NETHERLANDS - The five-year recovery plans of Dutch pension schemes are estimated to shrink the country's future gross domestic product (GDP) by 0.75%, a report by De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB) said.

US - The Fresno County Employees Retirement Association (FCERA) may axe its allocation to infrastructure and divert the funds into a commodities portfolio if the board of trustees approves the change at a meeting tomorrow.

JAPAN - Nomura Asset Management plans to expand its business in a bid to become a more global player in the asset management industry.

UK/US - Barclays Global Investors' (BGI) assets under management increased 12% in the first six months of the year, with the firm's iShares business experiencing the fastest growth, its UK-based parent company Barclays reported today.

US - The California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS) invested US$463m in a real estate portfolio consisting of almost the same shopping centres it had previously sold in 2005.

Nomura Asset Management plans to expand its business in a bid to become a more global player in the asset management industry.

US - Lawmakers introduced new legislation yesterday that would expand the board of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. and prevent the director from participating in the manager selection process.

US - Exxon Mobil poured US$3bn into its pension scheme during the second quarter, David Rosenthal, secretary and vice president of investor relations said in an earnings call yesterday.

UK - Fiduciary managers are teaming up with the National Association of Pension Funds to develop a standard definition of the service, set to be revealed next year.

NETHERLANDS - The €545m (US$769m) Stichting Pensioenfonds Siemens has raised the prospect of joining the €18.7bn industry-wide pension fund PME, but deliberations stalled when the fund's coverage ratio fell to 90%, MandateWire reported. In the meantime,...