Institutional Investors Knowledge Centre

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    • 01 February 2012
    • Annual Market Update to 31 December 2011
    • Volatility persisted throughout the 12 months ending in December, as global equity and bond markets faltered in the wake of bad news; a continuation of the sovereign debt crisis in the eurozone, political turmoil in North Africa and the Middle East, an earthquake and tsunami in Japan and growing fears about the high level of U.S. debt. Events escalated during the latter part of the year and consequently, investors experienced a dramatic and highly volatile third quarter. However, the markets rallied again towards the end of the year. [... More]
    • 16 January 2012
    • Fourth Quarter 2011 Market Update
    • Stock and bond markets generally rallied in October, declined in November and were mixed in December. The quarter began on a strong note as reports that the eurozone was working on a plan to restructure the European banking sector and positive U.S. economic data releases helped to foster an optimistic mood. Troubles in the eurozone dominated the headlines for much of the period, but positive economic data releases from the U.S. helped ease investor fears. [... More]
    • 09 January 2012
    • 5th Annual Liability Driven Investing (LDI) Poll: More Scheme Sponsors Using LDI than in Years Past
    • The Pension Management Research Panel recently conducted the 5th Annual Global Quick Poll on liability driven investing (LDI). The poll was completed by 100 pension executives from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Netherlands. [... More]
    • 21 December 2011
    • Demystifying De-risking
    • Back in July 2011, the FTSE 100 index pushed through the 6000 barrier but by early October had dropped substantially, at one point to 4944. UK Bond yields peaked at 4.39% in February 2009 yet at the end of October 2011 stood at 2.68%1. Many UK pension funds must be wishing they had ‘locked in’ to these rates at the right time and protected their funding levels.But how many have a mechanism in place to identify and quickly exploit such opportunities? Funding volatility is high and chances to capitalise on upside and mitigate downside scenarios are missed at Trustees’ peril. It is against this backdrop that de-risking has become a much discussed investment strategy in the pension world. [... More]
    • 21 December 2011
    • International Home Furnishings Retailer Embraces Fiduciary Management
    • With SEI's help, the Trustees for an international home furnishings retailer have a more holistic view of the key component of the strategy, the scheme’s funding position, and a better understanding of the interplay between the scheme’s assets and liabilities. [... More]
    • 21 December 2011
    • Tail-risk, Market Turbulence and Surviving the Perfect Storm
    • For pension scheme trustees and sponsors the global economic turmoil of the past few years has placed risk management firmly in the spotlight. Drawing on this theme, this edition of SEI Perspectives examines one of the most currently talked about subjects, tail-risk. We explore its background and causes, its potential impact on pension schemes, and the options available to hedge against it. Furthermore, we explain why in our view, hybrid options could offer the most sensible form of tail-risk mitigation. [... More]
    • 15 December 2011
    • November 2011 Market Update
    • Events in the eurozone and the U.S. resulted in a volatile month for global investments. Equity and fixed income markets declined, with risky assets among the weakest performers. Losses were partially offset by month end as news of intended joint central bank action buoyed sentiment. [... More]
    • 14 November 2011
    • October 2011 Market Update
    • News of a eurozone deal and positive U.S. economic data releases were welcomed by investors, before the mood began to turn sour again towards the end of the month. The short-lived positive sentiment led October’s rebound in the global equity and bond markets. In a reversal of the summer’s fortunes, equity and riskier fixed income investments performed best. [... More]
    • 01 November 2011
    • Annual Market Update to 30 September 2011
    • The 12 months ending in September witnessed a continuation of the sovereign debt crisis in the eurozone, political turmoil in North Africa and the Middle East, natural disasters in Japan and growing fears about U.S. debt. Volatility persisted, but investor appetite remained resilient. Despite the uncertainty, the data still supports a positive view of overall business activity in the U.S., the European core economies and developing markets. [... More]
    • 14 October 2011
    • Third Quarter 2011 Market Update
    • Global equity and bond markets experienced a dramatic and highly volatile quarter, with a strong flight-to-safety. Market sentiment was driven by fears that the global economy could be pushed back into recession. Nevertheless, the data still supports a positive view of overall business activity in the U.S., the European core economies and developing markets. [... More]
    • 14 September 2011
    • August 2011 Market Update
    • Global equity and bond markets experienced a dramatic and highly volatile August. Economic indicators continued to disappoint on the whole, but SEI remains optimistic in the longer-term. [... More]
    • 12 August 2011
    • July 2011 Market Update
    • Global equity and bond markets experienced a volatile July. The markets witnessed a general flight-to-safety, with investors shying away from risk in favour of defensive assets. In this environment, equities in general sold off, and fixed income, particularly government bonds, benefited. [... More]
    • 14 July 2011
    • Second Quarter 2011 Market Update
    • The good news currently balances out the bad news, with resilient global growth trumping higher energy costs and the disruption to global supply chains. We favour a tilt toward U.S. equities, despite the country's debt burden. [... More]
    • 20 June 2011
    • U.K. Government Debt Downgrade: Would it Matter to Investors?
    • In recent weeks, major credit rating agencies have expressed renewed concern over the financial outlook for the U.K., perhaps eventually losing its AAA rating. What are the implications for investors? [... More]
    • 13 June 2011
    • May 2011 Market Update
    • Investors began to fret about disappointing economic data releases and the resurfacing of sovereign debt fears in the eurozone. However, corporate earnings results continued to exceed expectations and, on the whole, sentiment remained generally buoyant. [... More]
    • 13 May 2011
    • April 2011 Market Update
    • While yields on developed-country sovereign and investment-grade debt remain unappealing, we expect continued growth in the global economy.  We take a generally pro-equity investment stance but advise vigilance against further oil-price jumps. [... More]
    • 06 May 2011
    • Annual Market Update to 31 March 2011
    • The 12 months ending in March was positive for equity markets, in spite of an ongoing sovereign debt crisis, political turmoil in North Africa and the Middle East and the catastrophic events in Japan. Although the markets faltered in the wake of bad news, investor appetite remained resilient, signalling that the backdrop for global growth continued to be, on the whole, positive. [... More]
    • 29 March 2011
    • Video: SEI Fiduciary Management: An Integrated Approach to Pension Funding Goals
    • Pension Scheme Management has become more complex, with increased regulatory burden on pension Trustees and increased financial impact on plan sponsors. Decision making is cited as a major reason for failing to achieve success. This video explores the benefits of SEI's Fiduciary Management model. [... More]
    • 16 March 2011
    • Japan: Too Early to Tell
    • Japan, the third-largest economy in the world, has endured earthquakes, a tsunami and multiple nuclear reactor failures. The long-term downstream consequences will not be clear for quite some time. Gross domestic product (GDP) will be negatively impacted in the short term, but rebuilding should help economic activity rebound. [... More]
    • 15 March 2011
    • Poll Results: Top Priorities for UK Pension Scheme Sponsors in 2011
    • The Pension Management Research Panel conducted a Quick Poll asking executives to identify their organisation's top pension priorities for the year. [... More]
    • 15 March 2011
    • UK Pension Schemes Challenged with Managing Risk within the Portfolio
    • The Pension Management Research Panel recently conducted a Quick Poll of pension trustees or internal pension/finance employees from 32 different organisations within the United Kingdom. [... More]
    • 14 March 2011
    • February 2011 Market Update
    • With a year of global growth ahead, SEI maintains its neutral view toward emerging-market debt, but has a positive outlook for emerging equity. Government debt, emerging-country inflation pressures and possible surprises will colour the investment backdrop. [... More]
    • 03 March 2011
    • Video: Institutional Outlook for 2011
    • SEI experts review the key points from 2010 and discuss the conditions in the UK and European economies, as well as SEI's view on the emerging markets, in an Economic Outlook for 2011. [... More]
    • 28 February 2011
    • It’s All About the Oil: A View of Events in Libya
    • The ousting of Tunisia’s President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali on January 14 was the first domino to fall in a series of uprisings in Africa and the Middle East. The protests were largely a sideshow for the financial markets…until Libya exploded. [... More]
    • 24 February 2011
    • Roundtable Update: Effective Support Through Fiduciary Management
    • SEI, the first and largest global Fiduciary Manager, hosted a roundtable with Pitmans Trustee Services; 'Effective support through Fiduciary Management'. [... More]
    • 16 February 2011
    • Annual Market Update to 31 December 2010
    • Investor optimism was low in early 2010, despite the sharp recovery in global markets. By the end of the year, concerns about debt, the global financial system and sluggish growth in developed economies lingered. Still, economic predictions are generally upbeat and investors more positive in recent months. [... More]
    • 10 February 2011
    • Oil, Water, Food and Money: A Macro View of Political Tensions
    • Ongoing political turmoil in Egypt led to the temporary closure of that country’s stock market and banking system and sparked a short-term flight-to-quality move in the bond markets reminiscent of the eurozone crisis. Regional unrest has raised questions about the implications for the global economy and financial markets. [... More]
    • 01 December 2010
    • 4th Annual LDI Poll: LDI is a Critical Part of Pension Risk Management
    • The Pension Management Research Panel conducted the 4th Annual Global Quick Poll on LDI. The aim of the poll and this summary is to examine how feelings around LDI strategies have changed over the past four years. [... More]
    • 14 September 2010
    • Fiduciary Management Perspective September 2010: RPI - RIP?
    • SEI's Charles Marandu, FIA CFA, highlights potential policy changes and how they might affect pension schemes. [... More]
    • 30 July 2010
    • European Bank Stress Test Results and SEI’s Funds
    • Confidence in the European banking system was buoyed by largely positive stress test results published on 23 July, although the initial market reaction was somewhat subdued. Most broad indices made marginal gains on the first day of trading, and prices for European Financials and peripheral government bonds also rose after the results were posted. [... More]
    • 07 May 2010
    • An Update on the Greek Sovereign Debt Crisis
    • In the past few weeks, concerns about whether or not Greece will default on payments related to its sovereign debt have reached a fever pitch. Investors are increasingly worried that other nations with heavy amounts of debt versus their gross domestic products (GDP) will soon face the same troubles.  [... More]
    • 05 April 2010
    • Roundtable Update: Fiduciary Management - Focus on Funding
    • SEI hosted a roundtable; "Time to focus on funding - using Fiduciary Management to help control funding levels." The event provided a unique opportunity to understand and discuss Fiduciary Management with first hand experiences and opinions. [... More]
    • 23 March 2010
    • Fiduciary Management Perspectives: The Outlook for UK Gilts
    • Charles Marandu FIA, CFA discusses the current status of the UK gilt market, what the future holds, and what actions to take. [... More]
    • 02 March 2010
    • CFO Summary: The Implications of the FASB Pension Disclosure Guidelines
    • Financial executives overseeing pension plans were thrown yet another challenge in plan management. [... More]
    • 03 November 2008
    • The Benefits of Fiduciary Management
    • Fiduciary management is a solution to dynamic investment whose hour has surely come. [... More]
    • 27 October 2008
    • Commentary: Presidential Elections and the Stock Market
    • As volatile as the markets and economy have been, investors wonder what a victory for either candidate might mean to them financially. While that is nearly impossible to predict with any sense of certainty, history can tell us a great deal about how the equity markets have reacted post election. [... More]
    • What is Fiduciary Management?
    • Fiduciary Management can be defined as a pension management solution which focuses on achieving the long term goals of a pension fund within a defined risk management framework by providing both day-to-day investment management and advisory services. [... More]