Are better empowered shareholders egging companies on to return too much capital for our collective good? It’s a popular theory right now, but is this actually reason to rethink improvements in shareholder rights?

The theory goes that (activist) shareholders are …

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The increase in relevance of sustainability factors in investment continues apace in 2015. Macro themes require commitment at the micro level to make the difference. This demands flexibility not only on the part of institutional investors collectively and individually, but …

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On 20th May it was announced that five of the world’s largest banks are to pay fines totaling $3.6bn for charges which include manipulation of the foreign exchange market. These fines are a new high (low?) watermark for regulatory penalties …

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Back in September 2011, the FT ran a story exploring the frustrations felt by investors over complexity and opacity in the voting chain (“Call for clarity in proxy voting process”, FTfm, 12th September 2011). In many ways …

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Following on from a public statement issued last week by a group of leading Italian academics and legal experts, international institutional investors and their trade associations have been invited to add their voice to a call for the Italian Ministry …

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The US proxy access debate took a fresh turn recently with the attempt by seasoned governance commentator James McRitchie (www.corpgov.net) to get a shareholder proposal on the ballot at US organic food retailer Wholefoods. He submitted a proposal …

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Reporting of the abuse of corporate jet use by top management at Sweden’s largest companies has focused attention on the internecine links between Sweden’s top investors and largest public companies
Svenska Dagbladet the Swedish newspaper has reported that Swedish forestry …

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The simple but powerful statement of solidarity with the notion of a free society that articulated the public reaction to the recent horrific events at the offices of Charlie Hebdo in Paris shows just how important freedom is in our …

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Or: “one person’s economic stimulus might be another’s entrenchment opportunity”.

On 25 June 2014, as part of its ongoing recovery plan, the  Italian Government adopted Law Decree no. 91/2014 the so-called “Development Decree” or “DECRETO sviluppo imprese”. Like the USA’s …

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The SEC this week weighed into the proxy advisor debate with Staff Legal Bulletin 20, which provides information on  the proxy voting responsibilities of investment advisers (i.e. professional investors) as well as clarification on the exemptions from federal regulation …

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