Report
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December, 2012
MSCI expands ESG research to cover fixed income
Index and investment research provider MSCI has added fixed income to the coverage of its research into environmental, social and governance (ESG) tools, to help investors in fixed income integrate ESG factors in their investment process, and measure ESG risk exposure in their portfolios. MSCI said its ESG research tools will cover over 90% of the ...
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December, 2012
Funding deficits most important risk for pension funds
Funding deficits resulting from the volatility of equities, and rising bond prices are the biggest and most important risks facing pension fund sponsors and trustees, according to MetLife Assurance’s 2012 UK Pension Risk Behaviour Index. The insurer said that funding deficits were selected by 67% of respondents in 2012, up from 58% in 2011 and only 27% ...
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December, 2012
FTSE 100 scheme deficits reach £55 billion
According to JLT Pension Capital Strategies, the total deficit of FTSE 100 defined benefit (DB) pension schemes has deteriorated a further £22 billion in the last 12 months to reach a total at the end of June of £55 billion. JLT said the pension deficit represents a material risk to the business at a number of companies, with 11 companies in the FTSE ...
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November, 2012
High yield bond funds showing big inflows
Two high yield bond funds have announced significant inflows, as investors seek yield from fixed income allocations. The Baring High Yield Bond Fund has almost doubled its assets under management since December 2011 to $1 billion and has shifted from European to emerging markets. And the ING Asian Debt Local Bond Fund has taken over $100 million in assets ...
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November, 2012
PPF looks to widen range of investments
The Pension Protection Fund (PPF), which now manages £12 billion in assets, has appointed 10 new specialist fixed income managers as part of a move to use a wide range of bond and fixed income investment strategies. PPF executive director of financial risk, Martin Clarke, said: “The PPF has a 70% strategic allocation to cash and bonds and, as we grow, ...
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November, 2012
New report outlines fees paid by institutional investors
CAMRADATA Analytical Services has calculated and published the average fees paid by institutional investors across a range of asset classes including equities and bonds. According to the report, the average base, or initial, investment management fee for equities is 77.7 basis points (bps) with an average minimum investment of £4 million. Then, once a ...
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October, 2012
Investment industry ponders euro prospects
Investment professionals have mixed views on the latest moves by the European Central Bank’s Mario Draghi to ensure the survival of the euro. At the end of July, Draghi announced that the ECB would do whatever it takes to ensure the survival of the euro and followed this with a statement that the ECB would provide support to distressed ...
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October, 2012
Skandia sees risk appetite returning in rising US bond yields
According to Skandia Investment Group (SIG), rising bond yields in the US are an indication of risk appetite returning to the market. SIG portfolio manager, Anthony Gillham, said the yield on US government bonds has moved out to nearly 0.5% on the 10-year point on the curve, which is 0.1% higher than UK Gilts. Gillham added: “This might not sound much, ...
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October, 2012
Industry bodies call for better pension cost disclosure
The Association of British Insurers (ABI) has set out plans for clearer pension charges in a letter to the Pensions Regulator and the Financial Services Authority (FSA). In it, the ABI has called for consistent and simple disclosure of charges to employees in contract and trust-based pensions, which should include transaction costs. The move is aimed at ...
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October, 2012
Morrow adds asset management to Aquantum
A quantitative trading expert from Winton Capital Management, Thomas Morrow, has announced his systematic managed futures index business, Aquantum, will expand into asset management. Morrow left Winton in 2008 to set up Aquantum, based in Luxembourg, which provides systematic investment indices to structured investment product issuers. It then made a ...
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