Uncertainty about whether inflation or deflation is the greater threat in the US and Europe, coupled with record prices for – and individual investor buying of – gold, have prompted an unusual level of interest in the yellow metal by pension funds. (more…)
Funds managers should get back to their roots, says Saker Nusseibeh (pictured), the investments chief of the £32 billion ($50.3 billion) BT Pensions Scheme’s funds management arm, and renew their long-term aim of delivering risk-adjusted alpha and stop being “investment banker wannabes”. (more…)
A new regulatory environment in the Italian asset management industry could be a boon for international players as domestic firms may consider selling due to more stringent capital requirements, a study by RBC Dexia and Ernst & Young has found.
Conservatism will reign in the Netherlands in 2011, as a well-diversified, relatively liquid portfolio drives the asset allocation of APG Asset Management. But while caution rules, head of strategy, Ronald Wuijster is also well-aware of the need for an open mind around the measurement of risk. 
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Norway’s Finance Ministry is under fire for huge fees paid to external fund managers of the NOK3 trillion ($478 billion) Government Pension Fund, with the country’s auditor general criticising Norges Bank as “reprehensible” for paying out NOK500 million ($81 million) on a mandate of NOK3.3 billion ($534 million).
Mercer’s acquisition of US-based Hammond Associates marks the continued trend of a new consulting environment that raises the question of whether boutique firms can survive. Amanda White spoke to Mercer’s US investment consulting leader, Jeff Schutes, about why clients’ demand for deeper resources and knowledge is driving the consolidation, and why large firms are rejecting the risks of the public pension domain. 
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