Financial Markets Trend: Ageing and Pension System Reform

Abstract

Ageing have prompted important changes in the structure of pension system with substantial differences across the most developed countries. Given that ageing populations are driving a growing need for private form of saving for retirement, the pension fund industry is like to exert an increasing influence in the financial markets. Much of the additional retirement related flows to capital markets will be intermediated by pension funds although their importance varies considerably across country. This work reviews recent change in the pension funds industry (updated at 2006) originated from pension system reform across countries as well as risk management practices, such as ALM; the paper also focus the potential implication of pension funds investments strategies on financial markets identifying the main gaps in the availability of financial instruments needed for pension funds.