Removing the notorious article 5.2 will deteriorate the real estate market in Copenhagen, claim several pension funds. They consider looking for other investment opportunities.
The Danish Minister of Housing Kaare Dybvad Bek (The Social Democratic Party) plans to weaken the scope of private equity firms in the Danish market for rental properties but his initiative may severely affect pension funds' investments in the asset class.
Jakob Kær Nielsen is responsible of Danica's international real estate portfolio and does not recall a specific moment that determined his career path. However, real estate has been intriguing to him since he was just a kid. He joined Danica in June from Patrizia.
Rasmus Bartholdy is switching to AP Pension after 16 years at PFA Pension, most recently as a portfolio manager. AP Pension may be smaller in size than PFA but the will to be best in class ranks top, he says.
A review of responsible and sustainable investing in the Swedish pension industry reveals only three companies with top ratings this year.
The Norwegian pension fund is completing an evaluation of Saudi Arabia in regard to responsible investing. The initial listing of Saudi oil company Aramco is expected in December and could become the biggest IPO on record.
Negative interest rates are unnaturally propping up the stock market and at some point the whole edifice will collapse. It’s an oft-repeated theory, but history suggests it might be wrong.
Starting at the turn of the year, Danish pension fund Lærernes Pension has a new CEO. Karsten Kjellerup Kjeldsen's career is clearly characterized by investment and while he had not expected to become CEO this early, he looks forward to taking on his new responsibilities and manage the pension savings of 146,000 teachers.
On Wednesday, the largest pension fund in Denmark ATP announced the name of its new CIO. Mikkel Svenstrup, 45, looks forward to entering an organization whose investments are based on ideas and principles that are in line with his own. Whether he will introduce changes to the investment strategy is too soon to tell, he says.
A Swedish government report proposes further limitation of funds on the Swedish pension platform. The fund industry warns against dire consequences and severe limitation to savers’ freedom of choice.
Lærernes Pension has appointed a new Chief Executive Officer.
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Alternative investments are not the only answer to all investment challenges, says the Danish fund's Chief Investment Officer. October saw PFA reaching a milestone with DKK 100bn in unlisted assets.
The largest commercial pension company in Denmark PFA appointed its new Group CIO two months ago. Most recently, Kasper Lorenzen has been Chief Investment Officer at public pension fund ATP and on Monday morning he published his first quarterly statement in his new job.
Denmark's largest commercial pension company PFA has had its best investment year to date. Especially listed equities have contributed to quarterly growth.
Financing Finland's pension system is increasingly challenging as the population ages. According to Ilmarinen's CEO, attention should focus not only on creating new jobs but also on keeping the current working-age population at work and capable of working.
Expensive funds and those with a likelihood of relatively poor performance will be exempted while some of the formal barriers for small and start-up fund managers to join the pensions platform will be removed, says government selected special investigator Mikael Westberg in his report today, Monday.
Danske Bank's pension division Danica reports more than a doubling of its profits before tax in the first nine months of the year compared to the same period the year before. The development is mainly thanks to the divestment of Danica Pension Sweden, which was fully completed in the second quarter. However, the total payment of premiums is down.
Copenhagen Business School Finance Professor Jesper Rangvid considers it a pity that five years ago Danish pension fund ATP did not embrace changes to its business model that directs majority of payments to a hedging portfolio. While ATP Chief Executive Officer Bo Foged has announced to be pleased with the fund's interest hedging – and relieved not to have followed experts' advice – Danish savers and ATP could have benefited from more freedom to invest, Rangvid claims.
According to Dagens Industri, the reasons behind closures and mergers are poor management, increased costs, and tougher requirements on Fondtorget.
Contrary to expectations, Elo's fixed income exposure of 32.8 percent pulled in a healthy return of 8 percent over the first three quarters of this year.
The special investigator commissioned by Sweden's government is due to present his proposal on the second phase of the PPM platform reform next week.
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Equity investments yielded a particularly strong return of nearly 24 percent, according to the company.
In today's environment of dropping interest rates, ATP Chief Executive Officer Bo Foged is pleased with the pension fund's decision to continue its interest hedging strategy, which became the center of attention five years ago when particularly CBS Finance Professor raised a critical voice.
The new CIO for Keva's EUR 2.5bn real estate portfolio will oversee some 130 direct property investments.
Slowing growth of global economy will affect also the Finnish economy and the investment returns of local pension funds, claims Analyst from Finnish Pension Alliance Tela.
