South Korean investors’ pursuit of offshore investments has become a significant source of won weakness and triggered a shift in hedging rules for the $1 trillion National Pension Service. With an overseas asset exposure greater than Korea’s national foreign reserves, NPS’ move demonstrates the scale of impact FX risks can have on portfolios.
The £11 billion TfL Pension Fund has released its first-ever annual sustainability report. The fund for public-sector transport workers hopes the report will help bring more members on board with its well-established ESG strategy and also make clear to its asset managers what it expects of them.
The annual Chief Investment Officer Sentiment Survey, conducted by conexust1f.flywheelstaging.com and Casey Quirk, a practice of Deloitte Consulting, has revealed a global asset owner community that is less tolerant of risk and more interested in negotiating fees.
Some trends have the potential to pack the impact of a force of nature in markets in 2019. Mercer takes a look at threats and opportunities from choppy waters of the late cycle, headwinds in market participation, geopolitical tremors, and the unstoppable force of sustainability.
The £21 billion Coal Pension Trustees is targeting income and shoring up cash flows. CIO Mark Walker has a new bond portfolio in the works and is examining private debt and property closely. He’s also targeting onshore equities in China.
The CHf4 billion CERN pension fund maintains a dynamic, tactical strategy that takes into account the market environment and the fund’s liabilities. Once risk levels are set, CIO Elena Manola-Bonthond tweaks and adjusts to stay on target, employing strict due diligence in areas such as private equity and hedge funds.
Core multi-asset strategies provide access to a collection of market betas without a heavy governance burden. Idiosyncratic multi-asset strategies introduce a variety of return drivers into a portfolio. Mercer takes a look at the costs of each of these subcategories and when they’re justified.
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