Bitcoin: ETF Dream Deferred
Spec price drops, rebounds after SEC rejects first exchange-traded fund that tracks Bitcoin.
Newsmakers
For Large Employers, Pension Costs Will Continue to Mount in 2017
Companies look to reduce pension risk, as plans continue to be hurt by rock-bottom interest rates and weak performance by bonds.
Natural Resource Fund Assets Grow by $48 Billion in Six Months
35% expect the asset class to perform better than it did in 2016, 21% believe it will perform worse.
California’s Pension Systems Lower Discount Rates
Reducing discount rates seen as painful in the short term, but set the stage for heftier employer contributions.
Report: Scottish Council Pensions Invest £1.7 billion in Fossil Fuels
By contrast, only £234 million invested renewables and social housing across all funds.
City Pension Plans See Varying Rates of Success
S&P Global Ratings report finds Indianapolis best positioned, Chicago worst.
Learning By Doing
An ambitious privatization program forms part of the reform program for the Greek economy negotiated with the European Institutions and the IMF. How is it being implemented?
Canada Enacts Pension Reform Changes
Canada will increase the maximum retirement benefit by more than 50%.
Two Member Firms Resign from Silver Price Fixing
Thomson Reuters and the CME Group, which have been providing the price fixing since 2014, said they will continue to operate and administer the auction until the LMBA can find new providers.
Clearing Pension Hurdle Helped GM Sell its European Operation for $2.3 billion
GM will assume much of Opel’s pension obligations and will pay PSA about $2.93 billion to settle pension underfunding.
Bill to Rescind DOL Rule Extending Pension Coverage Sparks Fierce Debate
The concern is that employers may push participants out of their private plans and into those run by the state.
The Cost of Being Average
Investors are embracing indexing as a cheap guarantee against underperformance—but can they afford to abandon active management?
Lower Discount Rate, Longer Life Expectancies Burden Caterpillar Pension Plan
Despite healthy growth of 7.8%, company took mark-to-market loss of $985 million on pension plan.
Chinese Lead Asian Overseas Real Estate Investment
New York overtook London as the most favored metro area in 2016.