09:30

Registration

10:00

 Introduction

The sub-prime crisis, credit crunch, and drying up of liquidity has led to a market environment many are calling unprecedented. The resulting volatility in all markets is forcing investors to question their strategy. This session will take a look at the recent turmoil in the investment markets and how trustees can respond. We then look at how pension funds are currently investing their assets, what opportunities there are and how to take advantage of them.

10:30

 Asset allocation trends

Increased implementation of governance structures, risk management and exposure to alternative assets are the main results of Mercer’s annual asset allocation survey. Find out what the 1,104 European funds with an AUM of £538 billion are doing with asset allocation.

11:00

Coffee break

11:20

 Dragon's den - alternative investments

The alternative asset world can offer improved portfolio efficiency, low correlation with traditional assets and a diversified source of alpha and beta - an efficient method of risk reduction without sacrificing expected returns. A selection of alternatives are put to the test in the Dragon’s den, where you find out what they are, why you would invest in them and how to realistically implement an alternative asset allocation in your pension fund strategy.

12:10

 Governance and implementation

The investment landscape for UK pension schemes is becoming increasingly complex. Whilst the increased investment options, e.g. alternatives, LDI, etc, present opportunities, they do come with “governance budget” implications. The industry is adapting to meet the implementation challenges in a number of different ways. We will provide our view on how the pension industry participants are responding and how mercer is evolving in such an environment.

12:30

 Closing remarks

12:45

Lunch - optional for attendees