April 2025

Top U.S. pension funds lost US$169 billion after tariff shock

The top 25 state and local U.S. pension investment funds suffered an estimated paper loss of US$169 billion in public equities after U.S. President Trump’s tariff announcement. The losses came in the four trading days between April 3 and April 8, following U.S. Trump’s announcement on global tariffs, according to a report by Equable Institute, a New York-based the bipartisan nonprofit organization that focuses on pensions. For the whole year so far, the top funds have lost an estimated US$249...

Pension funds record overallocation to private equity in Q1 2025

Global pension funds in aggregate were above their median target allocation to private equity in the first quarter of 2025, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence data. The median target allocation across 298 pension funds was $306.8 million, and the median actual allocation was $330.3 million, resulting in a $23.5 million overallocation. Allocation takes on greater significance if public markets enter a sustained decline, resulting in an overallocation to private markets due to the denominator effect. The imbalance can restrict a...

European stocks in red as China responds to US

European stocks opened lower on Wednesday, as investors digest the ongoing trade war between the US and China. The FTSE 100 index opened down 134.23 points, 1.7%, at 7,776.30. The FTSE 250 was down 293.86 points, 1.6%, at 18,055.29, and the AIM All-Share was down 7.08 points, 1.1%, at 634.58. The Cboe UK 100 was down 1.6% at 774.66, the Cboe UK 250 was down 1.7% at 15,700.63, and the Cboe Small Companies was down 0.3% at 14,618.76. US President Donald Trump’s...

South Africa’s pension system holds ground amid global shifts

South Africa’s R4.8tn pension industry may be a small player on the global stage, but its role in local capital markets and long-term national development is outsized – and becoming increasingly strategic as global trends reshape the future of retirement funding. The Global Pension Assets Study 2025, released by the Thinking Ahead Institute (TAI), places South Africa 16th among 22 major pension markets, with total pension assets of $257bn (R4.8tn) at the end of 2024. While this represents a modest 0.4%...

US pension funds to target directors over AI oversight failings

US pension funds are sharpening their focus on director oversight of company AI usage, with three funds across the country adding language to their voting policies on holding them accountable for poor AI oversight. San Francisco’s $33 billion employee retirement system was the first fund to add language to this effect. Trustees voted this year to approve amendments to its proxy voting policy stating that, “where there is evidence that insufficient oversight and/or management of AI technologies has resulted in...

ESG KPI report 2025. Managing what you measure

By Invest Europe Tackling climate change and standing strong on responsible investment themes, such as diversity and zero tolerance to corruption, are among the greatest challenges – and responsibilities – facing the European private equity industry today. These considerations are not only at the forefront of policymakers’ and investors’ minds, but also ever more central to consumers when they decide how to spend their money. We are firm believers in the saying that you cannot manage what you don’t measure. With...

ESG investing: a global investor survey

By AXA Investment Managers We are committed to responsible investing and supporting the transition to sustainable economies. As long-term custodians of wealth, we strive to identify and back environmental, social and governance (ESG) leaders that can protect and grow client portfolios. In doing so, we believe that understanding customer perspectives is paramount, which is why we carried out this extensive study on individual views toward ESG investing across various markets, regions, and demographics.   Get the report here

Oil spills, scandals of the past embolden ESG stance of U.N. pension fund CEO

A plastic water bottle might not prompt most people to engage in lighthearted employee ribbing, but for Pedro Guazo, the CEO of the office of investment management at the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund, it did. As he watched the office's communications officer, Pilar Lagos, pull a mini water bottle out of her bag during a meeting, he remarked: “Is that,” he asked playfully, “a single-use plastic water bottle?” Sitting on top of the large conference room table was a...

UK. AI ‘transforming’ pensions admin; use by members remains limited

Whilst artificial intelligence (AI) is beginning to play an important role in pensions administration, its adoption by individual pension scheme members remains limited, according to the Trafalgar House Trust & Confidence Index. It found that despite a growing awareness of AI-driven tools, most people were not yet using AI to support their retirement decisions. When surveyed, only 8 per cent of the population reported using AI tools for pension planning. Indeed, the "overwhelming" majority (82 per cent) indicated that they had never...

Nigeria’s pension assets to GDP up by 8% in 2024

Nigeria’s pension assets contribution to the country’s GDP has risen to 8 percent in 2024, from 5.6 percent in 2015. While this rise reflects a positive trend in the management of the country’s pension funds, Nigeria still lags behind the global average put at 30 percent, highlighting need for increased saving and regulatory compliance. Industry players believe that a shift towards better savings habits among Nigerians and adherence to regulatory compliance by employers at all levels would enhance contribution of the...