Competition and debt concerns have scuttled an ambitious proposal by a consortium of nine Canadian banks and pension funds to acquire the country’s biggest stock exchange. (more…)
The recent rally in the US dollar after fears about a slowdown in China and Eurozone government debt has focused attention on what lies ahead for the world’s major reserve currency and the implications for funds’ hedging strategies. (more…)
Funds managers, pension trustee boards and fund members should adjust to a low-returns environment and think carefully about investment risk in such uncertain times, warned Tim Gardener, global head of consultant relations at AXA Investment Managers (AXA IM) and a veteran of the UK asset consulting industry. (more…)
Some animals instinctively gather as a herd, apparently pension funds are such animals. A new asset allocation study by academics at Maastricht and Yale, presented at the ICPM discussion forum last week, reveals the mob behaviour by funds when it comes to asset allocation, leaving way for security selection to be the differentiator in returns. (more…)
This collaborative research looks at the constraints preventing institutional investors from taking their theoretical place of prominence in the market for private infrastructure. It offers insight into how institutional investors can establish internal programs, and details about the challenges of direct investment programs. But, it also concludes that funds managers will still have a crucial role to play in the market’s development.
Systemic risk has emerged as a critical challenge for central bankers, regulators, asset owners and managers. While the infuence of the phenomenon is well-understood, systemic risk is often virtually invisible until it erupts into widespread market dislocation. New regulatory standards, oversight bodies and quantitative research approaches seek to moderate its infuence and stabilise global markets.