Dutch Pensions Go Collective

Today’s financial Goldilocks moment—with strong equity returns and robust fixed income yields—creates favorable conditions for the Netherlands to complete its long-planned switch from traditional private defined benefit plans to 'collective defined contribution.' 'You can almost call it a tontine,' a Dutch pension consultant told RIJ.

Research Roundup

We feature two deep-dive research papers on private credit. One is from Victoria Ivashina of Harvard Business School and the other from a team that includes Amir Sufi, co-author of "House of Debt" (U. of Chicago, 2014.) Plus two papers on combining income annuities with private savings and a paper on the domino effect that TDF reallocations can inflict on the bond market.

Third Point Joins the Triangle, Cayman-Style

Another asset manager goes subtropical. Third Point Investors Ltd. established Malibu Re in the Cayman Islands, bought a Texas life insurer from Mutual of America, acquired a private credit shop, and received $25m each from Voya and ReliaStar.
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U.S. spends $3.4 trillion in 11 months

Federal outlays through August totaled $3.4 trillion, up 2% from the same period last year. Receipts in the first 11 months totaled $2.2 trillion, up $126 billion from the same period last year. (Federal fiscal year ends Sept. 30, 2012.)

The Bucket

Brief or late-breaking items from New York Life, Phoenix Companies, Strategic Insight, BlackRock, DST Systems Inc., AXA Equitable Life, and Principal Financial.

Fed pledges action until economy shows gains

The Fed also acknowledged its limits. “Monetary policy, particularly in the current circumstances, cannot cure all economic ills,” the Fed chairman, Ben S. Bernanke, said at a news conference.