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February 2022

US. Pension plans increasing their focus on allocating to diverse asset managers

U.S. pension funds are allocating more to diverse money managers and taking more steps to measure how their assets are allocated and articulate formal policies on their processes. This is the second year Pensions & Investments has surveyed the top 200 U.S. retirement plans regarding defined benefit plan assets managed by money management firms owned by women, minorities, people with disabilities and veterans. As of Sept. 30, respondents said a total $120.7 billion was managed by WMDV-owned managers, up from $68.4...

UK. Lecturers strike again over USS benefit cuts

On the go: Staff at 44 institutions are to walk out once again over planned benefit cuts to the Universities Superannuation Scheme. The strike is the latest episode in a long dispute between the USS trustee, employer group Universities UK, and the University and College Union over the resolution of the scheme’s controversial 2020 valuation. The trustee has until the end of the month to submit a schedule of contributions to regulators. Absent a deal, the conclusions reached by the 2020...

French Prime Minister Castex: pensions to be adjusted to factor in inflation

French Prime Minister Jean Castex told France 2 TV on Friday that pensions would be adjusted to factor in inflation. French inflation fell less than expected in January as it eased back from a 13-year high on lower prices for manufactured goods due to winter sales. The INSEE statistics agency said consumer prices rose 0.1% in January, giving a 12-month inflation rate of 3.3%, down from 3.4% in December.   Read more @Financial Post 274 views

Ghana. GH¢10bn private pensions funds available for investment in GSE securities – Deputy MD

Abena Amoah, Deputy Managing Director (MD) of Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE), has said GH¢10 billion private pensions fund is available for investments in GSE listed equity and debt securities. She, therefore, called on specified entities, including State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs), to take advantage of such financing and investment opportunities to enhance their operations and make them economically viable. Ms Amoah further urged specified entities to assess and raise Patient Long-term Capital by becoming issuers of equity or debt securities as a support...

US. A monumental year pushes assets up 17%

The 1,000 largest U.S. retirement plans had a banner year, propelled in large part by strong returns in public and private equity and other alternative investment strategies, as well as from higher contributions to defined benefit and defined contribution plans. In the year ended Sept. 30, aggregate assets of the 1,000 largest U.S. retirement funds rose 16.9% to $14.13 trillion, a big improvement from the previous year when assets managed to rise 6.6% amid the first year of the COVID-19...

Low Demand for Reverse Mortgages in Canada: Price, Knowledge or Preferences?

By Admin SSRN au/at CIRANO, Ismael Choiniere Crevecoeur & Pierre-Carl Michaud High borrowing costs, limited knowledge and preferences could explain why few Canadians purchase reverse mortgages, an asset decumulation product that is appealing to those who are house-rich but cash-poor. In this paper, we first use an asset pricing model to calculate the actuarial fair costs of guarantees built into reverse mortgage products in Canada and compare those estimates to prevailing interest rates in the market for these products. We...

Extending pension policy in emerging Asia: An overlapping-generations model analysis for Indonesia

By George Kudrna, John Piggott & Phitawat Poonpolkul This paper examines the economy-wide effects of government policies to extend public pensions in emerging Asia - particularly pertinent given the region’s large informal sector and rapid population ageing. We first document stylized facts about Indonesia’s labour force, drawing on the Indonesian Family Life Survey (IFLS). This household survey is then used to calibrate micro behaviours in a stochastic, overlapping-generations (OLG) model with formal and informal labour. The benchmark model is calibrated...

Reforming the Greek Pension System

By Daehaeng Kim, Alvar Kangur & Niki Kalavrezou The Greek pension system has been costly, complex, and distortive, which has contributed to Greece’s fiscal problems and discouraged labor force participation. Several attempts to reform the system faltered due to lack of implementation, pushback by vested interests, and court rulings leading to reversals. A series of reforms introduced throughout 2015–17 unified benefit and contribution rules, removed several distortions and reduced fragmentation and costs. If fully implemented throughout the long-term, these reforms...

US. New York’s public pension fund to divest from 21 companies over transition risk

New York’s public pension fund has announced it will divest from nearly two dozen stocks involved in shale oil and gas production. The New York State Common Retirement Fund, which manages around $280 bn on behalf of more than one million individuals, says the 21 companies have ‘failed to demonstrate they are prepared for the transition to a low-carbon economy’. ‘As market forces and new policies drive the energy transition, we must align our investments with a profitable and dynamic future,’...

UK. Force pension funds to align with net zero goal, says Richard Curtis

Pension funds should face legal obligations to bring their investments in line with the net zero greenhouse gas emissions goal, the film-maker Richard Curtis has said. Curtis, a co-founder of the Make My Money Matter campaigning group, urged ministers to follow up the UK’s legal commitment to reach net zero emissions by 2050 by making it mandatory for pension schemes to align their portfolios with the target. He told the Guardian: “The moment has arrived. Why not invest in sustainable investments?...