Pensions and Derivatives, the "D" Word
Are derivative instruments a recipe for disaster, an integral part of effective investment management or something in between? As explained in "Derivatives: The $270 Trillion Gorilla", meteoric growth around the world speaks volumes. At the same time, the incremental risks are real and cannot be dismissed.
Financial News reporter Renee Schultes writes that few fund managers "have the operational infrastructure and expertise to trade outside the listed and less-liquid listed derivatives market." (See "Managers struggle with OTC derivatives trading", Financial News, September 25, 2006.) Financial Times journalists Paul J. Davies, Gillian Tett and Saskia Scholtes chronicle efforts to address operational issues related to derivatives. (See "Derivatives dealers' tough match", Financial Times, September 25, 2006.)
New accounting rules and regulations encourage a paradigm shift that emphasizes risk analysis. Liability-driven investing is the new "it" topic and, by extension, derivatives are getting a serious look by public and ERISA pension fiduciaries alike. Money managers use derivative instruments as well for a variety of reasons such as transforming cash flows, leveraging exposure to a particular asset class or hedging. The Towers Group, a research and consulting firm, reports that "buy-side derivatives usage" is expected to "explode, bolstered by the shift to electronic trading, search for alpha, and more accommodating regulations (such as changes to ERISA and the adoption of the Prudent Investor Rule), which allows derivatives usage in pension funds and institutional money management." (See "Growth in Derivatives to Have Profound Impact on Wall Street Firms", September 18, 2006.)
The ultimate question is whether the expected benefits outweigh the costs. I wrote an entire book on this topic. Written for fiduciaries and related parties, Risk Management for Pension Funds, Endowments, and Foundations is a primer about the risks and benefits of derivatives and, more broadly, risk identification, measurement and control. I could easily write a second book about the topic. There is so much to say.
That is why subsequent posts will address the topic of derivatives, and the fiduciary implications of their use.
For those who want to read more, here are links to earlier blog posts and some articles I've written about risk management.
1. "Derivatives Get the Blame"
2. "Operational Risk and Derivatives"
3. "Derivatives Valuation: One Size Does Not Fit All"
4. "Pension Risk Management: What We Don't Know Can Hurt"
5. "Five Keys to Risk and Risk Management"
You can find lots more by going to our online library. You may also be interested in receiving our complimentary ezine about risk and valuation. Click here to sign up. (A link to our privacy policy is at the same URL.)
