CalPERS will set an external fee reduction target for the financial year, in light of the fact it spent more than $1 billion on external asset management fees in 2009-2010 and only a relatively modest $29.5 million on investment office personnel services including salaries. (more…)

The average corporate defined-benefit plan in the US has outperformed the Callan DC index by 1.61 per cent since 2006, although this is partly due to a difference in fee reporting. (more…)

Executive vice-president and head of client analytics at PIMCO, Sebastien Page, who is tasked with bringing the intellectual and analytical capital of the manager to clients in a new consultant-type role, says tail-risk hedging is an effective way to reduce volatility and enhance returns. (more…)

Equities allocations have been slashed as a result of government changes to the liabilities of the Fonds de Reserve pour les Retraites (FFR) which prompted changes to the fund’s investment policy.

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The natural disaster in Japan, that has tragically killed more than 3,000 people, caused millions of dollars damage and thrown the Middle East off the front pages, could also mark a pivotal moment in investments, with markets back to being triggered by macro concerns. (more…)

Inflation is a big risk for most pension funds around the world. The question is: what do you do about it? The interesting point, though, is if inflation is a ‘fat tail’ risk, maybe it’s already been too widely signalled. (more…)