January 2025

CPP Investments enters joint venture with Brazil’s largest residential real estate developer

Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPP Investments) has entered a joint venture with Cyrela Brazil Realty (Cyrela), Brazil's largest residential real estate developer. The agreement targets the development of residential condominiums in São Paulo, Brazil's largest city, with Cyrela's fund management subsidiary, Cy.Capital, serving as the manager of the investment vehicle. The partnership has established an investment target of $400m, split equally between CPP Investments and Cyrela. The venture aims to deliver over $1.44bn in potential sales value in the coming...

Europe’s top pension fund divests $585 million stake in Tesla

Europe's largest pension fund, Stichting Pensioenfonds ABP, has sold off its entire stake in Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) Inc., valued at $585 million, during the third quarter. The decision was influenced by several factors, including a disagreement over CEO Elon Musk's compensation package. Stichting Pensioenfonds ABP spokesperson stated on Sunday that the fund had issues with Musk's pay package. The decision to divest was also influenced by considerations of costs, returns, and responsible investment requirements. The Dutch newspaper Het Financieele Dagblad originally reported...

PensionBee Launches New Climate Plan to Help Customers Invest in Line With the Paris Agreement Goals

PensionBee, a leader in the consumer retirement market, has launched its new Climate Plan that sets a clear standard for climate-focused pensions. This plan not only excludes fossil fuel producers but also commits to continually reducing the total intensity of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions produced by companies in the plan by 10% annually. So, even if the global economy uses more carbon over time, the Climate Plan will move in the opposite direction, always using less. Building on the success of...

Pension managers urge UK to ditch ‘megafund’ scale test

UK pension managers have objected to government plans to force the creation of a series of “megafunds”, arguing it could stifle competition and hamper investment returns. Fund managers say that the government should focus on optimising value for savers rather than applying an “arbitrary” scale test for pension funds that could discourage new market entrants and force some funds to merge with underperforming peers. The criticisms come after the government said last year defined contribution (DC) workplace pension schemes should consolidate...

Pensions Investment Review: Unlocking the UK pensions market for growth

By Department for Work and Pensions & HM Treasury In July 2024 the Chancellor announced a landmark Pensions Review, the first phase of which was purposed with exploring new ways to boost investment, increasing saver returns and tackling waste in the pensions system. The joint HM Treasury-Department for Work and Pensions Minister Emma Reynolds MP was asked by the Chancellor to lead the first phase of the review, which is focussed on four specific areas. Get the report here

Sustainable Investing

By Lubos Pastor, Robert F. Stambaugh & Lucian A. Taylor We review the literature on sustainable investing, focusing on financial effects. First, we examine the effects of investor tastes on portfolio tilts and asset prices in a simple equilibrium setting. We establish novel connections, including a direct relation between the green portfolio tilt and the greenium. We also relate our framework to prior modeling of divestment. Finally, we review evidence related to the main concepts from our theoretical analysis, including the greenium, green...

UK. What the bond market turmoil means for your mortgage, pension and savings

The bond market sell-off has revived fears about rising borrowing costs after the crisis that followed Liz Truss’s disastrous mini budget in 2022. However, experts are suggesting there is no need to panic. Here is what it may mean for mortgages, pensions and savings. Pensions If you are aged under 50 and are saving into a pension, it is unlikely any of your money will be in bonds. It is instead probably going into stock market-based investments, and any short-term fall...

Sustainable finance is braced for its toughest year yet

Before most investors had even returned to the office after the Christmas break last week, it became clear that sustainable finance is in for another rough year. On Thursday, Morgan Stanley became the latest big name to abandon the private sector’s main climate group, the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ). GFANZ, as it’s more commonly known, was set up to help its 700+ members work out how to develop the right targets, accounting metrics and investment strategies to achieve...

Government must collaborate with industry to ensure pension investment in UK

In her first Mansion House speech as Chancellor, Rachel Reeves set out a vision to harness the UK’s pension capital to drive investment and growth. The government's aims are worthy and can set industry on a path to unlocking investment opportunities; however, there are several challenges ahead if their ambitions are to be realised. As a UK business, and one whose sponsors almost entirely operate in the UK, Independent Governance Group (IGG) has an inherent interest in supporting continued and sustained...

December 2024

2024 is a record year for ETFs in Latin America, especially among pension funds

According to a report by ETFGI, this year will be historic for the global ETF sector. By the end of August, the industry reached a new all-time high of $13.99 billion in assets under management, surpassing the previous record of $13.61 billion. In the emerging markets of Latin America, the trend is similar, driven by increased liquidity in the region. This is particularly evident among the largest pension funds, whose managers have long used ETFs as one of their preferred...