Epic change predicted for investment industry

The investment management industry must address the high fees it charges in relation to the realistic returns it can achieve in the current environment, attendees at the CFA Institute’s annual conference were told this week. As part of celebrations of the 50-year history of the CFA Charter, a panel of eminent institute members discussed the … Read more

Listed companies are failing on sustainability

US companies are failing to meet a 10-year roadmap to sustainability and some sectors globally are ‘inherently unsustainable’ requiring a drastic refocus, according to two separate reports released this week by leading sustainability research firms Ceres and EIRIS. A report on the progress that some of the world’s biggest companies are making towards achieving sustainability … Read more

OECD, ITUC call for more green investment

Amid calls from global leaders for pension funds to invest more in the green economy, institutional green investments still languish at less than 1 per cent of portfolios. A recent OECD report looks at some of the barriers facing investors wanting to invest more in the sector, with regulatory uncertainty and a lack of suitable … Read more

PGGM goes one step further

The €109-billion PGGM has been one of the global leaders in allocating assets according to ESG criteria. Now it is taking the philosophy one step further and aims to measure how all of its investments have a positive influence on the state of the world by measuring “sustainable returns”. The Dutch pension-fund service provider claims … Read more

Debunking common myths about European distressed debt

  Monday 21 May 9:00 – 11:30 am The Codrington Room, Corinthia Hotel London Whitehall Place, London SW1A 2BD United Kingdom    Over the next several years, it is estimated that European banks need to dispose of approximately €2.5 trillion of non-core assets. The €800 billion “firewall” against sovereign debt default in Europe and long-term … Read more

NBIM approaches water with a filter

Water and how a company manages its exposure to this increasingly scarce resource is a key focus for Norway’s sovereign wealth fund in assessing the environmental and social performance of the more than 8000 companies in its portfolio. Anne Kvam, the head of Norges Bank Investment Management’s (NBIM) corporate governance team, says the sheer size … Read more