December 2019

17Dec

South Africa Government Pension Returns 2.6% in Fiscal 2019

South Africa’s Government Employees Pension Fund (GEPF) returned 2.6% during the fiscal year ended March 31, down from 8.5% in 2018, but beating its benchmark of 2.3%. That brought its asset value to R1.82 trillion ($122.9 billion), an increase of R17 billion compared to the previous year. The fund attributed the outperformance of its benchmark to improved resource commodity prices, which it said favored the fund’s tactical overweight position in resources relative to the benchmark. The basic...

December 17, 2019
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12Dec

UK Pension Risk Transfer Market to Quadruple in Decade

The UK’s bulk annuity market is forecast to quadruple over the next decade, driven mainly by lower pricing as more pension plans mature and additional reinsurers enter the UK market, according to consulting firm Mercer. By the end of 2019, Mercer said it expects the bulk annuity market in Great Britain to exceed £40 billion ($52.6 billion), with the total UK risk transfer market, including longevity swaps, forecast to reach £50 billion. Mercer said it has also...

December 12, 2019
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11Dec

MySuper Product Heatmap

By APRA The MySuper Product Heatmap provides assessments of the performance of every MySuper superannuation product. The heatmap provides stakeholders with transparency on the outcomes being delivered by all trustees providing MySuper products. It is designed to lift industry practices and enhance member outcomes by publicly identifying which MySuper products are underperforming and the areas they need to improve. It uses a graduating colour scheme to provide credible, clear and comparable insights into MySuper products across three areas: investment performance, fees...

December 11, 2019
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11Dec

Danish Pension Assets Swell to $680 Billion as Funds Add Risk

Denmark’s pension industry has grown to more than double the country’s gross domestic product after adding about $100 billion this year alone. “The first nine months of 2019 saw considerable growth in the companies’ balance sheets as a result of substantial returns on pension wealth,” the central bank said on Tuesday. That followed a substantial increase in holdings of asset classes outside the traditional bond and stock allocations. Pension funds have been shifting their allocation to alternative assets as...

December 11, 2019
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10Dec

Latin American AuM will more than double by 2025: PwC report

Despite a number of Latin American countries facing political and economic uncertainty, the long term growth prospects for the asset and wealth management industry remain strong across the continent according to a report published today by PwC and Sura Investment Management. The report, titled Asset and Wealth Management Revolution: Latin America's flourishing opportunities, finds that, despite the challenges faced by the region, assets have grown by 7.9% compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) since 2015 to reach $2.4trn in 2018....

December 10, 2019
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04Dec

UK. FTSE 350 pension deficit falls as election nears

The accounting deficit of defined benefit (DB) pension schemes has fallen for the UK’s 350 largest listed companies as the country prepares to go to the polls on December 12.At the end of October, the deficit stood at £41 billion (€48.1 billion). By the end of November, it had dropped to £38 billion, according to Mercer’s pension risk survey. Charles Cowling, partner at Mercer, said: “The political turmoil in the UK is likely to last beyond the general election, causing...

December 4, 2019
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04Dec

US. Connecticut to stop investing pension money in gun manufacturers

Connecticut's treasurer, who oversees $37 billion in public pension funds, announced plans Tuesday to divest $30 million worth of shares in civilian firearm manufacturers while banning similar future investments and creating incentives for banks and financial institutions to enact gun-related policies when lending to companies. If approved by an advisory board, it will mark the first time Connecticut has taken the step of divesting shares in firearm-related companies since the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown that...

December 4, 2019
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03Dec

Canadian Pensions Acquire Stake in Mexican Construction Firm

The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) and Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan have agreed to acquire stakes in Mexican construction engineering company Impulsora del Desarrollo y el Empleo en América Latina (IDEAL). Under the terms of the deal, CPPIB and Ontario Teachers’ will launch a tender offer on the Mexican stock exchange for shares in IDEAL at 43.96 pesos ($2.25) per share. CPPIB will come away with a 23.7% stake in IDEAL, while Ontario Teachers will own 16.3% of...

December 3, 2019
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03Dec

Major pension plans join investor group pumping $229M into fintech fund

The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec and the Public Sector Pension Investment Board (PSP) are among a group of at least 14 investors pumping $229 million into an international fintech fund run by Portag3 Ventures, an early-stage investor established by companies under the umbrella of the Desmarais family’s Power Corp. The disclosed institutional and strategic investors committing the new funds also include insurance companies and financial institutions from Canada, France, Israel and the United States. Among them...

December 3, 2019
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November 2019

26Nov

Will Negative Rates Finally Kill Pensions?

Economists once thought that negative interest rates were impossible. Not only are they possible, but they may hasten the end of a dying business practice. Read also Negative Rates Can Do a Lot More Damage Yet: Nordic Warning I have written in this space before about the repercussions of other countries issuing bonds with negative yields. The past decade has conclusively proved that negative interest rates are not only possible but likely to remain part of the international...

November 26, 2019
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