Report
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December, 2020
UK social investment surges to over £5 billion
Social impact investing in the UK has grown six-fold over the past eight years, increasing to more than £5 billion in 2019, according to figures released by asset management group Big Society Capital. The number of transactions made in the sector increased by almost a fifth year-on-year to more than 5,000 in 2019, with investment coming from a broad ...
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December, 2020
Shell raises third quarter dividend
Shell announced a rise in its third quarter dividend despite earnings tumbling by more than 80% and cutting thousands of jobs in response to the oil price crash. The oil giant increased the payout by 4% to 16.65c a share, although that was still considerably behind a dividend of 47c for the same period last year. In September, the group announced plans to ...
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December, 2020
Wales pool launches fixed income funds
Wales Pension Partnership (WPP) has launched a series of fixed income funds, as the pool aims to provide its constituent schemes with improved diversification and cost efficiencies. The five sub-funds will be focused on global credit, global government bonds, absolute return bonds, multi-asset credit and UK credit. Aside from UK credit, four of the ...
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December, 2020
South Yorkshire fund makes carbon neutral pledge
South Yorkshire Pension Fund (SYPA) has set a goal to become carbon neutral by 2030, following a review of its responsible investment policies. SYPA was one of the first local government pension scheme administering authorities to adopt a climate change policy and to adopt the reporting requirements of the Task Force on Climate Related Financial ...
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December, 2020
Responsible investment bill proposed to improve trustee accountability
ShareAction has joined with the All Party Parliamentary Group on Sustainable Finance in proposing new legislation to MPs, which would force investors to consider the impact of environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues on behalf of their beneficiaries. The proposed Responsible Investment Bill would strengthen the legal duties of fiduciary investors ...
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October, 2020
Second quarter dividends plummet
Global dividends fell by more than a fifth during the second quarter as companies sought to bolster their cash reserves in the wake of the pandemic. Total payouts fell by $108.1 billion to $382.2 billion, the lowest second-quarter total since 2012, according to Janus Henderson’s Global Dividend Index. The decline was the worst quarterly drop since the ...
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October, 2020
Government unveils climate risk disclosure proposals for schemes
The UK’s largest pension schemes will be legally required to assess and report on climate change-related risks within their investment portfolios, under government proposals. Under the consultation, trustees of schemes with £5 billion or more in assets would be mandated to report on their climate risk management and accompanying metrics and targets in ...
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October, 2020
ESG risk mitigation rises up agenda
European pensions funds’ awareness and desire for action on climate change-related investment risk has surged, according to new research. More than half of schemes are now actively considering the impact of climate risks in their investment allocations, according to Mercer’s latest European Asset allocation insights survey, compared to just 14% in ...
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October, 2020
Inflation switch could cost schemes £80 billion
Government plans to align the Retail Price Index (RPI) with the Consumer Price Index (CPIH) could see pension schemes up to £80 billion worse off, the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association (PLSA) has warned. The UK Statistics Authority and the Treasury unveiled plans to align the inflation measures under a joint consultation in March. Following the ...
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October, 2020
DB transfer values remain elevated
Defined benefit transfer values rose to a record high in July as Gilt yields continued to fall, whilst the number of members taking a transfer continued at pre-lockdown levels. XPS Pensions Group’s Transfer Value Index reached a record high of £261,500 on 30 July, before falling back to end the month at £260,700, up from £259,700 at the end of ...
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