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.
Recovery “square root” says Russell
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.
Financial services firms banish short-term bonuses: survey
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.
Pensions for all in UK market’s big DC shift
Now that automatic enrolment has become the centrepiece of UK pension reform, decent retirement incomes should no longer be exclusive to company veterans and the well-off.
Strong internal team powers New Jersey fund
The $68 billion New Jersey Division of Investment (NJDI) has made claims to be the best performing public pension fund in the US in fiscal year 2009. This is made all the more impressive considering the internal investment team, which manages a large majority of assets, numbers only 16. Amanda White looks behind the scenes at the asset allocation and investment moves that benefited the fund.
CalPERS’ new sec lending risk controls
CalPERS has made some significant changes to its securities lending policy document in order to reduce risk and improve counterparty diversification in the portfolio, including a reduction in the maximum exposure to any counterparty, from 30 to 25 per cent of the total program.
