News

US - President Barack Obama, in his speech unveiling $4trn in budget cuts yesterday, said he wanted to avoid drastic cuts to Social Security, but that the system needs reform to strengthen it over the long haul.

Brockton Capital has added Birmingham's The Mailbox retail complex to its portfolio for £127.1m.

Gearing equity mandates towards outperforming quarterly benchmarks could be undermining attempts to improve long-term investing, Aviva Investors says.

A liability-focused approach is the only way for schemes to manage risk effectively, BlackRock managing director John Dewey says.

Trustees must be prepared to take advantage of de-risking opportunities when they arise, delegates heard.

Schemes are failing to communicate effectively with members because of an obsession with the latest technology and social media, warns Shilling.

Daily Mail and General Trust has introduced a raft of changes - moving members of its defined benefit scheme to a cash balance arrangement by March 2012.

The impact of tighter carbon emissions rules on corporate profits will catch out schemes whose investment strategy on climate change is to "wait and see", Carbon Footprint Investments warns.

Rising longevity still poses a risk despite some schemes having their fingers burnt at successive valuations, Club Vita warns.

Lifestyle strategies in the UK defined contribution market are too rigid and their underlying asset allocation and management is not dynamic enough, ATP says.