How Pension Funds Manage Investment Risks: A Global Survey
10 Pages Posted: 6 Oct 2010
Abstract
This 2009 survey-based study describes how large global funds manage investment risk from strategy to implementation. In total, fifty-eight funds with assets aggregating to almost U$2 trillion participated in the survey. Almost all large funds (over U$25 billion) use some form of risk budgeting, whereas smaller funds are less likely to do so. Most funds (88%) manage active management risk (usually through controlling tracking error), whereas only 48% of funds manage balance sheet (surplus) risk. The sample size is perhaps too small to draw firm conclusions, but preliminary indications suggest that funds that believe in managing both active and surplus risk have generated better risk/reward tradeoffs. Per dollar invested, American corporate and public funds have the lowest average number of staff dedicated to risk management, whereas Australia / New Zealand and Canada have the highest.
Keywords: Governance, Liability, Pension Fund, Risk, Surplus, Tracking Error
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