It was an eye-roll moment for some during Jeremy Hunt’s Mansion House speech last summer when he outlined his grand vision to get UK pension funds investing in unlisted companies to try and boost Britain’s economic growth. The indifference was not down to a lack of appreciation of his drive to get defined contribution (DC) funds investing a proportion of their assets in infrastructure, as well as startups and green technology. It was because they had been here before. Hunt is not the first chancellor to try and persuade large investors to finance the upkeep of the country’s much-needed infrast ..read more

In 2023 the world’s oceans absorbed record levels of heat and broke the record for average surface temperature.
 Our oceans are under immense pressure. Rising greenhouse gases are warming the seas, disrupting delicate ecosystems vital for human survival. Humans are reliant on ocean ecosystems for everything from food and oxygen to natural storm defences and ocean-related industries. The OECD predicts that 40 million people will be employed in ocean-related industries by 2030. This ‘blue economy’– which includes energy, foods, shipping and port activity, tourism and marine protection – has an e ..read more

LGPS Central, the £30bn pool for eight local authority pension schemes across the Midlands, has welcomed Richard Law-Deeks (pictured) as its new chief executive. Law-Deeks has quit the Royal Mail Pension Plan, where he was chief executive, to take up this role. He starts in the summer, if the regulator approves the appointment. He cut his teeth in pensions through roles in the local government retirement schemes for Hackney and Hertfordshire. Law-Deeks also sits on the defined benefit (DB) committee of the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association and is a trustee of a DB scheme sponsored by a ..read more

What ESG and sustainable investment initiatives are you undertaking?
 There is a huge amount going on at the moment. Not least, we will be having an election in the UK this year. So for us it is vitally important to make sure all parties – as we engage with all of them – understand the importance of sustainable finance, what they need to do, and what we would like them to do. But also, make sure a core priority is getting private capital into the sustainable transition. What we hear from our members all the time is this huge amount of capital they have and a willingness to invest in sustainabi ..read more

The rise of global shareholder resolutions in recent years can be partly explained by the right to file a shareholder resolution becoming a more common escalation tool for investors. Newton believes shareholder resolutions deserve a case-by-case approach and careful consideration as to the context of the company; our view is that a manager’s shareholder proposal voting record is not always a great proxy for effective stewardship. FIND OUT MORE The post Newton Investment Management – Shareholder resolutions: Defining Newton’s approach appeared first on portfolio institutional ..read more

Private equity within the institutional investment world continues to grow at a rapid rate. Many of the latest surveys show that pension schemes will either increase their allocation to the asset class this year, or at least maintain their exposure. This appears to show that they are strongly convinced by the performance and long-term potential of the asset class. But how are institutional investors approaching such investments and what makes them so attractive? Christian Dobson, alternatives portfolio manager at Border to Coast, gives an insight into why private equity is very much on the pen ..read more

Companies across the globe are expected to shrug off economic uncertainty to return more of their cash to investors this year, one asset manager believes.
 Investors could share $1.72trn (£1.3trn) of dividends this year, almost 4% more than they pocketed in 2023, according to Janus Henderson. If the firm’s projections prove to be correct, dividend payments this year could be 3.9% higher on a headline basis, the equivalent of an underlying 5% rise in 12 months.
 And dividends could still rise this year, despite an expected decline in special one-off payouts, which have hit record levels in the ..read more

FIND OUT MORE The post BlackRock – Transition Investing: A primer on the what, the why, and the how appeared first on portfolio institutional ..read more

The numerous challenges facing investors when it comes to addressing biodiversity risk were explored at the PLSA’s investment conference in February, with asset owners and investors discussing their experiences. Faith Ward, chief responsible investment officer at Brunel Pension Partnership, warned that the investment industry does not yet fully understand the issue of biodiversity. “I don’t think anybody has got a total grip of all the complexities that need to go on when dealing with biodiversity and nature. The impact matters, on the where, the when and the what. So there is a lot of complex ..read more

Many investors are significantly reformulating their approach to risk management and asset allocation as they diversify their portfolios in response to heightened geopolitical tensions, higher rates, ongoing market volatility and upcoming national elections. Three clear themes are dominating investors’ focus as they position their portfolios, according to Nuveen’s fourth annual EQuilibrium Global Institutional Investor Survey. The first is the huge appetite for exposure to energy infrastructure projects as the energy transition plays out.
The second is private credit and private equity being p ..read more