Investment

Despite the gloom around Brexit and all the challenges facing pensions, there are plenty of reasons to be cheerful. Top industry commentators tell Stephanie Baxter why there is cause for optimism

Buck's David Piltz says the industry was shaped by several developments in 2018, many of which will continue to influence the sector this year.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has amended draft no-deal Brexit regulations to remove a provision which would have made scheme investments illegal.

The combined pension deficit of FTSE 350 companies grew by £9bn in December 2017 to £41bn one year later on an accounting basis, according to Mercer's funding tracker.

The Whitbread Group Pension Fund has been handed a one-off contribution of £380m following Whitbread's sale of Costa to The Coca-Cola Company.

The Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) saw its deficit fall by £3.9bn on a technical provisions basis over a one-year period, its latest valuation reveals.

A ban on employers leaving an industry-wide plumbing pension scheme has been extended for six months in a bid to protect the covenant.

Defined benefit (DB) schemes saw their aggregated deficit more than double over December, ending 2018 with a funding level of 93.5%, says JLT Employee Benefits.

Two thirds (62%) of institutional investors believe the popularity of passive investing has increased systematic risk, research by Natixis Investment Managers finds.

Defined benefit (DB) consolidator Clara will get up to £500m of capital backing from global credit investment firm TPG Sixth Street Partners (TSSP), paving the way for its first deals.