We are pleased to welcome you to the April 2009 edition of Mercer's investment consulting e-news update.

2009 Mercer European Investment Forum

Event date: 13-14 May 2009

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2009 Mercer investment consulting award wins

25 March 2009

Mercer wins ‘Investment Consultant of the Year’ and ‘Investment Consultant: 10 years of excellence’ awards at the Global Pensions Awards 2009.

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Australia investment surveys

22 April 2009

Mercer publishes a range of monthly surveys. You can now download the latest of our free monthly surveys. View the list of available surveys and download your free copy.  
 

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Default funds - the future

16 April 2009

From 2012 exempt schemes will need to offer a default fund and automatic opt-in. The size of total contributions invested in default funds will therefore increase and Trustees and Sponsors will be looking for new solutions to reduce their risks. Investment managers are already scrambling to offer a variety of funds as fiduciaries search for the holy grail of the ultimate default fund. Efficiency will be the key and this article looks at how the default may develop in the future.

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Foresight e-newsletter: Picture not so perfect - the outlook for pension investments

10 March 2009

The current outlook for pension investments is by no means clear. Foresight sheds some light on the subject.

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Hedge funds: Should clients be comfortable making new capital allocations to hedge funds?

25 March 2009

At the end of February, Mercer revised its advice as to whether it is “safe to invest in hedge funds".

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Hong Kong MPF Index – Top five performers

3 March 2009

The Mercer MPF Index is a composite index of the following common funds offered by most providers in Hong Kong: capital preservation, capital stable and balanced.

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How to access the value of diversification

30 April 2009

In recent years, investors have increasingly devoted time and resources to risk management. A greater understanding of the benefits of diversification has resulted in investors examining, and in many cases implementing, investments in a wide range of non-traditional asset classes. However, recent market turbulence has exposed some of the inadequacies in current portfolio construction techniques. More importantly, questions have been raised as to the value of diversification going forward when many, seemingly diversified strategies, appear to have suffered simultaneously.

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IFC-Mercer Report shows sustainable investment is rising in emerging markets

31 March 2009

IFC-Mercer Report shows sustainable investment is rising in emerging markets. Report reveals first ESG rating for fund managers in emerging markets.

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Investment strategies review

26 March 2009

Welcome to the 'Investment Strategies Review' series of programmes in conjunction with Asset TV. There will be a total of four programmes starting from March which will run monthly. 

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Leading through unprecedented times – Australia

26 March 2009

Mercer experts, from Australia and across the globe, share their insights and advice to help your organisation fully understand and address the challenges of the current economic turmoil.

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New guidelines for Defined Benefit scheme trustees - Ireland

6 March 2009

In December 2008, Ireland's Minister for Social and Family Affairs, Mary Hanafin, announced a number of changes to the regulatory regime for defined benefit (DB) pension schemes in view of the ongoing difficulties in investment markets.

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Taking ESG to the next level - 1,500 strategies now rated

7 April 2009

In the midst of the credit crisis it seems all the more important to encourage investors to think deeper and longer-term in evaluating investment opportunities and considering wider systemic risks that might otherwise be overlooked. This is one of the beliefs underpinning the mainstream view of long-term Responsible Investment (RI) and the integration of environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors into investment processes. In essence it is about better risk management, wider thinking about extra-financial factors and challenging consensus opinion – all factors that will improve investment performance and at the same time help to promote a more sustainable capital market system (See Mercer’s article, Beyond the Credit Crisis).

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