While there are many reasons for optimism as markets begin to recover, pension funds must not forget the risks that thrust them into crisis, writes Gill Wadsworth

SEB is looking to team up with other banks as interest in the World Bank green bonds surges. Caroline Liinanki investigates

Nordic pension funds are starting to implement exchange traded funds in their investment portfolios to gain tactical exposure to markets, writes Nick Reeve

The Nordic region has led the way in implementing the UN’s PRI initiative, but as James Gifford finds, ESG criteria are not sufficiently integrated in investment decision-making

With the consensus on climate change strengthening, pension funds must calculate certain risk implications into their long-term strategies, writes Caroline Liinanki

The Norwegian finance ministry’s restriction of the global fund’s active management will not be significantly damaging.

James Redgrave investigates

Global property markets are experiencing varying levels of performance. Asia is proving attractive to investors, while Europe also offers opportunities for those who know where to look, writes Richard Hemming

Nordic pension funds are under pressure to change their investment behaviour and improve performance.

Lucas Vermeulen investigates

Anke Claassen speaks to the most powerful woman in Dutch finance about innovations within the country’s pensions sector

Sweden’s national buffer fund system is under the microscope as the AP funds draw more fire, writes Caroline Liinanki. This time it concerns the number of funds

Commodity-linked equities have a complicated relationship with commodity prices, and offer a different kind of access, writes Spencer Anderson

Maaike Veen finds out why Nordic pension funds should ‘focus on the constant risk in relation to their liabilities’ and use dynamic allocation strategies

Caroline Liinanki analyses findings from the Norwegian Government Pension Fund Global’s active management review

With more room for manoeuvre now that markets have started to recover, Richard Tyszkiewicz investigates how pension funds are using their new-found freedom

Richard Urwin, managing director of BlackRock’s Multi-Asset Solutions group, and Rune Sanbeck, head of the Nordic region at BlackRock, discuss the outlook for 2010

Maik Rodewald finds out why German investors are turning away from traditional long-only mandates

Proposals to strengthen insurance regulation under a more stringent directive are making the Nordic industry increasingly anxious. Gill Wadsworth investigates

The path leading up to Swedish Länsförsäkringar Liv’s demutualisation has been littered with controversy. Pirkko Juntunen investigates

Is this the right time to consider an allocation to distressed debt? Derek Stewart, a director at Mellon Global Alternative Investments, investigates

Universal concern over operational transparency, increasing regulations and cost pressures mean that asset servicers can provide valuable assistance to Nordic institutions, writes Northern Trust’s Mireille Andersson

The economic turmoil and increasing liquidity needs has led to the emergence of a real estate secondary market. Erik Gunnervall investigates the opportunities

With Nordic investors setting their sights on emerging markets as another forestry investment destination, Spencer Anderson tells of the complexities involved

Nordic pension funds turn to riskier fixed income asset classes to plug funding gaps left by the financial crisis. Gill Wadsworth investigates

Scandinavian investors risk falling behind their European peers, unless they start integrating ESG-related return criteria, writes Gunilla Hjalmarsson

Aberdeen’s Hugh Young explores technological development through the ages and how it affects the investment prospects in emerging economies

BlackRock’s Michael Marks and Peter Leane investigate what is really behind the much discussed concept of fiduciary management

Outsourcing pensions administration services from the United Kingdom has seemingly taken a back seat to offshoring, writes David Rowley

After the choppy waters of recent times, Nordic pension funds are searching for real diversification to lessen risk and raise returns, writes Caroline Liinanki.

The relatively inflation-resistant offering of investing in music rights has tempted ABP to test out some true diversification. Hjalmar Tjan investigates.

BlackRock’s Peter Leane and Richard Urwin discuss the prospects for global inflation in the wake of the credit crisis.

How can this relatively immature asset class flourish after the downturn? asks Markus Ableitinger.

Legal nuances in the UK have meant a low take-up of class actions, writes Charlie Kirby. But the crisis is pushing it rapidly up trustees’ agendas

As emerging economies look set to overtake more developed markets, Caroline Liinanki tries to find out what a reasonable allocation should be

A growing number of Nordic pension funds are becoming active shareholders in non-listed real estate assets. Esther Gotink investigates

Willem Buiter looks at the credit crisis through academic glasses and tells Anke Claassen why pension funds should ‘not allow themselves to become gambling arcades’

Whether defined as such or not, fiduciary management is operating in many Nordic countries in one form or another.

Hjalmar Tjan investigate

Peter Leane, head of the Nordic region at BlackRock, reassesses the argument in favour of active fixed income management

Quantitative asset management’s mixed success over the last year has spurred some to call for changes to its current structure. Spencer Anderson investigates

Beyond the battle of the economic downturn is the far less publicised ‘climate crunch’. Terry Coles investigataes ways to make greener investments pay off

Nordic pension funds are still hungry for more hedge fund exposure, but the financial crisis has forced pension funds to reassess their strategies.
Caroline Liinanki investigates

Nordic pensions funds are reconsidering the type of active approach that has left them wounded from over-exposure to equity markets, writes Gill Wadsworth

With unprecedented market conditions hitting pension funds hard, Spencer Anderson investigates the resulting strategic dilemmas

Confidential in nature, transition management creates the potential for a number of ‘myths’ to arise. BlackRock’s Peter Leane and Peter Walker address some of the more common misconceptions

The current property market correction means investors focusing on active asset management can flourish. Joakim Nordblad and Andrew Smith investigate

Calls for lower administrative costs and the need to strengthen weak positions in the wake of the global financial crisis have meant mergers are increasingly attractive for Nordic funds.Caroline Liinanki investigates

With only minor regulatory changes on the cards for hedge funds, a mass exodus of Nordic investors may hit the model, writes Spencer Anderson

If an ESG policy is to be coherent, it will eventually have to apply across an investor’s entire portfolio, including alternative investments, writes Martin Steward. But are the relevant questions being seriously formulated yet?

Firms battling to get ahead in 2009 would be well advised to take risks in the high-yield marketplace, writes Andrew Lake, director of high-yield investments at F&C

While developed economies are in similarly deep water, the degree of fiscal malady varies across eastern Europe. Karine Hirn and Marcus Svedberg investigate

Having learnt the lessons of the downturn, Nordic pension funds will embrace transparency and do away with complex vehicles. Caroline Liinanki investigates

Private equity buyout managers expect to pick up bargains in the coming months, but timing this market is almost impossible, and tight credit conditions mean picking the best managers is vital, writes Martin Steward

Despite market conditions calling for short-term gains, ESG-minded Nordic pension funds are increasingly outsourcing their active engagement. Hjalmar Tjan investigates.

BlackRock’s Mark Wiedman, managing director of the financial markets advisory group and Peter Leane, head of the Nordic region, examine the lessons to be learned from the recent market turmoil

While many asset classes have taken a battering in the global financial downturn, timberland investment still shows growth

Despite setting the gold standard for responsible investment worldwide, the Nordic region is only now looking to apply it to property Caroline Liinanki investigates.

As interest in commodities sparks in the region, Nordic pension funds are taking different approaches to protect their investments. Caroline Liinanki investigates.