The Latest
Equities

CalPERS board’s divestment dilemmas

The merits of tracking divested dollars, and the value of data illustrating what the pension fund has missed out on was the topic of much debate at the December CalPERS board meeting. In 2021 the fund will review six divestment programs across tobacco, firearms, coal, Iran, Sudan and emerging market equity principles.
Sarah RundellJanuary 14, 2020
Equities

Active US large cap adds nothing

Active investing in US large caps has detracted value from US pension fund portfolios and exposures should be indexed, according to new research by CEM Benchmarking. This could result in huge cost savings and have implications for how pension funds spend their active budget.
Amanda WhiteNovember 29, 2019
Equities

Strategic factor investing

Institutional investors should consider factor investing as a strategic decision, according to a new paper from Dirk Broeders at Maastricht University and Kristy Jansen from Tilburg University.
Amanda WhiteOctober 4, 2019
Equities

Danish fund cuts managers for better ESG

The €9.5 billion DanishPædagogernes Pension, PBU, is in the process of consolidating the number of managers in its listed equity portfolio. The decision at the fund - which has around 10 large, focused equity mandates - is linked to an ambition to reduce the number of companies in the portfolio in the belief that fewer companies in the 42 per cent actively-managed equity allocation allows greater ESG oversight.
Sarah RundellAugust 12, 2019
Equities

Are US co. profit margins sustainable?

US companies have some defensible profitability advantages but elevated margin levels may be poised for a reversal of fortune. The tide appears to be turning on some of the secular trends that have supported high US profit margins.
Celia DallasAugust 7, 2019
Equities

MetallRente builds risk return culture

A new fund in Germany combining liquidity, dynamic equity exposure and strong ESG focus is against the mould of the country’s more conservative, insurance-led investment style, and Heribert Karch, managing director of MetallRente which offers the fund, is determined to bring a return-seeking investment culture to Germany.
Sarah RundellApril 30, 2019
<1of12>