The A$58 billion ($46 billion) Australian Future Fund has made a number of corporate governance-related decisions, including bringing its proxy voting for domestic shares in-house and the creation of an environmental, social and governance risk management function.
Target Date Funds: Looking beyond the glide path
Target date funds vary in their broad asset allocation, in their sub-asset allocation of the broader
asset classes, and their implementation. This paper outlines some methodologies across providers, highlighting the different risks associated with the various strategies and illustrating the impact on performance over both a longer period, as well as a shorter, more volatile, period like 2008.
Carbon risks reduced by good stock selection
Asset managers can dramatically reduce the carbon footprints of their funds through stock selection without the need to alter sector weightings or their overall investment strategy, according to a report by Mercer and Trucost for the WWF, that also found asset owners could encourage the active management of carbon risk in portfolios.
Advantages for the nimble: SAUL
The £1.03 billion ($1.72 billion) Superannuation Arrangements of the University of London (SAUL) is one of a dwindling number of UK defined benefit plans that is still open to new members. Kristen Paech talks to Penny Green, chief executive of the fund, about the importance of manager selection and the advantages of being an open plan.
Institutional influence shaping hedge fund investments
Janine Baldridge, Russell Investments’ global head of consulting and advisory services, talks to Kristen Paech about the new terms pension funds are demanding from their hedge fund managers – including lower fees and more control – and how managers are responding.
$38b UN fund to review ALM
The investments committee and committee of actuaries of the $38 billion UN Joint Staff Pension Board will recommend the introduction of new asset classes, including emerging markets equity and debt, real return assets and private equity in a presentation to the board in July.
