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☆ China raising its retirement age may be unpopular but it's much needed, analysts say
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-13 | by ( Anniek Bao | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Economists have long called for an overhaul of the nation's retirement age laws, currently among the world's lowest, which was set in an era of lower life expectancies. Raising the retirement age would help ease local governments' pension pool cash crunch, Sheana Yue, an economist from Oxford Economics said. Still, "more needs to be done to improve retirement adequacy," Maybank's Tay said, while stating that China needs a stronger pension plan and diversified investment avenues to ensure sustainable retirement savings. China's Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security has added a few tools for citizens to check their indicated retirement age on its website and mobile app. China may roll out "another round of delay in the late 2030s, especially if China's pension fund balance is tight," Xu cautioned.

Persons: Erica Tay, Tay, Bruce Pang, Tianchen Xu, Xu, Yue, Maybank's Tay Organizations: Getty, Maybank Investment Banking Group, CNBC, Economist Intelligence Unit, Oxford Economics, Academy of Social Sciences, China's Ministry of Human Resources, Social Security Locations: Fuyang, China, JLL, Beijing

☆ Stocks making the biggest moves midday: Starbucks, Chipotle, Home Depot, Tencent and more
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-13 | by ( Sarah Min | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Starbucks , Chipotle Mexican Grill — Starbucks stock shot up 21% after the coffee chain ousted CEO Laxman Narasimhan effective immediately and replaced him with Chipotle CEO Brian Niccol, who will step in Sept 9. Three Wall Street firms already upgraded Starbucks stock after the news. Revenue of 567.7 million Swiss francs topped the 562.1 million expected by analysts polled by StreetAccount. The filings showed that the shareholders, including the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan Board, were working with Morgan Stanley to sell a total of about 11 million shares of ViaSat. Rumble — Shares advanced more than 5% after the video sharing company's second-quarter results beat expectations on the top and bottom lines.

Persons: Laxman Narasimhan, Brian Niccol, Morgan Stanley, Carlyle, Riley, — CNBC's Sean Conlon, Michelle Fox, Alex Harring, Hakyung Kim, Jesse Pound Organizations: Starbucks, Home Depot, Depot, Dell Technologies, Barclays, Entertainment, Mobile, Citigroup, StreetAccount, ViaSat, Ontario, Board, Garden, Madison, Garden Sports, Baxter, Baxter International, Riley, SEC Locations: China, FactSet, Madison

☆ Boeing workers are willing to strike to get a 40% pay rise, union leader says
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( George Glover | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Boeing workers could strike if they don't get a 40% pay rise over the next three to four years. But we're willing to do it," union leader Jon Holden told Bloomberg. Boeing is already reeling from a structural blowout grounding an Alaska Airlines 737 Max last month. AdvertisementUnion leaders say Boeing workers are willing to strike if they're not offered huge pay rises. AdvertisementThe move comes as Boeing reels from a blowout on an Alaska Airlines 737 Max plane last month.

Persons: Jon Holden, Max, —, they're, Dave Calhoun, Scott Kirby, United, Holden Organizations: Bloomberg, Boeing, Alaska Airlines, Service, International Association of Machinists, Aerospace Workers, Max, CNBC, IAM, Business Locations: Alaska, Seattle, Detroit

☆ Instagrid replaces gas-powered generators with electric alternatives. Check out the 23-slide pitch deck it used to raise $95 million.
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-23 | by ( Tasmin Lockwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Read previewA German startup replacing fossil fuel generators used to power construction, film sets, music festivals, and first responders has just raised $95 million in a Series C funding round. "What people did before, if they needed more computational power, they built bigger and bigger and bigger computers – so these mainframe computers that you had in the early 90s," he told Business Insider. AdvertisementIts customers, which buy units for use or to rent on to others, include Swedish construction company Skanska, European construction rental company Loxaml, and the Red Cross. The fresh funds will be used to expand the rollout of the current system and launch additional powerful electric generator systems.

Persons: —, Instagrid, Sebastian Berning, Berning, Morgan Organizations: Service, Business, Teachers ' Venture, Ontario Teachers, Energy Impact Partners, SET Ventures Locations: Swedish, Ontario, Europe, North America, , California

☆ Need to ask whether AI will increase inequality, Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan CEO says
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailNeed to ask whether AI will increase inequality, Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan CEO saysJo Taylor, CEO of the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan, discusses how his fund is adapting to longer retirements, and what AI could mean for the future.

Persons: Jo Taylor Organizations: Ontario

☆ Brazil's Lula names new CEO of state-run lender Caixa
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Companies Caixa Economica Federal FollowBRASILIA, Oct 25 (Reuters) - Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Wednesday picked Carlos Antonio Vieira Fernandes to replace Rita Serrano as CEO of state-run lender Caixa Economica Federal. Her replacement, Fernandes, is a former worker at the bank and former director of the Caixa employees' pension fund, Funcef. The CEO appointment comes after months of negotiations with a powerful bloc of lawmakers called "centrao." Fernandes was recommended to Lula by Lower House Speaker Arthur Lira on behalf of the bloc, in exchange for more support in Congress. Reporting by Lisandra Paraguassu; Writing by Peter Frontini; Editing by Leslie AdlerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Carlos Antonio Vieira Fernandes, Rita Serrano, Serrano, Lula, Fernandes, Arthur Lira, Lisandra Paraguassu, Peter Frontini, Leslie Adler Organizations: Caixa Economica, Caixa Economica Federal, Caixa, Lower, Thomson Locations: BRASILIA, Caixa, Lula

☆ China funds look to Mideast cash as US investments wane
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( Summer Zhen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Seven China equity funds, including hedge funds and mutual funds, running more than $500 billion in combined assets, told Reuters they visited the Middle East this year to raise money, three of them for the first time. The search for new capital could affect Asia's hedge fund scene, where China firms account for more than half the market. "In the past perhaps the holy grail of capital raising was the U.S.," said Effie Vasilopoulos, co-Leader of law firm Sidley Austin's Asia-Pacific investment funds group. So that dynamic is leading many of our clients to the Middle East." However, sovereign funds in the Middle East have been large buyers.

Persons: Aly, Effie Vasilopoulos, Sidley, Steven Luk, Erin Wu, Wong Kok Hoi, Wong, Summer Zhen, Tom Westbrook, Jacqueline Wong Organizations: REUTERS, Seven, Reuters, FountainCap Research & Investment, OP Investment Management, POLITICO, Big U.S, ' Pension, California State Teachers, APS, Thomson Locations: Shanghai, Shenzhen, China, HONG KONG, Seven China, U.S, Asia, Pacific, Europe, Australia, Hong Kong, Texas, Singapore, Middle Eastern

☆ Baby boomers are often said to be the luckiest generation financially — but millennials will be better off than their parents in retirement, survey finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( Grace Dean | Read More | Read Less | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Millennials' retirement prospectives are rosier than boomers, according to research from Vanguard. Gen Xers and older millennials are set to replace a bigger proportion of their pre-retirement income. "For most income cohorts, millennials and Generation X enjoy a brighter retirement outlook than boomers," it said in a new report. "Our retirement outlook for Generation X and millennials is modestly better." For Gen Xers, this is 52% of their pre-retirement income, while for early millennials its 58%.

Persons: Millennials, Gen Xers, —, Xers, George W, Bush Organizations: Vanguard, Service

☆ India-Canada relations: how could trade be affected as tensions rise?
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Manoj Kumar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

On Tuesday, New Delhi dismissed the allegations as "absurd", and asked Canada instead to crack down on anti-India elements operating in its territory. Here is what is at stake for both countries:HOW ARE TRADE TALKS AFFECTED? Steady growth has seen goods trade rising to $8 billion in 2022, with Indian exports to Canada touching $4 billion and imports from Canada also worth $4 billion. Pharmaceutical products, worth about $418 million, made up the bulk of Indian exports last year, followed by iron and steel products worth about $328 million and machinery, nuclear reactors and boilers worth about $287 million. India's growing demand for imported lentils has benefited Canadian farmers, while Indian pharmaceutical and software companies have expanded their presence in the Canadian market.

Persons: Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Nanak, Chris Helgren, Justin Trudeau, Canpotex, Manoj Kumar, Arpan Varghese, Jaiveer, Clarence Fernandez, Anil D'Silva Organizations: REUTERS, Trading Economics, UN, Canpotex, Pharmaceutical, Caisse, Ontario Teachers, Bombardier, SNC Lavalin, TCS, Infosys, Wipro, Canadian Bureau of International Education, Thomson Locations: Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, DELHI, India, New Delhi, India's, Punjab, Bengaluru

U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo's trip to China last month had promised some economic and trade detente between the two superpowers now at loggerheads. And none of the 222 funds polled expected China economic growth to be any higher next year than this - mirroring a recent Reuters survey of domestic and overseas banks and investors. As these sorts of surveys go, there's an awful lot in there that could spell "peak gloom". Indeed, shorting China equities was deemed the second "most crowded trade" behind long exposure to supercharged Big Tech stocks. Even if the economy turns, political catalysts for a return to China may be slow in coming.

Persons: Aly, Gina Raimondo's, it's, Jamie Dimon, Jay Clayton, Jenny Johnson, Franklin Templeton, Willem Sels, Mike Dolan, Sharon Singleton Organizations: REUTERS, . Commerce, Bank of, Big Tech, Reuters, Reuters Graphics Reuters, JPMorgan, Investments, The Ontario Teachers, Caisse, Franklin, HSBC Private Banking, Thomson Locations: Shanghai, Shenzhen, China, loggerheads, Wall, Asia, Silicon Valley, Hong Kong, Temasek, Bridgewater, Blackrock, India, Indonesia, Washington, United States

The Chinese national flag is seen in front of the financial district Central on the Chinese National Day in Hong Kong, China October 1, 2022. Most were on the fund's private equity team and were informed early last month, according to two of the people. CPP, which employs more than 150 people in Hong Kong, its Asia hub, declined to comment. The Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan (OTPP) closed down its China equity investment team based in Hong Kong in April, Reuters has reported. There have been $3.2 billion worth of acquisitions of firms in China by private equity so far this year.

Persons: Tyrone Siu, Gina Raimondo, Canada's, Michel Leduc, Julie Zhu, Kane Wu, Edwina Gibbs Organizations: REUTERS, Investments, U.S, . Commerce, The Ontario Teachers, Reuters, Caisse, Financial Times, Thomson Locations: Central, Hong Kong, China, HONG KONG, Asia, Canada, U.S, Washington, Shanghai

☆ UK pension fund USS wins appeal over fossil fuel investments
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The 82 billion-pound ($103 billion) Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) faced legal action from two of its members over its continuing investments in coal, natural gas and petroleum. Judge Sarah Asplin said in a written ruling that the parts of the lawsuit relating to USS investments in fossil fuels were an attempt to challenge the scheme's management and investment decisions which was "bound to fail". The attempt to bring the case on behalf of USS against its directors, which has also been attempted by environmental law charity ClientEarth against Shell (SHEL.L), will be keenly watched by other pension funds and environmental groups. The two academics bringing the case, Ewan McGaughey and Neil Davies, argued that fossil fuel investments pose a "significant and increasing" financial risk to USS that its directors were not addressing. However, lawyers representing USS argued the case should be dismissed as the scheme's investments in fossil fuels have not caused any loss to USS or the two academics, which is necessary for a derivative lawsuit to proceed.

Persons: Sarah Asplin, Ewan McGaughey, Neil Davies, David Grant, –, Davies, Sam Tobin, Sarah Young, Mike Harrison Organizations: London's, Shell, McGaughey, Thomson Locations: London

The gathering comes at a time when global investors and banks are warning that confidence is waning in China's economic outlook. Such a meeting, with a clear agenda to discuss challenges facing global fund managers investing in China, is rare, the three sources said, and reflected Beijing's keenness to shore up confidence among foreign investors. Weighed down by strict COVID measures, China's economy grew just 3% in 2022, one of its worst showings in decades. The meeting is organized by China's fund regulator Asset Management Association of China (AMAC). U.S. dollar-denominated fundraising by China-focused venture capital and PE firms this year also had its weakest first half year in the past decade, data from industry tracker Preqin showed.

Persons: Fang Xinghai, didn't, Andrew Collier, Premier Li Qiang, Xie Yu, Julie Zhu, Selena Li, Kim Coghill Organizations: U.S ., Reuters, Canada's, Ontario, China Securities Regulatory Commission, Management Association of China, ., Orient Capital Research, Ant, Premier, Wednesday, Thomson Locations: HONG KONG, Beijing, U.S, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong

☆ Britain to unleash $64 billion in pension funding for tech startups after missing out on Arm IPO
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Among the measures introduced by the government was an agreement among the country's largest defined contribution pension providers to allocate 5% of assets in their default funds to unlisted equities by 2030. This could unlock up to £50 billion (roughly $64 billion) of investment in high-growth firms if all other defined contribution pension schemes follow suit, Hunt said. Meanwhile, average earners' pension pots could rise up to 12% to as much as £16,000 with defined contribution pension schemes committing to more effective investments, he added. Hunt also committed to an "intermittent trading venue" that makes it possible for public market investors to trade shares of unlisted firms. This would act as a halfway house for privately-traded firms looking for alternative ways of raising capital to public listings.

Persons: Jeremy Hunt, Hunt Organizations: Britain, Finance, CNBC, Treasury Department Locations: Europe, Silicon

LONDON, July 7 (Reuters) - As Thames Water's financial troubles raise questions about such investments, Britain will next week try to persuade pension schemes to plough billions of pounds into infrastructure and start-ups in its next leg of post-Brexit reforms. British Finance Minister Jeremy Hunt will on Monday set out the government's latest thinking on getting cash locked up in pension pots to work in the economy. The Conservative government's long-trailed policy focuses on persuading pension schemes to invest a portion of their money in infrastructure, start-ups and 'green' technology. But the problems at Thames Water, which is battling for survival under 14 billion pounds ($18 billion) of debt, would leave some pension schemes that had made large investments in it embarrassed, said independent pensions consultant John Ralfe. The finance ministry had no immediate comment on Hunt's speech, but the pensions industry has already said it opposes mandatory investment quotas.

Persons: Jeremy Hunt, Hunt, John Ralfe, Ralfe, Nobody, Huw Jones, Alexander Smith Organizations: Thames, British, Conservative, Amsterdam, London, EU, Thomson Locations: Britain, London's, New York, London

Once known as Square, Block agreed in March 2021 to pay $306 million for an 87.5% stake in Tidal. The pension fund also said Dorsey, a co-founder of Block and Twitter, was Block's only top executive who supported the purchase, and bought Tidal because he and Jay-Z were friends. But in concluding that Block directors did not breach their fiduciary duties, McCormick said she could not "presume bad faith based on the merits of the deal alone." Jay-Z, the rapper and music mogul whose real name is Shawn Carter, joined San Francisco-based Block's board after the Tidal purchase and remains a director. The Delaware case was a derivative lawsuit that sought to have Block's directors or their insurers pay damages to the company for shareholders' benefit.

HONG KONG, May 2 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Money flowing into the People's Republic is getting uncomfortably hot. Yet recent reversals in New York, Hong Kong and Shanghai suggest that is driven by fickle short-term funds – exactly what Beijing doesn’t want. Reuters Graphics Reuters GraphicsFollow @mak_robyn on TwitterCONTEXT NEWSChinese spirit maker ZJLD shares closed down 18% lower than their initial public offering price on their trading debut April 27. The KKR-backed company raised $676 million in what was the biggest offering in Hong Kong since October 2022. Separately, the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan, Canada's third largest pension fund, closed down its China equity investment team based in Hong Kong, Reuters reported on April 25, citing sources.

☆ Watch CNBC's full interview with Calstrs's Chris Ailman and Texas teachers' pension chief Jase Auby
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailWatch CNBC's full interview with Calstrs's Chris Ailman and Texas teachers' pension chief Jase AubyChris Ailman, CIO of Calstrs, and Jase Auby, CIO of Teacher Retirement System of Texas, join 'Last Call' to discuss the state of the U.S. economy, a possible recession, the Fed's next move, and the state of commercials real estate.

☆ As possible Social Security benefits cut looms, GOP senator says lawmakers are working on a 'big idea' fix
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Lorie Konish | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Nicholas Kamm | AFP | Getty ImagesSocial Security's trust funds have a new projected depletion date that is about a decade away. The idea calls for creating an investment fund separate from Social Security and allowing the investment to earn returns over a period of 70 years, Cassidy said. It would target the Social Security trust funds' biggest weakness, which is that it has "the absolute worst investment strategy you could have right now," Cassidy said. 'Big idea' inspired by private pensionsThe idea for investing Social Security's funds in the market is inspired by private pension funds, which already buy securities outside of Treasurys. Possible changes to fix Social Security generally include tax increases, benefit cuts or a combination of both.

☆ The messy, high-stakes world of private equity's fossil-fuel dilemma
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Rebecca Ungarino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Most major private-investment firms are working to cut down on emissions their portfolio companies send into the atmosphere. It's also set targets to get three-quarters of its majority-owned power-and-energy portfolio companies' emissions that they generate directly and indirectly covered by Paris-aligned climate goals by 2025. A growing number of private-equity firms' pension-fund limited partners are under pressure themselves to either invest around environmental, social, and governance matters or shun investing through those lenses altogether. Firms' plans with their upstream investments tend to draw the most attention because they're involved in drilling for new oil and gas. If you're a private-equity firm and you continue to make new upstream investments, I don't believe you have a Paris-aligned plan.

☆ UK overhauls childcare, pensions and welfare to get people working
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, March 15 (Reuters) - British finance minister Jeremy Hunt on Wednesday expanded access to childcare and announced an overhaul of the welfare system under measures aimed at alleviating a tight labour market that has hampered the outlook for growth. In what he described as "the biggest change to our welfare system in a decade," Hunt said disabled benefit claimants would be able to seek work without losing financial support. "Today, I bring forward reforms to remove the barriers that stop people who want to from working," Hunt told parliament. Hunt said working parents with children over nine months old would be entitled to 30 hours of free childcare a week by Sept. 2025, expanding the existing scheme for three- and four-year-olds. The government said that in 2025, the cost of providing extra childcare for parents would be 4.5 billion pounds and reducing the taxes on high earners' pensions would cost more than 1 billion pounds.

☆ RSA Security explores $2 bln-plus sale of Archer -sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Milana Vinn | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Clearlake Capital, another private equity firm, invested in RSA the following year. Last year, RSA sold a majority stake in its events business, RSA Conference, to private equity firm Crosspoint Capital Partners for an undisclosed amount. Archer, headquartered in Bedford, Massachusetts, is a governance, risk and compliance software platform with over 15,000 users globally. RSA's other business divisions include identity and access management platform SecureID and threat detection and response software platform NetWitness. Archer is not the only risk management software vendor up for sale in the United States.

But many are delaying IPOs amid a stock market rout that has raised concerns over frothy tech valuations. In a statement to Reuters, Snapdeal said it has decided to withdraw the IPO prospectus "considering the prevailing market conditions", without elaborating. It adding that Snapdeal may reconsider an IPO in future depending on its need for capital and market conditions. The change of Snapdeal's plans comes as tech stocks in India that listed in recent years face investors' wrath. In August, TPG and Prosus-funded Indian online pharmcy PharmEasy withdrew papers for its $760 million IPO, while Warburg Pincus-backed seller of wireless earphones, boAT Lifestyle, also withdrew its papers in October.

☆ Biden's big pandemic stimulus bill is still helping prop up pension funds nearly 2 years after it was passed
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Tucked in President Joe Biden's first big stimulus package was a provision to help fund pensions. Previously, there was a multiemployer pension crisis looming, with some potentially unable to pay out. But the money from the American Rescue Plan Act propped up 350,000 more workers' pensions. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated that the provision in the American Rescue Plan would cost $86 billion, according to the House Committee on Education and Labor. The pension relief comes as Republicans potentially eye cuts to Social Security, another major social safety net for the elderly and retirees.

NEW YORK, Dec 7 (Reuters) - Sonnedix and Cubico, two renewable energy developers, are competing to buy Chilean solar power assets that Italy's Enel (ENEI.MI) has put on the block to help trim debt, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. Consisting of around 500 megawatts (MW) of operating and newly built sites, the portfolio is expected to fetch up to 1 billion euros ($1 billion). Enel and Cubico declined to comment. Pension and infrastructure funds have been buying stakes in low-carbon energy generation for many years, attracted by their predictable returns. Additional reporting by Valentina Za and Francesca Landini in Milan; editing by Cynthia OstermanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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