The board of CalSTRS, the second biggest fund in the US, has three broad research initiatives for the investment team this year: rethinking active versus passive and the mix of internal and external management; commodities; and liability – driven investments. Chief investment officer, Chris Ailman, spoke to Amanda White.
With two more UK pension funds announcing arrangements to hedge their pensioner liabilities against improvements in longevity there is speculation these DIY swaps may replace bulk annuity buy-ins by pension funds.
The $178 billion CalPERS is considering inflation-linked assets, such as the water bonds issued by the World Bank, as part of an over-riding view to allocate capital to climate change initiatives.
The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is currently considering pay-to-play activities and will report back on any proposed action in the next few weeks, according to its chairman Mary Schapiro, speaking via video at the annual International Corporate Governance Network conference this week.
Pension funds should demand an overhaul in the product offerings of funds managers and change the terms of mandates to incorporate environmental, social and governance issues in portfolios, according to Colin Melvin, chief executive of Hermes Equity Ownership Services, who pointed to a number of funds in the UK, including the owner of Hermes, BT
The ability to appoint and dismiss company board directors is the most important shareholder right according to an overwhelming majority of delegates at the International Corporate Governance Network (ICGN) annual conference, who were more cautious on whether shareholders could actually influence corporate governance once they had the right to vote.
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