Local, State Credit Downgrades May Follow S&P Downgrade of US Debt
In a recent report, ratings agency Standard & Poor's revealed that state and local governments are likely to face credit downgrades following a finalization of the US budget.
Risk
UK's Coal Funds Create Investment Subsidiary to Improve Governance, Returns
Coal Pensions in the UK has founded a standalone investment subsidiary so that its trustees have an in-house source of market expertise.
Survey: Oligopoly Developing With LDI Providers Among UK Schemes
A KPMG survey has found that while a growing choice of liability-driven investing solutions are now available, an oligopoly is developing in the UK's LDI market with just three providers managing over 80% of assets.
Market Volatility Creates Short-Term Declines, Long-Term Opportunity for Public Pensions
While the nation's largest public pension funds have been slowly climbing their way back to pre-crisis levels, the recent market slump has erased billions of dollars in gains.
Australia's Super Funds Face New Risk Disclosure Guidelines
The Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia (ASFA) and the Financial Services Council (FSC) has announced new industry guidelines to standardize the disclosure of investment risk in superannuation funds.
UK Watchdog Says Hedge Fund Defaults Pose Minimal Systemic Risk
With hedge funds' “footprint” within markets being “generally small," the UK Financial Services Authority says defaults in the asset class pose little threat to the country’s financial system.
Following Outsourcing Trend, Mercer Creates New Global CIO for Mainstream Assets
Mercer has created and appointed a global chief investment officer focused on mainstream assets for its investment management business, signaling that the growing trend toward discretionary consulting is not slowing down.
Cash Offers Best Tail-Risk Protection, Says New Paper
A paper by a London-based portfolio manager with GMO has argued that cash offers the best hedge against black swan events.
Future Regulation Makes Fossil Fuel Reserves Wildly Overvalued, Report Claims
A new report that warns of a “carbon bubble” argues that the world’s financial markets have vastly inflated the value of fossil fuel reserves because future regulation will ensure that most of it will remain in the ground.
NEPC Embraces Discretionary Consulting
Consultant firm NEPC is now offering discretionary consulting services.
Column: Achieving Solvency Nirvana
From aiCIO Magazine's Summer Issue: Static approaches in dynamic markets are likely to fail.
The Benchmark
From aiCIO Magazine's Summer Issue: Benchmarks are now etched in the stone pillars of performance.
LDI in 2011: A Faustian Bargain?
From aiCIO Magazine's Summer Issue: CEOs are demanding that their pension funds be de-risked to avoid large contribution surprises, yet de-risking means lowering equity exposure when underfunded pensions need equity-like returns.
Aussie Superannuation Fund Counters Scrutiny Over Millions in Losses From Currency Hedging
The A$5.8 billion MTAA Super fund is being investigated by the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) over its response to the global financial crisis.
CalPERS Embraces ESG Initiative
The nation's largest public pension fund has committed to a campaign for environmental sustainability.