October 2020

23Oct

Ethical investment remains a work in progress

The flurry of activity around Good Money Week this year feels more than justified. Launched in 2005, this annual initiative — which starts on Saturday — aims to help people understand the benefits of sustainable and ethical finance, whether in pensions, investments or savings. And 15 years on, Covid-19 is providing new motivation for investors to explore investing in ethical funds. Read also Canada. Quebec Pension Launches Fund to Boost Diversity in Smaller Firms The hard months of lockdown have...

October 23, 2020
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23Oct

US. The DOL’s ESG Proposal and DB Plans

There´s a lot of money in corporate defined benefit (DB) plans, and it can make a difference how those assets are invested. Cooper Abbott, president and chairman of Carillon Tower Advisers, notes that the Department of Labor (DOL) oversees employee benefit plans that represent approximately $10 trillion in combined assets under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). Of this total, about $8 trillion is in mutual and other funds, and about $2 trillion is in directly...

October 23, 2020
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20Oct

Mercer CFA Institute Global Pension Index 2020

By Merced CFA Institute What makes a world-class pension system in 2020? Pension systems around the world are facing additional pressures in 2020. The widespread economic impact due to COVID-19 has had both immediate and long-term implications for retirees. Additionally, increasing life expectancies and rising pressure on public resources to support the health and welfare of older citizens will affect how citizens around the world will retire in the mid to long-term. “The economic recession caused by...

October 20, 2020
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15Oct

2020 Global Retirement Index An in-depth assessment of welfare in retirement around the world

By NATIXIS With the world facing immediate issues resulting from the coronavirus pandemic and the economic consequences from the response of governments around the world, wildfires and other natural catastrophes triggered by changing weather and climate patterns, and heightened concerns about social justice and income inequality, the long-term goal of retirement security may not appear to be a top global concern in 2020. In reality, though, the crises we are experiencing today will have long-range implications for global retirement...

October 15, 2020
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15Oct

PFA reports new fall in CO2 emissions, drops some oil and gas firms

Fund says equity portfolio emits 21% less CO2 per million USD invested than MSCI world index Denmark’s largest commercial pension fund, PFA, has announced a significant reduction in the carbon footprint of its equity portfolio in the first six months of this year – a period in which it now reveals it sold several oil and gas equities. The DKK599bn (€80.5bn) pension fund said the latest climate review of its equity portfolio shows that at the end of June, the...

October 15, 2020
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13Oct

Portuguese schemes now required to report ESG investment

A new law has been introduced for Portuguese occupational pension funds requiring them to prepare a statement of investment policy principles detailing their approach to risk and to environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors. The law, which took effect last August, said the statement must include the methodology for assessing investment risk; risk management processes applied; and the asset allocation strategy followed, taking into consideration the type and duration of pension liabilities, as well as ESG factors. The statement...

October 13, 2020
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08Oct

EU seeks to boost eurozone with green bond program

The European Union wants to lift the GDP of the eurozone economy by 3% by 2027 through borrowing under a new green and social bond program agreed to in September, attendees heard Tuesday during a webinar. Read also Latin America’s new poor The recovery program, which will launch with a €100 billion ($117.2 billion) SURE bond program, is a "game changer" for investors from United States and Asia because it will help to establish a euro-denominated green and social...

October 8, 2020
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06Oct

Is Canada Pension Plan really committed to fight climate crisis?

Last month, Mark Machin, CEO of the Canada Pension Plan (CPP), wrote that climate change is the crisis beyond COVID-19 that we can’t afford to ignore, stating that “the full effects will depend on the actions we take now and in the future.” Read also Canada. The Minister of Finance tables Bill 68 to allow the establishment of target benefit pension plans We strongly agree. So why, then, is CPP pouring billions of our retirement savings into oil, gas and...

October 6, 2020
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02Oct

Could the ESG Sector Lead the Recovery of the COVID-Economy?

By Suresh Gamlath The June 2020 outlook for the world economy, forecast a ‘synchronised deep downturn’ much worse than the 2008 crisis and ‘an uncertain recovery’. The impact of ‘lockdown’ on economic activity had a profound effect on the fortunes of firms, households, and entire industries around the world. While some sectors were buoyed by the sharp growth of home-based online working and entertainment; an overwhelming majority experienced significant contraction as demand stalled. The likelihood of large-scale corporate collapse...

October 2, 2020
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01Oct

US. Trump Plan Would Restrict Retirement Plans from Sustainable Investments: Viewpoint

Interest in sustainable investing is soaring, as more people become convinced that making a positive impact can be profitable as well as good for the planet and society. Unfortunately, the Labor Department doesn’t think these investments belong in your 401(k). In June, the federal regulator proposed a rule that would restrict workplace retirement plans from investments that include environmental, social and governance considerations. Popularly known as ESG or socially responsible investing, this approach considers the sustainability of a company’s...

October 1, 2020
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