Sarah Rundell, Author at Top1000funds.com

Investor Profile

AP4 retreats from carbon

The $38-billion Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund, AP4, one of a group of five state-owned pension funds, plans to invest in a tailored emerging markets fund comprising companies that have both low-carbon emissions and low fossil-fuel reserves. AP4, which returned over 6 per cent in the first six months of 2013 buoyed by domestic and […]

Sarah RundellOctober 11, 2013

Uncategorised posts

Walmart takes divestment blows to the body

Two more high profile investors have punished US retailer Walmart for its anti-union stance and poor labour practices by divesting their holdings in the company. AP Funds, Sweden’s cluster of state pension funds named AP1 through to AP4 and AP6 (there is no AP5) worth a combined $140 billion, sold its equity and corporate bond […]

Sarah RundellOctober 9, 2013

Investor Profile

Pulling lots of small levers in Tennessee

Michael Brakebill had never visited Nashville, Tennessee before he interviewed for the role of chief investment officer at the $36.6-billion Tennessee Consolidated Retirement System (TCRS) back in 2008. Landing the job at the defined benefit scheme for Tennessee’s public sector workers, he left his position as head of domestic equity at Texas’ Teachers Retirement System […]

Sarah RundellOctober 2, 2013

Fees

UK watchdog lambasts pension fees

A scathing report into the United Kingdom’s £275-billion ($441-billion) defined contribution pension sector by national watchdog the Office of Fair Trading that lambasts high charges and complexity could have gone further say modern, low-cost pension providers. The OFT has agreed a range of reforms to the workplace pension market after its study found millions of […]

Sarah RundellSeptember 27, 2013

Uncategorised posts

Sustainable investment goes to school

The Robert F Kennedy Centre for Justice and Human Rights and Columbia University’s Earth Institute will run a series of high-level courses on sustainable investment focused on environmental, social and governance approaches as well as human and labour rights this autumn. The Compass Sustainable Investing Certificate program, designed for long-term investors, will have a solutions-driven […]

Sarah RundellSeptember 27, 2013

Investor Profile

NEST into infrastructure and property

The National Employment Savings Trust, NEST, the UK government-backed pension scheme set up a year ago with the introduction of auto-enrolment, developed a new allocation to real estate this summer. Now it is planning to add infrastructure to its illiquid allocations in a move reflective of a change of thinking to embrace more risk. NEST’s […]

Sarah RundellSeptember 20, 2013