Maria Johannessen, Partner at Mercer, said: “It is disappointing to see the pension gap increase in February, having held steady in January. A £1bn increase in asset valuations wasn’t enough to offset a big rise in liabilities driven by an increase in market implied inflation alongside a small fall in corporate bond yields. The rising deficit reinforces how important it is for trustees to manage risk and shield themselves from market movements.”
LeRoy Van Zyl, a strategic advisor and Partner at Mercer, added: “Funding level volatility is set to continue over an important few weeks for British politics, alongside an uncertain global economic environment. As the UK edges closer to the Article 50 deadline, it’s important both trustees and scheme sponsors take the time to fully understand the risk they’re running and are prepared to take action to ensure it falls within their risk appetite.”
Mercer’s data relates to about 50% of all UK pension scheme liabilities and analyses pension deficits calculated using the approach companies have to adopt for their corporate accounts. The data underlying the survey is refreshed as companies report their year-end accounts. Other measures are also relevant for trustees and employers considering their risk exposure. But data published by the Pensions Regulator and elsewhere tells a similar story.
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