July 2022
18Jul

Nigeria. Pension fund investment in equities up 7.4% to N1.1trn due to stock market boom

The rising fortunes of investors in the nation’s stock market, as reflected in the 22.4 per cent year-to-date growth in total value of equities on the Nigerian Exchange Limited, NGX, has triggered a 7.4 per cent increase in the value of pension funds investment in equities to N1.1 trillion. This is in sharp contrast to 0.4 per cent growth in pension funds investment in federal government bonds recorded during the same period, which is the preferred and less risky investment...

July 18, 2022
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15Jul

The market meltdown threatening pensions for millions in the U.S.

American public pension funds are facing serious challenges that threaten the retirement plans for millions of US state and local government employees. Pension plans remained severely underfunded during the 11-year bull market that followed the Great Recession. The plunge toward insolvency and high-return markets led fund managers to take on risky bets in hope of staying afloat. Now, the recent selloff has left funds struggling to keep up with their future obligations. The 100 largest public pension funds in the United...

July 15, 2022
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14Jul

US. Biggest Investor Worries Are Inflation and Recession Risk

Top retirement income concerns for investors are inflation and recession anxiety, a new report reveals. The Alliance for Lifetime Income and CANNEX research from the “Protected Retirement Income and Planning Study” found that four out of five U.S. workers age 45 to 75 cited concerns that high inflation will reduce their spending power in retirement (81%) and that a recession will drive the economy downward and may reduce the amount of retirement income they can expect (79%). Retirement income anxiety is...

July 14, 2022
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12Jul

Pension Funds Forge Ahead With Sustainable Investing, Despite Politicization

Even as sustainable investing becomes a political football, pension funds and other asset owners in Europe and North America are adopting sustainable investment practices for their portfolios, according to a study by Morningstar Indexes. The “Voice of the Asset Owner” survey was based on 14 interviews with asset owners. They generally saw investing using environmental, social, and governance metrics “as a core element of investing rather than a specialist niche,” according to the study. The respondents said their use of ESG...

July 12, 2022
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12Jul

New guide to help pension funds tackle global deforestation

A new interactive guide to provide pension funds with the tools they need to ensure their investments are not driving deforestation across the globe is launched today by Global Canopy, Make My Money Matter and SYSTEMIQ. This year, research revealed that £2 in every £10 individuals save into their pensions in the UK is linked to companies and financial institutions at high risk of deforestation, jeopardising many schemes’ ambitious commitments to achieve net zero.. How to achieve deforestation-free pensions provides practical...

July 12, 2022
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11Jul

US. Crypto plunge is cautionary tale for public pension funds

The plunge in prices for Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies in recent weeks provides a cautionary tale for the handful of public pension funds that have dipped their toes in the crypto pool over the past few years. Most have done it indirectly through stocks or investment funds that serve as proxies for the larger crypto market. A lack of transparency makes it difficult to tell whether they’ve made or lost money, let alone how much, and for the most...

July 11, 2022
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08Jul

Prioritising sustainability and responsible investing in finance

Sustainability is not a separate strategy at KBC Asset Management, but an integral part of the overall workings of the KBC Group. As such, sustainability is embedded in KBC’s corporate strategy, central to our relationship with our clients as we strive to offer them a unique bank-insurance experience. We are convinced that our strategy – powered by our business culture and the contributions made by our people – is instrumental in earning, keeping and growing trust day by day. It’s...

July 8, 2022
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06Jul

Warning over pension change for South Africa

Retirement funds will have to invest in upskilling trustees to empower them to navigate the complex world of infrastructure investing opened up by the gazetting of the amendments to Regulation 28 of the Pensions Fund Act, says Andrew Davison, chair of the Investments Committee of the Actuarial Society of South Africa (ASSA). The new Regulation 28 investment limits allow retirement funds to invest up to 45% of assets in South African infrastructure projects, effective from the beginning of January 2023. Infrastructure...

July 6, 2022
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04Jul

Pension giant GPIF to invest in Japanese startups for first time

Japan's Government Pension Investment Fund, one of the world's largest institutional investors, will begin investing in Japanese startups in order to give the sector a boost, Nikkei has learned. The amount of the GPIF's investment in startups is expected to total several tens of millions of dollars. The move could serve as a magnet for other pension money and give momentum to the development of Japanese startups, which have lagged behind those in the U.S., China and other countries, observers...

July 4, 2022
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01Jul

Japan. World’s Top Pension Fund Writes Off Russia Stocks, Sells Bonds and Closes Year With Gains

Japan’s Government Pension Investment Fund said Friday that it’s been selling Russian assets since March following the invasion of Ukraine, marking down some values to almost zero in the process. The world’s biggest pension fund has substantially reduced holdings of Russian bonds, which can still be traded over-the-counter. The fund has been largely stuck with the country’s stocks, as foreign investors face trading restrictions, Chief Investment Officer Eiji Ueda said in the GPIF annual report. The Government Pension Investment Fund lost...

July 1, 2022
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