Asset Allocation
Liking Gold’s Ascent? Just Wait for the Plunge, Study Warns
Duke’s Campbell Harvey charts the wacky ups and downs of the precious metal.
News Archive: Aug - 2020
Research
Corporate Pension Plans’ Funded Status Dips for First Time Since April
A surge in liabilities from low discount rates dropped aggregate ratios 1.3 percentage points to 79.9%, Wilshire says.
Market Moves
How David Einhorn Is Betting on Higher Inflation
Hedge fund chief thinks a small amount of inflation is coming, so he goes for TIPS derivatives, among other plays.
Pensions
Institutional Plans Report Best Quarter in over 33 Years
Large plans underperformed small plans, likely due to significant exposure to alternative investments.
Newsmakers
CalPERS CIO Ben Meng Resigns from Nation’s Largest Pension Fund
Deputy chief Dan Bienvenue will take over until the retirement system finds a replacement.
Pensions
Netherlands, Denmark, Australia Rated World’s Top Pension Systems
Thailand, Argentina, and Turkey were ranked as having the worst pension systems in the world by Visual Capitalist.
Asset Allocation
Study: Endowments Have Underperformed Passive Portfolios for 58 Years
New research finds a 60/40 passive benchmark has outperformed the average endowment over nearly six decades.
Asset Management Culture
Church Commissioners Appoints Bess Joffe Head of Responsible Investment
She will replace Edward Mason, who left earlier this year.
Pensions
Alaska Permanent Fund Returns 2% in Fiscal 2020
The sovereign wealth fund beat a passive index benchmark, but missed its return target.
Asset Allocation
Long-Range Investing, a Decline in Births, and a Fertility Rate that’s Scared of COVID-19
What to consider with COVID-19 accelerating an already steady baby bust.
Newsmakers
GCM Grosvenor Merges with SPAC to Go Public
Interest in the so-called ‘blank check’ companies has surged during the pandemic from investors seeking easier ways to fund IPOs.
Princeton Settles Lawsuit over ‘Excessive’ Retirement Plan Fees
University agrees to pay $5.8 million and not raise plan fees for three years.
Asset Allocation
UK Pension NEST Aims for Net-Zero Carbon by 2050
New climate change policy expected to halve portfolio’s carbon emissions within 10 years.
Risk
A Bad Sign? Lots of Corporate Insiders Are Selling Shares
This indicator has presaged two previous peaks, although its long-term record as a predicter is mixed.
Regulation
Advocacy Group Calls New Labor Department Rule ‘Anti-Consumer’
Pension Rights Center says the policy contradicts recent Supreme Court ruling and DOL guidance.