Pensions & Investments: Market Shocks Prompt Allocation Overhauls
NEPC’s Aaron Chastain was quoted in a recent Pensions & Investments article to weigh in on how corporate pension plan portfolios in the U.K. & U.S. have been distorted by upheaval. View the article on Pensions & Investments’ site here.
Corporate pension fund portfolios in the U.K. and U.S. that have been distorted by recent market events are set for an asset allocation overhaul. A combination of rising interest rates leading to falling liabilities, plus increased needs for liquidity in portfolios means asset allocations are, in some cases, no longer serving their intended purpose on either side of the pond. Sources said pension fund sponsors now have an opportunity to further derisk portfolios, with a view to completing a risk transfer or achieving self-sufficiency.
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There are also conversations among U.S. plans on what constitutes an appropriate interest rate hedge, since it “now takes less dollars to achieve the same interest rate hedge,” said Aaron Chastain, Atlanta-based senior consultant at NEPC LLC.
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NEPC’s Mr. Chastain is also seeing some clients reducing commitment sizes but not stopping investments altogether. They “definitely don’t want to eliminate those relationships (with fund managers) for a shorter-term market event in terms of an asset allocation perspective,” he said.
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Bloomberg: Stocks See Late-Day Rebound After Unnerving Twists: Markets Wrap
NEPC’s Phill Nelson was quoted in a recent Bloomberg article to discuss what to expect from the 9/21/22 Fed meeting’s announcement on interest rates. View the article on Bloomberg’s site here.
Stocks pushed higher in the final hour of New York trading, with a rally in megacaps like Apple Inc. and Tesla Inc. driving a rebound that followed the worst weekly rout for the market since mid-June.
Major equity benchmarks had a tough time finding direction Monday as traders geared for another super-sized US rate increase amid fears on whether the Federal Reserve could overtighten and raise the odds of a hard landing. Treasury 10-year yields hovered near 3.5% while the two-year rate, which is more sensitive to imminent policy moves, hit the highest since 2007.
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“The question to focus on isn’t whether the Fed will hike rates by 75 basis points or 100 basis points,” said Phillip Nelson, head of asset allocation at NEPC. “What we’re looking for is how aggressive Powell will be in the next six to 12 months. The messaging we get in the next few weeks could be a bigger data point and a shock to investors.”
Pensions & Investments: ESG: Multi-Asset Investing
NEPC’s Dulari Pancholi was featured in a recent Pensions & Investments article to share top ESG themes as well as developments in data, benchmarks and regulation that are powering continued inflows into ESG investing across both public and private assets. View the article on Pensions & Investments’ site here.
Environmental, social and governance investing has evolved far beyond a process based on exclusion to one that is inclusive, activist and focused on alpha. Institutional investors are addressing the dual purpose — to effect change and generate alpha — via a range of sustainable investment approaches, typically impact funds, asset-specific ESG strategies or multi-asset portfolios.
Across all approaches, the state of investing based on ESG factors is robust. Global ESG assets under management were $35.3 trillion in 2020, up 15% from $30.6 trillion in 2018, according to the Global Sustainable Investment Alliance. ESG’s portion of total global AUM rose to 35.9% from 33.4% in the same period.
GSIA projects global ESG AUM will rise 16%, to $41 trillion, this year; and 22%, to $50 trillion, by 2025. The message is clear: ESG investing is here to stay, and its future is bright
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While a multi-asset strategy can be one of several ways to implement an ESG investment approach, Dulari Pancholi, CFA, CAIA, principal and head of credit and multi-asset at NEPC, said that she sees multi-asset as the right approach for asset owners today.
“The way ESG investing has evolved almost requires you to take a multi-asset approach,” she said. “The investible universe has expanded so much beyond the listed stocks where ESG originated. Now there are asset classes like private debt and private markets, or debt more generally, [and they] are tougher to work with” in terms of the availability of ESG products and challenges in ESG data collection. “In the fixed-income space, for example, you now have green bonds, which are an evolution of green revolving-loan facilities. There are term loans that are tied to sustainability metrics and sustainability-linked bonds that are tied to the ESG performance of the portfolio or underlying company.
“So if you’re trying to build an ESG portfolio that can integrate some or all of the available asset classes, you need a toolbox that can hold a lot of different tools. That’s what multi-asset is all about,” Pancholi said.
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The Wall Street Journal: Almost Half of Stock Pickers Beat the Market in Early 2022 Selloff
NEPC’s Tim McCusker was quoted in a recent Wall Street Journal article to discuss how active managers have benefitted from monetary tightening in early 2022. View the article on The Wall Street Journal’s site here.
Nearly half of large-cap U.S. stock-picking funds beat the S&P 500 during the brutal selloff in the first half of the year, putting active managers on pace for their best year since 2009.
Bruised by sky-high inflation and rising interest rates, the S&P 500 fell 20% on a total return basis, which includes dividends as well as price changes, in the first six months of 2022. That was the index’s worst first half in data going back to 1988, according to Dow Jones Market Data.
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“In the first half, active managers being compared against the market may have benefited from the environment of monetary tightening as the Federal Reserve began raising interest rates”, said Tim McCusker, chief investment officer at investment consulting firm NEPC.
“That’s a helpful thing for active managers,” he said. “Instead of money just flooding into equity markets and pushing all assets higher, you’re starting to see some differentiation.”
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Global Investment Leaders: Mike Manning on Guiding the World's Largest Employee-Owned Institutional Consultant
NEPC Managing Partner Mike Manning joined Rosemont CEO Chas Burkhart on the latest episode of the Global Investment Leaders podcast to share his perspective on the firm’s evolution since its founding in 1986, how NEPC is positioning for the future, and more.
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NEPC Appoints Former Meketa Executive To COO Role
BOSTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)– NEPC, a leading research-driven investment consultant with $1.4 trillion in assets under advisement, today announced that Kellie Kane will join the firm as Partner and Chief Operating Officer (COO), effective May 2, 2022. Kane will be responsible for overseeing the execution and implementation of NEPC’s forward-looking operational strategy, including the firm’s performance reporting, technology, and discretionary operations teams. She will be an active member of the firm’s Executive Team, and will report directly to Managing Partner Mike Manning.
“I am happy to announce that Kellie Kane has joined our team as Partner and Chief Operating Officer,” said Manning. “Her skillset and industry experience make her uniquely suited to this role. I know she will play a large part in helping us achieve our strategic operational goals.”
Prior to joining NEPC, Kane spent 24 years at Meketa Investment Group where she most recently served as Partner and Chief Operating Officer. In this previous role, Kane oversaw a large staff across teams like IT, systems development, data, performance reporting, investment analytics, administrative, and transfer operations.
“Joining NEPC means I’m joining a firm with an incredible reputation, earned through its employee-led culture and client-focused philosophy,” said Kane. “I know I’ll be connecting and collaborating with dynamic leaders here – leaders who are just as passionate about improving the financial lives of their clients as I am.”
For more information on NEPC’s Leadership Team, click here.
ABOUT NEPC, LLC
NEPC is an independent investment consultant and private wealth advisor, serving over 400 retainer clients and $1.4 trillion in total assets. Combining a proprietary research team dedicated to the long-term challenges facing investors with our unique client-centric model, NEPC builds forward-looking investment portfolios for institutional investors and ultra-high-net worth individuals. To learn more about NEPC, visit nepc.com.
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The Wall Street Journal: New York City Wants to Amp Up Risk in Workers Pensions
Institutional Investor: NEPC Says Majority of Asset Owner Clients Now Invest With Diverse Managers
NEPC 2021 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Progress Report: Radical Transparency is Key to DEI Progress
BOSTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)– NEPC, a leading research-driven investment consultant with $1.4 trillion in assets under advisement, today published its second annual Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Progress Report, the first annually-produced report of its kind for the investment consulting industry.
The report tracks annual progress against the firm’s data-driven Diverse Manager Policy goals and reaffirms NEPC’s belief that investment consultants play a significant role in the financial industry’s quest to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion in all its forms.
“Our goal is to be a change agent for the democratization of access to capital. To do that, NEPC is committed to being radically transparent at all levels – from the way we hire talent to the way we engage with diverse investment managers,” said Sam Austin, Partner & Governance Board Member; Manager of NEPC’s Western U.S. Public Funds Team, and Chair of NEPC’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Board.
“Our 2021 report lives up to that commitment. Consultants might be wary of sharing all their data in this way, but in this instance, progress is far more important than public perception.”
NEPC’s 2021 DEI Progress Report provides a clear view into the firm’s DEI initiatives across its entire ecosystem. Listed below are highlights from this year’s report:
Increasing Diversity in NEPC’s Talent Pipeline
- 58% of new hires come from diverse backgrounds
- 37% of all 2021 new hires are gender diverse, up 6% from 2020
- 30% of NEPC partners are from diverse backgrounds
- NEPC launched a new MBA Rotational Program to recruit diverse candidates to participate in a summer intern experience at the firm. Half of all 2021 interns have accepted offers to join NEPC on a permanent basis.
Increasing Diversity in NEPC’s Recommended Strategies
- In 2021, NEPC launched its Explorer Program, a platform to identify and engage with diverse-owned and -led investment management firms that are not currently 1- or 2-rated by NEPC.
- The firm increased its vetting of diverse managers by almost 30% in 2021, largely due to initiatives like the Explorer Program.
- NEPC completed a total of 315 meetings with diverse firms over the past two years, significantly surpassing the goal of 132 meetings outlined in NEPC’s Diverse Manager Policy
- 59% of all NEPC clients currently use diverse managers in their portfolios, and 188 client strategies are fully managed by diverse firms. This equates to $40.7 billion in client assets allocated to diverse firms.
“The industry is aware of the importance of increasing diversity at all levels, but we’ve come to realize that it’s a goal that can only be achieved through bold action by investment consultants,” said Mike Manning, Managing Partner and President of NEPC. “As gatekeepers for trillions of dollars of assets, consultants have the power to ensure that governments, institutions, families and individuals are preserving and growing their capital across asset classes and market cycles in ways that create enduring, equitable, and inclusive change for the investment industry and our world.”
For more information about NEPC’s sustainable solutions like its Impact Investing Committee and Diverse Manager Committee, click here. To download the full results of NEPC’s 2021 DEI Progress Report, click here.
ABOUT NEPC, LLC
NEPC is an independent investment consultant and private wealth advisor, serving over 400 retainer clients and $1.4 trillion in total assets. Combining a proprietary research team dedicated to the long-term challenges facing investors with our unique client-centric model, NEPC builds forward-looking investment portfolios for institutional investors and ultra-high-net worth individuals. To learn more about NEPC, visit nepc.com.
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Laura Nascimento
