Timber is increasingly attractive for institutional investors as part of an alternatives exposure, with benefits including diversification and inflation-hedging. To date most of the investments have been in the US, but a new report predicts this will move to emerging countries including those in Asia, with consultants advising investors spread their timber exposures to capture growth opportunities.
Danish PFA gets going when times are tough
Danish Pension Fund PFA — having survived the financial crisis and boasting a remarkable funding level of 191 per cent — is now providing both defined benefit and defined contribution schemes and offering its investment skills to external clients.
Jeff Scott takes on risky business as Wurts’ inaugural CIO
A common belief in the value of a risk-based approach to asset allocation, and a courtship of eight months, has culminated in Jeff Scott being appointed the first chief investment officer of US consulting firm, Wurts & Associates.
Cracks show in investors’ voices on climate change
Investors around the globe are increasingly incorporating climate change into their risk analysis, however there are huge regional discrepancies with investors in Europe streaks ahead of their counterparts in the US and Australia.
Public frat-boy investors skirt high returns at members’ peril
With the skills, practices and expectations that are embedded in the private corporate sector being brought to pension management maybe we need to expect the turnover in senior investment jobs to increase, but that doesn’t mean it is a good thing for the industry.
Dutch shake up pension system
The Dutch Government, some unions and employers have agreed on a deal to radically reform the Dutch pension system, with the formerly defined-benefit scheme edging towards a more hybrid defined-contribution arrangement.
