Lower management fees and higher returns defined the latest selection process at the Swedish Fund Selection Agency in its latest awarding of active global equity mandates to 12 managers, its largest and most ambitious €20 billion ($23 billion) procurement so far.
It’s a VUCA world (volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous). In such times, it’s especially important for investors to have guiding principles. The Thinking Ahead Group provides a handful of key themes to manage in the year ahead.
The UK’s Competition and Market Authority has put forward several changes to the investment consultant and fiduciary manager markets designed to ensure competition improves outcomes for pension schemes and other institutional investors. A competitive tender process would be required, as would clear distinctions between advice and marketing.
The Cost Transparency Initiative has entered its pilot phase, in which five of its templates will be tested in coming weeks. Data from the testing will be used to rationalise templates across the industry. The idea is to provide consistency of clarity of fees and costs, so trustees can compare funds easily.
The $42 billion Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund is using its enhanced internal management capabilities to start a quantitative portfolio applying multifactor strategies. The strategy is designed to build some downside protection into the fund’s equities allocation.
How much does it cost? It should be the most basic of questions from pension fund trustees when decisions are made about how to invest members’ assets, yet it appears this is often not the case. A lawsuit originating in the US state of Kentucky has the potential to change matters for the better.
Private equity has been a stand out for the $130 billion Washington State Investment Board and CIO Gary Bruebaker says the real trick is attracting the top general partners. That means making sharp investments, being true to your word and nurturing the relationship.
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