Investment Management
Aviva launches ESG-focused DC default strategy
Aviva has launched a defined contribution (DC) default investment strategy for its workplace pension clients, incorporating ethical and ESG considerations.
Unlocking the DC illiquidity enigma
Private markets are becoming more accessible to DC schemes. Alastair O'Dell asks if platform-based funds can really capture the illiquidity premium.
Railpen cuts costs further and brings more investment in-house
RPMI Railpen is in the next step in the journey towards achieving cost disclosure. Victoria Bell tells Stephanie Baxter about taking part in the Cost Transparency Initiative's pilot phase
How organisational psychology helps schemes select good managers
Professor Adrian Furnham says analysing the psychology of investment manager teams can give investors a valuable edge in the selection process
It's time to get serious about sustainability
Wolfgang Kuhn says pension funds must considered the real-world impacts of their investments
Brunel LGPS pool opens search for emerging market managers
Brunel Pension Partnership has begun a formal search process to appoint managers to run a £1.1bn emerging market equity portfolio.
Is it time for schemes to run to safety?
As concerned pension funds are flocking to 'safe' assets or buying equity protection, John Gray points out there is no such thing as a 'free lunch' in life
Closet tracker scandal: Are schemes getting what they pay for?
Pension funds may be sitting on valuable claims if it can be proven that active management would have led to higher returns compared to a tracker fund, write Simon Bushell and Daniel Spendlove
Fiduciary appointments should require independent advice
Patrick McCoy says the CMA's proposal for all fiduciary management appointments to go to tender will only work if pension funds take independent investment advice
Are asset managers delivering on their ESG claims?
Despite improvements in investment manager attitudes towards responsible investment, research reveals there is a way to go before the majority deliver meaningful action. Victoria Ticha explores why
Cost disclosure template could be ready by April; LGPS to adopt immediately
Trustees could benefit from a standardised template for the disclosure of investment transaction costs and charges from as early as April, Chris Sier has said.
USS invests in Yorkshire Water inflation-linked swaps
The £60bn Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) has made a follow-on investment in Yorkshire Water inflation-linked notes, backed by inflation swap cash flows, to secure long-term returns.
Franklin Templeton expands UK consultant relations team
Franklin Templeton Investments has hired Aviva Investors' Christoph Butz as director of its UK consultant relations team.
Carillion: A shareholder fail?
One of the curiosities of Carillion's failure was how shareholders in the firm seemingly failed to notice the firm's demise.
Asset managers first to sign up to Dame Helena Morrissey event to raise cash for Presidents Club charities
Dame Helena Morrissey, head of personal investing at Legal & General Investment Management, has said she is organising a 50/50 gender split event to raise funds for the charities forced to turn down their donations from this year's Presidents Club dinner,...
Schroders to disclose costs and charges data for £11bn LGPS assets
Schroders has become one of the largest asset managers to sign up to the Local Government Pension Scheme's (LGPS) code of transparency.
Aon acquires Townsend Group for £350m
Aon has announced it has acquired Townsend Group, a real estate investment management and advisory firm based in the US.
Will 2018 be a turning point for markets?
After a year of stellar growth and stubbornly high valuations, asset bubbles may forming that could lead to market corrections. Stephanie Baxter looks at what 2018 has in store
Investors warn of bond bubble and return of volatility
Almost two-thirds of UK-based institutional investors, including pension funds, expect asset bubbles to negatively impact performance in 2018, according to research by Natixis Investment Managers.
Average pension scheme could save £700,000 on active costs
A typical defined benefit (DB) pension fund could cut costs by around a third per year by centralising and standardising their investment, administration and trading functions, according to the Asset Management Exchange (AMX).
The case for independent fund directors
Dan Brocklebank says the FCA's proposed solution to address conflicts of interests at asset managers does not go far enough
Unbundling DC pricing unlocks 'value for money'
Henry Tapper says removing NDAs between operators and fund managers is a critical step in the journey towards assessing value for money
Two asset managers commit to full cost transparency
Baillie Gifford and Montanaro are the first asset managers to sign up to a new transparency code to help the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) get a better handle on investment costs.
Aegon to acquire BlackRock's DC platform and administration arm
Aegon has agreed to purchase BlackRock's defined contribution (DC) platform and administration arm, increasing its platform-based workplace savings business to £30bn.
