Returns Archives - Pension Policy International

02JunJune 2, 2026

South Korea. [Retirement Pension Investment Strategy] “During Booms, Focus on Indexes… Systematic Investing Is Key to Beating Volatility”

Last year, for the first time ever, the accumulated amount of retirement pension funds in Korea surpassed 500 trillion won, illustrating the continuous growth of the domestic retirement pension market. In addition, the Korean stock market has been experiencing a record-breaking bull run, and the domestic exchange-traded fund (ETF) market has also expanded to 500 trillion won, leading to greater public interest in financial investment than ever before. However, despite this rapid growth, the polarization of returns among retirement...

June 2, 2026

NewsEquality, Returns, South Korea

07MayMay 7, 2026

Canadian DB pension plans return 0.4% in Q1 2026 amid geopolitical tensions: report

The typical Canadian defined benefit pension plan posted a median return of 0.4 per cent in the first quarter of 2026, according to a new report by RBC Investor Services. It found Canadian equity allocations returned 3.9 per cent in the quarter, matching the TSX composite index. Energy led sector gains with a 30.1 per cent surge following the Strait of Hormuz closure, while materials rose strongly early in the period, pulled back significantly in March and finished with a...

May 7, 2026

NewsCanada, Investment, Returns

18MarMarch 18, 2026

UK pension investors cut US exposures amid global volatility

UK institutional investors responded to last year’s trade, tariff and geopolitical disruption with selective changes rather than wholesale portfolio resets, according to new research. Figures from Nuveen’s 2026 EQuilibrium Global Institutional Investor Survey showed that 11% of UK investors made significant portfolio changes in response to the disruptions of 2025, the second-highest proportion globally. But the survey also suggests investors did not see the year simply as a source of risk: 73% said 2025 delivered more upside than downside to their...

March 18, 2026

NewsInvestment, Returns, UK

10MarMarch 10, 2026

Gen X Americans Face New Retirement Savings Threat

Generation X Americans could face new pressure on their retirement savings as the economic fallout from the war in Iran ripples through global markets. Now in its second week, the U.S. helmed conflict has pushed oil prices up sharply as bombing impacts regions critical to the production and movement of energy from the Persian Gulf. The price of Brent crude, which is the international benchmark, has surged to $119.50 per barrel. This morning, the NASDAQ fell by more than 1...

March 10, 2026

NewsReturns, Risk, US

08JanJanuary 8, 2026

German dentists’ pension fund sues advisers after C$1.77B loss

A pension fund for more than 10,000 German dentists has launched legal action against its former auditor, an external adviser and several ex-managers after suffering investment losses of over €1.1 billion (about C$1.77 billion), according to reporting by Bloomberg and AwazLive. Versorgungswerk der Zahnärztekammer Berlin (VZB), which manages roughly €2.2 billion (C$3.55 billion) for dentists in Berlin, Brandenburg and Bremen, said the losses were significant enough to prompt a corruption probe by Berlin prosecutors. In legal filings, the fund alleges that...

January 8, 2026

News2026, Investment, Occupational Pensions, Returns

22DecDecember 22, 2025

Mexico Retirement Funds Log Record MX$1.12 Trillion Returns

Retirement savings for Mexican workers posted historic returns in 2025, as Administrators of Retirement Funds (Afores) recorded total gains—or plusvalías—of MX$1.12 trillion from January through November. According to data from the National Commission for the Retirement Savings System (CONSAR), this represents the highest level ever recorded for the period. Despite the record cumulative performance, the pace of growth in Afores’ returns moderated in November compared with previous months. Positive returns for the month totaled MX$32.608 billion, a 77% decline from...

December 22, 2025

News2025, Mexico, Pension Management, Returns

19DecDecember 19, 2025

Dynamic asset allocation on the rise as pension plans face an era of controlled disorder

By Prof. Amin Rajan This question has come to the fore as the swirling clouds of geopolitical events have elevated the role of dynamic asset allocation (DAA). They have challenged the timehonoured primacy of strategic asset allocation (SAA), with fixed weights for different asset classes with long-term return targets. This rigid set-it/forget-it approach worked well in the longest bull run after the 2008 global financial crisis. Since 2022, however, concerted steep rises in interest rates by key central banks to curb...

December 19, 2025

Books, Books, Investment, Reports2025, Investment, Returns, Risk

19DecDecember 19, 2025

State of OECD Pension Funds’ Climate Transition: Insights and recommendations from the Net Zero Finance Tracker

By Frederick Fabian, Claris Parenti, Maddy Taylor & Valerio Micale Unlike other institutional investors, which often focus on short-term performance, pension providers have a fiduciary duty to address long-term systemic issues and act in their beneficiaries’ best interests. In many jurisdictions, this obligation includes setting credible climate targets, implementing internal changes to strategy, governance, and process, and actively supporting the decarbonization of the real economy. Pension funds’ role in financing the climate transition is drawing sharper focus as the limits of...

December 19, 2025

Books, Books, Reports, System Sustainability2025, Climate crisis, Investment, Returns, Risk

16DecDecember 16, 2025

November Delivers Mixed Results for Pension Finances

Pension finances experienced a modest pullback in November, marking the first negative month since March, according to October Three Consulting’s “November Pension Finance Update.” Meanwhile, some measures reported a small increase in funding levels over the same period. Both model plans October Three tracks lost ground last month. Plan A, a traditional 60/40 equity/bond allocation, lost almost 1%, ending November up 6% for the year. The more conservative Plan B, comprised of 80% bonds, lost a fraction of 1% last...

December 16, 2025

NewsFunding, Pension Management, Returns, US

30OctOctober 30, 2025

World’s largest sovereign wealth fund returns 5.8% amid AI optimism

Norway’s $2 trillion sovereign wealth fund — the largest of its kind in the world — on Wednesday reported a 5.8% return during the third quarter, powered by strong stock market gains and AI optimism. Norges Bank Investment Management (NBIM) manages the fund on behalf of the Norwegian population. Set up in the 1990s to invest excess revenues from Norway’s oil and gas industry, the enormous Government Pension Fund Global is currently invested in assets across 70 countries, including almost 9,000 companies. Its...

October 30, 2025

NewsAI, Norway, Returns

June 2026

South Korea. [Retirement Pension Investment Strategy] “During Booms, Focus on Indexes… Systematic Investing Is Key to Beating Volatility”

May 2026

Canadian DB pension plans return 0.4% in Q1 2026 amid geopolitical tensions: report

March 2026

UK pension investors cut US exposures amid global volatility

Gen X Americans Face New Retirement Savings Threat

January 2026

German dentists’ pension fund sues advisers after C$1.77B loss

December 2025

Mexico Retirement Funds Log Record MX$1.12 Trillion Returns

Dynamic asset allocation on the rise as pension plans face an era of controlled disorder

State of OECD Pension Funds’ Climate Transition: Insights and recommendations from the Net Zero Finance Tracker

November Delivers Mixed Results for Pension Finances

October 2025

World’s largest sovereign wealth fund returns 5.8% amid AI optimism