Rising assets keep defined benefit funds in surplus during January

The consultancy said its low-reliance index - a measure which assumes that schemes stay attached to the corporate sponsor and invest in income-generating assets like bonds, to meet their benefit payments as they fall due - implied a funding ratio of 126.5% at the end of last month. The firm's buyout index also continued to show that, on average, DB schemes have sufficient assets to buyout their pension promises with insurance companies, with a surplus on this measure of £165m. In theory PwC said this meant the majority of pension scheme liabilities could be transferred to insurance co...