March 'unremarkable' for DB transfer values amid market calm
The estimated defined benefit (DB) transfer value remained fairly stable in March, falling by just £2,000, despite expected volatility.
At the end of the month, DB members could be offered around £235,000 to transfer their pot out, falling from £237,000 at the end of February, according to Xafinity.
The estimate is calculated by considering what would be offered to a 64-year-old member with a £10,000 annual pension entitlement from age 65, when annual inflation figures are taken into account.
The value has remained fairly unmoved since the start of the year, when the consultancy's monthly tracker predicted a transfer value of £232,600.
It is in stark contrast to movements throughout 2016, when the value soared by 16% from £209,100 in January to a peak of £243,000 in September. It then fell again to £234,000 at the end of the year.
It also comes despite expected market volatility ahead of and proceeding the triggering of Article 50 on 29 March.
Xafinity head of proposition development Paul Darlow said market volatility may still appear as negotiations on Britain's exit from the European Union ensue.
"March 2017 was pretty unremarkable from the point of view of transfer values which stayed fairly stable," he said. "With Article 50 having now been triggered, we may see some additional volatility in financial conditions. If so, this period of stability could prove to be relatively short-lived."
The prediction parallels recent estimates of private sector DB funding positions, which also remained largely unmoved over the month. The combined deficit fell by £4bn over the month, with liabilities not moving at all, according to Mercer's Pension Risk Survey.
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