Large UK pension funds including the £34.2bn USS and £11.1bn GMPF have turned their attention away from the eurozone debt crisis as a central investment risk affecting members.
Five signposts on investment from the past year
| 20 December 2012Round-up: Challenging market conditions have pushed pension funds towards exploring more innovative investment options. Here are some accounts of how certain schemes executed such choices in 2012.
UK Coal aims to close funding gap in a decade
| 14 December 2012UK Coal has given itself 10 to 12 years to erase its £450m pension deficit, its finance director said, following a major restructure that saw its pension schemes take a three-quarter stake in its property division.
Schemes tentative over bank lending opportunity
| 10 December 2012Large UK pension funds have expressed cautious interest in a government-backed scheme to boost lending to mid-sized British companies, after tough capital requirements for banks limit corporate loans.
Schemes offered ethical scorecard for providers
| 08 December 2012Lobby group FairPensions has called on schemes to scrutinise their investment providers’ ethical performance, using its responsibility ratings of some of the UK’s biggest ethical fund managers.
Employer support stabilises for schemes
| 26 November 2012Employer support to pension schemes has stabilised following a downward trend caused by historically low gilt yields, according to an index published today.
USS probes hedge fund governance to reduce risk
| 20 November 2012The £34bn scheme has outlined how it tackles the governance risks of hedge fund investment, as the industry attempts to improve transparency in alternative investments.
Target date gains traction for ease of message
| 19 November 2012UK pension schemes are showing a greater appetite for target date funds, according to consultants, as fund managers look to increase their defined contribution products.
Private sector schemes line up for EM 'super investment mandate'
| 19 November 2012Around 40 private sector schemes are lining up to enter into an emerging market equities "super investment mandate" that pools consulting and management charges with other schemes.
Merseyside benefits from increased fee competition
| 14 November 2012The Merseyside Pension Fund has benefited from tough price competition between two large fund managers, the latest local authority scheme to drive down its investment fees.
@pensionsweek
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pensionsweek: @MercerPressUK http://t.co/YRof8yBg
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pensionsweek: Mercer's 10 practical auto-enrolment tips based on client experience so far. http://t.co/YRof8yBg
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pensionsweek: Small DC schemes to struggle with new regulatory regime http://t.co/2xT46rVA #pensions
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pensionsweek: RT @TPRgovuk: Press release: Pensions automatic enrolment: setting the standard for DC schemes http://t.co/aoH4T4kh
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pensionsweek: The regulator's drive to improve (trust-based) DC announced hours after Labour peer hauls the system over the coals http://t.co/1D75BMWj