Consultants: Pensions, While Hesitant, Likely to Increase Derivative Use
While schemes are still reluctant to use derivatives, pension funds are increasingly using these investment vehicles to hedge against interest-rate risk, consultants say.
News
CalPERS Emerges as Latest News Corp Shareholder to Withhold Support for Murdochs
The California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS), the largest public pension in the US, is the latest News Corp shareholder to withhold support for Rupert Murdoch and his sons.
While New Oversight Council Aims to Scrutinize Asset Managers, Consultants Worry About Overregulation
The top financial regulatory board in the United States has laid out standards by which insurance companies, hedge funds, and other non-bank financial firms could fall under stricter regulation, yet industry sources voice apprehension that firms may be overburdened by regulation and reporting.
UK's Court of Appeal Upholds Landmark Pensions Ruling Backing The Pensions Regulator
The Court of Appeal has upheld a landmark ruling that provides priority to company pensioners when those companies become insolvent.
BlackRock Reveals Negative News for US Corporate Pension Funding
The typical US corporate pension plan's median funding ratio fell 11.5% in September, according to BlackRock.
Census Bureau: Public Pension Assets Dropped Over $726B in 2009
Following a $176.7 billion loss in 2008, the US Census Bureau has shown that state and local public employee retirement systems had $2.5 trillion in total cash and investment holdings in 2009, a $726.1 billion or 22.7% decrease from $3.2 trillion in the previous year.
Pension Legislation Strengthens CalPERS CFO Position
New legislation signed by California Governor Jerry Brown -- which becomes law on January 1, 2012 -- has paved the way for CalPERS to strengthen its Chief Financial Officer position responsible for managing the financial processes for the pension fund, encouraging that transparency and internal controls are maintained.
While Report Knocks Risk Parity, Vendors Defend Approach as a Philosophy
A research report by Dimensional Fund Advisors claims risk parity fails to outperform over the long-term, but vendors defend the investment approach.
Standard Life Sues 11 Insurers for Pension Losses
Hoping to recover its value following the collapse of Lehman Brothers, Standard Life is suing 11 of its insurers who refused to pay a claim related to a cash injection into one of its pension funds.
SEC Subpoenas Kentucky Pension Officials
As part of an inquiry by the US Securities and Exchange Commission to investigate the role of middlemen among pensions, the regulator has subpoenaed officials of Kentucky Retirement Systems to be interviewed.
Fed Survey: Hedge Funds Ward Off Risk
According to a survey by the Federal Reserve of 21 senior credit officers, hedge funds have an increasingly lower demand for risk.
Trustees, CIOs Question Assumptions Behind Risk Parity, Dynamic Asset Allocation
Damon Krytzer, a pension trustee, and Sam Kunz, the chief investment officer of Chicago's Policemen's Annuity and Benefit Fund, speak with aiCIO on misperceptions behind dynamic asset allocation and risk parity strategies.
Hermes' Nusseibeh: Investors Are Guilty of Fueling Dangerous Financial Complexity
Saker Nusseibeh, the head of investments of Hermes and chairman of the new 300 Club, tells aiCIO that institutional investors should avoid following the heard and instead question and scrutinize unnecessary complexity.
PPF Reveals UK Pension Fund Deficits Swell
The UK's pension schemes have experience growing deficits for a second consecutive month, the Pension Protection Fund (PPF) has said.
Alaska Permanent Fund Makes Headway in Tapping New CIO
The Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation is making progress in selecting a new chief investment officer to replace Jeffrey Scott, who departed from the fund in early August to join consulting firm Wurts and Associates.