Review highlights obstacles to long-term thinking

The Kay Review into UK equity markets and long-term decision-making is one of the more sensible of a raft of reviews that have evolved from the crisis. It looks at the interaction, behaviour, incentives and decision-making of all the players in the financial services “value chain”. More than some nationalities, the Brits have been concerned … Read more

Ethics not returns drive AP7’s ESG policy

Returns are a secondary consideration to the ethical values of members when framing the socially responsible investment policy of Swedish fund AP7. AP7’s head of communications, Johan Floren, says that the fund is less concerned with socially responsible investment (SRI) as a driver of returns rather than as a reflection of the values and ethics … Read more

Index providers push into active managers’ domain

Index construction is pushing the boundaries of active management, with index providers launching products such as high beta to take advantage of market movements. S&P Indices is the latest to add to its family of high-beta indexes, recently launching two indexes of developed and emerging markets. Alka Banerjee, S&P Indices’ vice president of strategy and … Read more

Advancing the DB versus DC debate

It is possible for the best elements of defined benefit (DB) schemes to be applied to defined contribution (DC) schemes, by replicating real deferred annuities to produce superior pension outcomes for members, according to a new paper by APG. The paper, How to mimic DB-like benefits in a DC product, does what it says. It … Read more