For Future Hires
Shell, which offers one of the remaining open DB schemes on the FTSE100, seems set to close it to new joiners, citing falling in line with ‘market trends’.
Alternatives Explain Endowment Superiority, Academic Paper Says
A recently published academic paper claims that the average asset allocation of elite institutions and top‐performing funds is the single most important factor to explain stellar returns.
Mercer: Pension Deficits Up by Nearly a Third in 2011
Mercer’s latest Pensions Risk Survey data shows that the accounting deficit of defined benefit (DB) pension schemes in the UK is on the rise.
Longtime Head of Investment Consulting Departs Aon Hewitt
Andrew Tunningley, head of investment consulting at Aon Hewitt, has left the company after overseeing a three-way merger 18 months ago.
PIMCO: Papers Focus on Delayed LDI, US Credit Outlook
Two papers published by Mohamed El-Erian and Rene Martel, chief executive and product manager of the Pacific Investment Management Co. (PIMCO) respectively, delve into the future credit outlook of the US and on the state of LDI implementation.