Latest news with #pensionfunds
Bloomberg
3 days ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Hedging by Australia's Pension Funds Set to Boost Local Dollar
The Australian dollar is set for further gains as the nation's biggest pension funds have reason to boost hedging of their US assets to shield them from policy uncertainties. Tariff risks and bets that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates should weaken the greenback, according to Ray Attrill, head of foreign-exchange strategy at National Australian Bank in Sydney. Aussie pension funds may then have to increase currency hedging for their US assets, he said.
Bloomberg
15-07-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Pension Funds' Tilt to Property Hurts Zimbabwe Stocks, Imara Says
Zimbabwe's stock-market performance is being negatively impacted by pension funds' overexposure to property, according to the country's largest independently-owned asset manager. The Zimbabwe Stock Exchange, already weakened by declining foreign investor interest amid recurring currency woes, is now being hard-hit by pension funds shifting money into real estate, Shelton Sibanda, Imara Asset Management 's chief executive officer, and John Legat, a non-executive director, wrote in a quarterly note to clients.
Yahoo
15-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Mizuho (MFG) and Mercer Team to Offer Comprehensive OCIO Services
Mizuho Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:MFG) is one of the 13 Best Japanese Stocks to Buy According to Hedge Funds. On May 20, Mizuho Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:MFG) announced a new partnership with Mercer Japan Limited and Mercer Investments (Japan) Limited. This strategic collaboration has been formed to offer Outsourced Chief Investment Officer (OCIO) services in Japan. A portfolio manager scanning the stock market numbers projected on a large wall monitor. Through this partnership, Mizuho Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:MFG) will provide OCIO services to major clients in Japan, including pension funds and educational institutions. These services will be delivered through Asset Management One Co., Ltd., which is an asset management subsidiary of Mizuho Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:MFG). This partnership will allow Mizuho Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:MFG) to further improve its offerings and offer comprehensive and innovative solutions to asset owners. These solutions will include advanced and optimized asset management across asset classes, improved risk management, and reliable reporting and oversight. The collaboration also aims to address challenges like a shortage of specialized talent. Mizuho Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:MFG) is a Japanese multinational bank holding company that offers comprehensive financial and strategic services, including banking, securities, trust and asset management, credit card, private banking, and venture capital. While we acknowledge the potential of MFG as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: 10 Best American Semiconductor Stocks to Buy Now and 11 Best Fintech Stocks to Buy Right Now. Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey. Sign in to access your portfolio
Daily Mail
09-07-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Bailey provokes Chancellor over pension fund plan - but he does have a point, says ALEX BRUMMER
Andrew Bailey and Rachel Reeves may be former Bank of England colleagues. But it does not mean they always sing from the same songsheet. The Governor has been uneasy for some time about Labour assuming powers to mandate pension funds to invest in riskier assets. The Pension Schemes Bill, introduced in the House of Commons this week, would give ministers 'backstop' capability. The Government would assume powers requiring trustees to plough up to 10 per cent of funds into infrastructure, private firms, start-ups and equities. Governor Bailey acknowledges the case for greater retirement fund investment in Britain but does not support compulsion. One doesn't have to be a free marketeer to recognise Bailey has a point. Reeves has been impressed by the way that the Australian and Canadian pension fund managers invest beyond domestic shares and infrastructure. They also co- invest in UK assets such as Heathrow. British pension funds are nowhere to be seen at a time when Labour is seeking to speed up and bolster investment in cleaner energy and transport projects. Taking reserve powers over the pension funds might, however, cut across the fiduciary duty which state trustees must invest safely and cautiously for pensioners and future retirees. There must also be a fear of what might happen should a less scrupulous government than that led by Keir Starmer were to grab the reins of power. A leftie or populist administration might seek to take assets into part-public ownership or only back projects favoured by trades unions or financial backers of the governing party. The Reeves-Bailey pensions dispute is nothing like the bitter, public assault on chairman Jay Powell and the independent Federal Reserve by Donald Trump in the US. He wants rid of Powell and to see borrowing costs slashed. Reeves too craves lower UK borrowing costs before growth heads over the horizon. One trusts the Chancellor is conscious enough of the sensitivity of Bank independence not to rock the boat. Drug therapy Whatever happened to the Government's life sciences strategy? Britain's pharmaceutical giants are caught in a regulatory pincer movement. On this side of the Atlantic, differences between science minister Patrick Vallance and the Treasury over rebates to the Government on drug sales is proving a block to better access by the UK's life science pioneers to innovation in the NHS. In the US, President Trump is threatening a 200 per cent tariff on imported medicines unless the pharma industry gets its act together. The White House argues that dependence on foreign drug supplies is a national security threat. Both AstraZeneca and GSK have substantial research and manufacturing capacity in America. But there is genuine concern that, as overseas-based and listed enterprises, they could be targeted. Despite the status of Britain's big pharma companies as R&D powerhouses, with an opportunity to make an enormous contribution to growth, they are failing to get the attention they should from the Government. There is a brief reference to a special status for UK pharma in Britain's outline trade deal with the US. But almost all the efforts of negotiators has been on the UK's steel industry and car makers. It is not surprising that Pascal Soriot, chief executive of AstraZeneca, is reported to have considered shifting Britain's most highly valued enterprise to the US. Drug firms were initially encouraged by NHS reforms to make greater use of digital tech to test new treatments and roll them out quickly in Britain. There is acute pain over the failure of the Government to recognise the critical role of the sector in fuelling productivity and growth. Comeback kid? New chairman Philip Jansen's work is cut out if he is to reverse the fortunes of UK marketing powerhouse WPP. Shares in the group plunged 18.8 per cent after the advertising group scythed its revenue and earnings projections. Maybe WPP creator Martin Sorrell could come to the rescue with a reverse takeover masterminded by his S4 Capital digital and AI-enabled agency.
Daily Mail
09-07-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Bailey warns Reeves over pensions shake-up as Chancellor pushes funds to back British assets
Rachel Reeves should not force pension funds to back UK assets, the Governor of the Bank of England has said. Andrew Bailey yesterday warned it is not 'appropriate' for ministers to dictate where the industry invests savings. The Chancellor has confirmed she will create a 'backstop' power to force large pension funds to back British assets if they refuse to do so voluntarily. Reeves wants a larger proportion of savings invested in UK businesses and infrastructure to boost economic growth. But funds say they have a duty to invest in the best interests of savers and Bailey has now joined a chorus of industry leaders who have warned against such a move. Charlie Nunn, the chief executive of Lloyds Banking Group, this week compared it to 'capital control' policies in communist China. And Aviva chief executive Amanda Blanc has said it is like using 'a sledgehammer to crack a nut'. Bailey said: 'We've had a low level of pension fund investment in the economy and I think structural changes to the industry are helpful. 'However, I do not support mandating, I don't think that's appropriate.' He said reform was needed but stressed the changes should be 'natural'. It comes after 17 providers, including Aviva and Legal and General, agreed to invest 10 per cent of their funds in private assets – with 5 per cent in the UK – by 2030. The Government said the move would 'unlock billions for major infrastructure, clean energy and exciting start-ups'. Tax hikes crush confidence Business confidence has been crushed by 'sky-high tax' levels and trade war concerns, according to a report. The ICAEW accountancy body said its business confidence monitor has fallen to its lowest level since late 2022, after the Chancellor's £25billion national insurance hike and amid fears of further tax rises in the autumn. ICAEW chief executive Alan Vallance said: 'This is another stark reminder of the perilous situation facing businesses. Unless the Chancellor spares business from additional tax hikes in the Budget, economic prosperity will remain a pipe dream.'
