June 2020

Milliman analysis: Estimated cost of retiree pension risk transfer drops significantly, from 105.5% to 103.9% in May

Milliman, Inc., a premier global consulting and actuarial firm, today announced the latest results of its new Milliman Pension Buyout Index (MPBI). As the Pension Risk Transfer (PRT) market continues to grow, it has become increasingly important to monitor the annuity market for plan sponsors that are considering transferring retiree pension obligations to an insurer. The MPBI uses the FTSE Above Median AA Curve, along with annuity purchase composite interest rates from insurers, to estimate the average cost...

US. New Labor Department rule reinforces pension funds’ fiduciary duties.

The Labor Department proposed a rule Tuesday that will govern how the $10.7 trillion invested in private pension plans should be managed in light of the push to consider the environment, social factors and corporate governance, or ESG, when making investment decisions. According to Morningstar, from 2018-19 flows into “sustainable” funds increased nearly fourfold, and the number of conventional funds claiming to consider ESG factors rose to 564 from 81. More than 3,100 institutional investors and businesses that provide...

How COVID-19 is impacting Nigeria’s pensions industry

Monthly data from Nigeria’s pensions industry shows that the country’s total pension fund assets stood at 10.6 trillion naira as at April this year with Federal Government Securities weighing 66.25 per cent of the total pension fund assets. The data also showed that new retirement savings account grew 85 per cent less in April 2020 compared to the same period in 2019. Pabina Yinkere, Chief Investment Officer at Sigma Pensions joins CNBC Africa for more. Read more @CBC Africa

COVID19 impact on the pension risk transfer market

This has had a compounding impact on the premium rates insurers charge for BPA policies. The strong demand from trustees and sponsors of pension schemes to purchase BPAs during 2019 gave insurers a strong negotiating hand to choose which counterparties they would engage with. Consequently, insurers’ focus has gravitated towards larger transactions (where the prize was worth the risk of being unsuccessful). Whilst competition amongst insurers enabled larger schemes to maintain a comparatively strong negotiating...

Australia’s Biggest Pension Fund Eyes PE, Credit Amid Low Rates

AustralianSuper, the nation’s largest pension fund, is seeking private-equity opportunities and looking to lift credit holdings as it sees limited returns from government bonds. The fund is holding more cash than it would traditionally, Mark Delaney, the chief investment officer of Melbourne-based AustralianSuper, told Bloomberg’s Inside Track series Tuesday. It is underweight government bonds and maintained its long-term weightings in equities during the market turbulence amid the coronavirus pandemic, Delaney said. “If we get a chance and the markets...

Pension giant and BNP Paribas AM unite for climate lobbying effort

AP7, BNP Paribas Asset Management and the Church of England Pensions Board have partnered with specialist advisory firm Chronos Sustainability to develop a framework to guide responsible corporate climate change lobbying The Swedish pension fund, French asset manager and English group have teamed up to better assess whether corporate lobbying is aligned with climate change goals, as set out in the Paris Agreement. The project will develop on existing efforts to create a credible and systematic means of measuring...

Building better retirement systems in the wake of the global pandemic

By Olivia S. Mitchell In the wake of the global pandemic known as COVID-19, retirees, along with those hoping to retire someday, have been shocked into a new awareness of the need for better risk management tools to handle longevity and aging. This paper offers an assessment of the status quo prior to the spread of the coronavirus, evaluates how retirement systems are faring in the wake of the shock. Next we examine insurance and financial market products that...

Silicon Valley Stories: A sampler of startups, stories, and lessons learned

By Adam Beguelin People think that joining a startup is a surefire way to get rich. The odds are against you, but it does happen. Silicon Valley Stories: A sampler of startups, stories, and lessons learned is about the hits and the misses. It’s about how people handle life in the start-up world. It includes true accounts from inside Inktomi, AOL, Truveo, and a handful of other Silicon Valley startups. As a tenured member of start-up culture, Beguelin...

Canada. Alberta public sector pension plan fund falls $3.4B in quarter, pointing to AIMCo losses

An Alberta public sector pension plan says its fund dropped by $3.4 billion — or 6.5 per cent — in the first quarter of the year, calling it an "extremely difficult" period for investors due to COVID-19's impact on financial markets. But the Local Authorities Pension Plan (LAPP), which has 275,000 members, is also pointing to losses at the Alberta Investment Management Corporation (AIMCo), its mandatory investment manager under provincial legislation. LAPP says total asset losses...

South Africa’s Central Bank Rules Out Financing Government

South Africa’s central bank ruled out helping the government fund its runaway budget deficit by paying for its spending through loans, as the ruling party debates using the institution to fund infrastructure and development. “We do not think it is prudent to finance government directly,” Kuben Naidoo, a Reserve Bank deputy governor, said on a conference call hosted by money manager Ninety One. “It would increase inflation risks. It would blur the lines between an independent central bank...