October 2024
30Oct

UK Budget and US election hot topics at pension seminar

The impact of the upcoming UK Budget and US election on pensions and investment markets was a key focal point at Quantum Advisory’s latest event. Finance, HR and pension professionals came together on 22 October to hear exclusive industry insights and market updates at the firm’s pension and investment breakfast seminar at the Celtic Manor Twenty Ten Clubhouse. Dan Redwood, a senior investment consultant and actuary at Quantum Advisory, opened the event with an overview of macroeconomics, gilts and equity markets...

October 30, 2024
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17Oct

US Is Sleepwalking Into an Economic Storm

By Daron Acemoglu   Daron Acemoglu, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, received the Nobel in economic science this year. Inflation seems under control. The job market remains healthy. Wages, including at the bottom end of the scale, are rising. But this is just a lull. There is a storm approaching, and Americans are not prepared. Barreling toward us are three epochal changes poised to reshape the U.S. economy in coming years: an aging population, the rise of artificial intelligence and...

October 17, 2024
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August 2024
28Aug

The geopolitical ripple effect of Asia’s ageing population

By 2050, according to the Asian Development Bank (ADB), one in four people in Asia will be aged over 60. This is a threefold increase compared to 2010. China, the economic powerhouse of the region, is projected to see a decrease of 220 million working-age individuals between 2011 and 2050. Japan’s population is expected to decline by 16 per cent by 2050, with the number of senior citizens living alone predicted to jump by 47 per cent. This demographic shift has far-reaching implications that demand the immediate...

August 28, 2024
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July 2024
31Jul

The Future of Growth Report 2024

By World Economic Forum The Future of Growth Report 2024 introduces a multidimensional framework to assess the quality of economic growth across 107 countries globally. It characterizes nations’ economic growth across four dimensions: Innovativeness; Inclusiveness; Sustainability; and Resilience. The data and analysis presented may be used by a wide range of stakeholders to identify areas to improve, trade-offs to resolve or synergies to exploit. While every country has a unique growth pathway shaped by a wide range of circumstantial...

July 31, 2024
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April 2024
26Apr

Economic Consequences of Pension Bailouts: Evidence from the American Rescue Plan

By Michael Dambra, Phillip J. Quinn & John Wertz Multiemployer pension plans (MEPPs) provide retirement benefits for 11 million participants, yet until recently, hundreds of these pension plans – covering 3 million participants – faced insolvency. We use the 2021 passage of the American Rescue Plan Act to examine how pension bailouts affect the management and administration of pension plans. Consistent with the ARP inducing moral hazard, we find that MEPPs increase risk taking in investment allocations, increase benefit payments,...

April 26, 2024
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03Apr

Insurance executives mixed on recession outlook — GSAM survey

Half of insurance company executives see the U.S. entering a recession in the next two to three years and credit quality deteriorating, but they still have a zeal to increase credit risk, according to Goldman Sachs Asset Management's 13th annual global insurance investment survey. The survey of 359 global senior investment and finance professionals in the insurance industry shows 50% believe the U.S. will enter a recession in the next two or three years, although that sentiment varies by region....

April 3, 2024
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January 2024
04Jan

PLSA reveals ‘pensions’ role in UK growth’ as top strategic priority for 2024

The Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association (PLSA) has announced that its top strategic priority for 2024 will be the role that pension schemes can play in supporting the UK economy. Outlining its strategic objectives for the year, the PLSA revealed that it would further develop its recommendations aimed at promoting investment by ‘suitable’ pension schemes in assets that can help drive UK growth, which were published last year. The updated recommendations will aim to ensure the government is equipped to make...

January 4, 2024
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September 2023
22Sep

2023 Retirement Plan Landscape Report

By MorningStar  Millions of Americans rely on the U.S. retirement system to save and invest for their futures. Similarly, the system depends on new employers offering retirement plans to replace plan closures. Expanding access to employer-sponsored retirement plans is essential to ensuring Americans are saving enough for the future, but it’s also necessary for the current system to address its weakness. In the second iteration of our annual report, we take a comprehensive look at the overall health of the...

September 22, 2023
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21Sep

US. Fed holds interest rates steady

Federal Reserve officials on Sept. 20 held interest rates steady and signaled one more rate increase this year as the central bank continues its quest to tamp down inflation without overcooling the economy. The Federal Open Market Committee left the federal funds rate unchanged at a range of 5.25% to 5.5% following its two-day meeting. The committee in recent months has alternated between hikes and pauses — it approved a quarter-point increase at its last meeting in July but did...

September 21, 2023
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13Sep

Health, Pensions, and Electricity Sectors Are Key to Fiscal Consolidation in Guinea-Bissau

Strengthening the pension system, improving health sector outcomes, and enhancing the performance of the electricity sector are key to consolidating fiscal space in Guinea-Bissau and accelerating development. These are some of highlights of the Public Expenditure Review (PER), a new report launched by the World Bank. With a small population of around 2 million and economic activity centered on the production and sale of unprocessed cashew nuts, Guinea-Bissau is beset by political instability and high rates of extreme poverty and vulnerability....

September 13, 2023
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