Round up - 6 February

UK pension body warns that annuity market is on the brink of failure; Wedgwood: UN joins campaign to save museum treasures; Wedgwood Museum closure condemned by Unesco; Pensions seen as passive pots of gold; Europe’s pensions flee hedge funds; Equitable Life in payouts slow lane

UK pension body warns that annuity market is on the brink of failure
The Financial Times
The UK's annuity market - currently valued at £12bn a year and expected to treble in size under auto-enrolment - is on the brink of "failure", warns a report published today by the National Association of Pension Funds and the Pensions Institute.

Wedgwood: UN joins campaign to save museum treasures
The Daily Telegraph
The Wedgwood Museum must be saved, the United Nations heritage committee says, despite a High Court decision that its collection should be sold to pay off the company's £134 million deficit.

Wedgwood Museum closure condemned by Unesco
The Guardian
Museum listed as one of world's top 20 cultural assets due to be sold off to pay £134m pension deficit after high court ruling

Pensions seen as passive pots of gold
The Financial Times
I am getting worried about my pension. More specifically, I worry about designs the government may have on the pension fund to which I belong.

Europe's pensions flee hedge funds
The Financial Times
Europe's hedge fund industry appears to be the big loser from a headlong rush by pension funds into multi-asset "absolute return" funds.

Equitable Life in payouts slow lane
The Independant
The Government is set to miss its target of paying compensation to Equitable Life's former policyholders by the middle of the year.