March 2022

IMF Sees ‘Severe Impact’ on Global Economy From War, Sanctions

The International Monetary Fund warned Russia’s war with Ukraine and the subsequent sanctions imposed upon President Vladimir Putin’s country will have a “severe impact” on the global economy. “While the situation remains highly fluid and the outlook is subject to extraordinary uncertainty, the economic consequences are already very serious,” the Washington-based lender said in a statement on Saturday. Food and energy prices have surged in recent days and supply chains have frayed, adding to the inflationary pressures that policy makers were...

More U.K., European investors move away from Russia

More U.K., European investors move away from Russia

Asset owners and managers across the U.K. and Europe continued moving away from Russian investments following the invasion of Ukraine. The Swedish Pensions Agency on Monday placed an immediate ban on purchasing Russian funds. "We are stopping the possibility of buying the funds that focus most heavily on investments in Russia. This is done to protect pension savers," said Erik Fransson, head of fund management for the SPA, in a news release. SPA has 2.1 trillion (232 billion) Swedish kronor...

State Pensions Can’t Dump Russian Investments They Don’t Even Know They Own

US. State Pensions Can’t Dump Russian Investments They Don’t Even Know They Own

By Edward Siedle Across the nation politicians are naïvely calling for state pensions to dump their Russian investments to punish the country for its invasion of Ukraine. Since state pensions have in recent years agreed to let Wall Street fund managers keep secret their investment holdings, states don’t even know the Russian assets they hold. Yesterday, state Attorney General Dave Yost publicly called upon Ohio’s five public employee retirement funds to divest themselves of Russian financial holdings to further punish the...

Pension Investments: Impacts of the Ukraine / Russia Crisis

Pension Investments: Impacts of the Ukraine / Russia Crisis

Pension scheme trustees will naturally be considering what, if any, steps they may wish to take as the economic effects of Russia's invasion of Ukraine have begun to be felt worldwide, and as further economic sanctions and restrictions have been imposed on Russia and Belarus. There are two issues for trustees to consider: 1.whether any of their investments are now subject to sanctions; and 2.whether, in the light of sanctions and the economic and political consequences arising from the Russian invasion of...

Global Pension Funds Shun Russian Investments

A growing number of pension funds are shunning investments in Russia following the country’s military invasion of Ukraine. Norway’s minister of finance said he will ask the Government Pension Fund Global, Norway’s $1.3 trillion sovereign wealth fund, to freeze all its investments in Russia immediately, and also divest from Russia. Read also From Japan to the US, sanctions threaten top pension funds’ Russia assets “Given the way the situation has evolved, we consider it necessary for the fund to divest its Russian...

From Japan to the US, sanctions threaten top pension funds’ Russia assets

Norway’s announcement it would divest its sovereign wealth fund’s Russian holdings – totalling $2.8 billion as of end-December – as a consequence of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has raised the prospect that other state-backed pension funds might follow their governments’ cues and offload assets en masse. Japan’s Government Pension Investment Fund (GPIF) – the largest in the world by assets – had ¥213.1 billion ($1.9 billion) in exposures to Russia as of end-March 2021. Read more @Risk 342 views

UK firms rush to dump Russian assets amid efforts to isolate Moscow

British firms are scrambling to dump Russian assets amid efforts by the US, EU and UK governments to deepen Moscow’s economic isolation after the invasion of Ukraine. Read also More U.K., European investors move away from Russia Legal & General, Abrdn and state-backed pension scheme Nest have said they will try to sell their holdings in Russian stocks, while British Gas owner Centrica on Tuesday became the third big British energy firm to cut ties with Russia within a week, echoing...

U.S. funds reviewing next steps in light of sanctions against Russia

Federal mandates for sanctioning Russian financial institutions are prompting several U.S. public pension funds to assess their portfolios. Brad Lander, New York City Comptroller and fiduciary of the $266.7 billion New York City Retirement Systems, said in a statement Monday that while the system's five pension funds make individual investment decisions, including those related to divestment, he plans to present to trustees a list of assets to consider divesting. Read also US. NYPD pension fund to divest $42M of Russian-issued securities...

Canada. Public servants calling for B.C. public sector pension fund to divest Russian investments

B.C. public servants and opposition political parties are calling on the province’s public sector pension fund to divest in investments in Russian companies. In 2021, BC Investment Management Corporation holdings showed more than $450 million in Russian-owned companies. This includes $103.9 million worth of shares in the Russian state-owned bank Sberbank, $83.85 million in Lukoil, $32.3 million in Rosneft Oil, and $19.16 million in Gazprom. An online petition from pension plan members states they “don’t want to be bankrolling (Vladimir) Putin’s...

February 2022

U.S. asset owners react, mull responses to Ukraine invasion

U.S. asset owners, their supervisors, and state legislative bodies are grappling with the impact of Thursday's Russia's invasion of Ukraine. In Illinois, state Rep. Jim Durkin announced Thursday he would introduce legislation that would require the state's five pension funds to divest from any holdings in Russian companies. "This morning, we woke up to shocking images crossing our TV screens. People in cities throughout Ukraine huddled in subways and shelters while explosions shake their cities as Russian soldiers begin an invasion...