The Death Knell Sounds for the UK’s LDI Crowd: Chris Hughes

The UK gilt crisis of 2022 exposed structural flaws in the UK pension system. But it has also spurred reform ideas — like a proposal to create a national retirement fund that would liberate corporate pension plans from an investment straitjacket. The idea ticks a lot of boxes but will face resistance from vested interests.

Pension plans that pay incomes tied to retirees’ past salaries have collectively been running a jumbo, bond-heavy investment strategy relying on borrowing to juice returns. The risks there emerged when the UK’s botched autumn budget sent gilts plunging, triggering a vicious circle of forced sales as these defined-benefit pension funds ...