October 2020

27Oct

US. Apollo Clients Await Inquiry’s Findings on Chief and Jeffrey Epstein

Leon Black helped start Apollo Global Management three decades ago out of the ashes of a junk-bond scandal and built a $400 billion private-equity powerhouse, handling the investments of institutions around the globe, from public pension systems in California to sovereign wealth funds controlled by foreign governments. But now some of his clients are asking pointed questions about his judgment, as his association with a notorious sex offender threatens to cloud his future. In the past two weeks —...

October 27, 2020
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27Oct

South Korea pension fund to oppose LG Chem’s battery split-off plan

It cited concerns about damage to shareholder value, including the possibility of diluting the equity value. LG Chem said in a statement that it very much regrets that NPS opposes the plan when most domestic and foreign proxy advisers including Institutional Shareholder Services back it, adding it will actively communicate with shareholders. "Although NPS is the second-largest shareholder of LG Chem...it is likely that dissenting votes would have little impact as most proxy advisers have recommended endorsement of...

October 27, 2020
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23Oct

Annual survey of investment regulation of pension funds and other pension providers 2020

By The OECD This report describes the main quantitative investment regulations that pension funds are subject to in OECD and a selection of non-OECD countries (most of which are IOPS Member countries). This report also covers the investment rules for other pension providers (such as life insurance companies) for some countries, such as Denmark, France, Ireland, Korea, Latvia and Sweden among OECD countries and Jordan among non-OECD jurisdictions. The information reflects the rules in force at the end of...

October 23, 2020
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23Oct

US. The DOL’s ESG Proposal and DB Plans

There´s a lot of money in corporate defined benefit (DB) plans, and it can make a difference how those assets are invested. Cooper Abbott, president and chairman of Carillon Tower Advisers, notes that the Department of Labor (DOL) oversees employee benefit plans that represent approximately $10 trillion in combined assets under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). Of this total, about $8 trillion is in mutual and other funds, and about $2 trillion is in directly...

October 23, 2020
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21Oct

Mexico. López Obrador faces pension funds’ ire with commissions cut plan

Plans by Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador to force fund managers to cut their fees as part of a pension reform have prompted threats of litigation. Read also Chile’s pension funds join global gold ETP rush Private pension funds would have to cut their commissions almost in half to 0.54 percent, from 0.92 percent, according to a bill sent to Congress in September, which is expected to be approved in both chambers in the next weeks. Read also COVID-19...

October 21, 2020
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21Oct

Pandemic puts pressure on global pensions

The combination of low interest rates, a pandemic-ravaged global economy and reduced investment returns are straining pension systems, according to an annual survey. Covid-19 has also exacerbated gender inequality in pensions, the Mercer CFA Institute Global Pension Index says. Women already retired with less money than men, and the pandemic’s effect on the hospitality and food services sectors, where women are overrepresented, will add to the gap. Canada’s pension systems held at ninth overall in the 2020 study with...

October 21, 2020
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21Oct

UAE. Abu Dhabi Pension Fund and ADQ to Invest $2.1 Billion in Gas Pipelines

The Abu Dhabi Pension Fund (ADPF) and holding company ADQ have made a $2.1 billion investment in the state’s gas pipeline assets. The state pension fund and holding company will take a one-fifth stake in the gas pipeline assets owned by the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), which oversees 38 pipelines spanning 610 miles, the state-owned oil company ADNOC said last week. “The addition of these high-caliber UAE investors sets a new benchmark for leading global and...

October 21, 2020
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21Oct

Canada. Quebec Pension Launches Fund to Boost Diversity in Smaller Firms

Caisse de Depot et Placement du Quebec is launching a C$250 million ($190 million) fund to invest in small and medium-sized businesses in Canada that have diverse executives and owners. To be eligible, companies must promise that at least 25% of their boards, management teams and shareholders will be comprised of people of diverse backgrounds -- including women, visible minorities and indigenous people -- in the five years following the investment, Caisse said in a statement. “It has been...

October 21, 2020
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20Oct

These Are the World’s Best (and Worst) Pension Systems in 2020

The Netherlands and Denmark have cemented their positions as having the best pension systems in the world, even as other countries falter during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to an annual global survey. Read also Pandemic puts pressure on global pensions The countries again took the top two slots in the Mercer CFA Institute Global Pension Index published Tuesday, drawing praise for holding their nerve and not allowing citizens to drain their accounts during the crisis. Read also Asia managers set...

October 20, 2020
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20Oct

Asia managers set strategies for expected U.S. election chaos

Money managers in Asia are deploying a range of traditional and unconventional strategies to cushion any losses as they brace for turbulence in the lead-up and aftermath of the U.S. presidential election. Chinese equities feature high in some recommendations on expectations the vote will have a limited impact on Asian assets, while derivatives that protect against a market slide are also listed among the strategies. Several investors suggest more conventional hedges such as the yen and gold as well...

October 20, 2020
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