The C$123 billion ($118 billion) Canada Pension Plan Investment Board has undergone an executive restructure including the creation of two new positions reporting to the chief executive: executive vice president, investments; and chief investment strategist.

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This research examines the effect of tail risk, or extreme risk, on pension funds, concluding that all extreme scenarios have an immediate negative impact that can significantly jeopardise the smooth functioning of a pension scheme, probably as much as the other non-extreme risks.

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Convener of the P8 Summits- a group of 12 of the world’s largest pension funds tasked with influencing policy makers on climate change – and deputy director of the University of Cambridge Programme for Sustainability Leadership, Aled Jones, examines the Copenhagen Accord and what it means for investors.

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In this timely analysis, Wurts & Associates examines the active management environment, warning investors of the pitfalls of studying and choosing active managers including a reminder that reaching for high levels of benchmark relative excess returns can be potentially rewarded, but only in a marginal way relative to lower tracking error managers. It also concludes that measuring managers relative to capitalisation-weighted benchmarks isn’t fair.

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It will be just as important for investors to be patient in 2010 as it was in 2009 according to Russell Investments, as the year will be dominated by a series of macro themes causing spikes in asset return volatility.

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Financial services firms are responding to the perceived negative impact of their remuneration practices by changing the mix of pay, moving emphasis away from short-term incentive schemes in favour of salary, according to a global survey of more than 60 organisations by Mercer.

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