CANADA - An investor group led by the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan (OTPP) has purchased Canada's largest communications company, Bell Canada Enterprises (BCE), for C$51.7bn (US$48.5bn).

INVESTMENT management firms believe the bulk annuity market will grow to £190bn by 2011, latest research by BNY Mellon Asset Servicing reveals.

NETHERLANDS - Fortis Investments has launched seven money market funds targetting Dutch institutional investors, corporates and local authorities with excess cash in Euros.

UK - Large pension funds are still concentrating on investment returns to meet funding requirements according to a new study by Hewitt Associates.

ASHMORE Investment Management has won a $670m (£335m) multi-strategy mandate from the HSBC Bank Pension Scheme.

The fresh faces of cabinet; £300m VAT refund call looms; Pension deficits face new threat; Caution sounded as buyouts force up M&A volumes by 70pc

FRANCE - Barclays Global Investors (BGI), is to open a Paris office, following authorisation from the AMF.

ITALY - ENPAM, the medical and dentistry sector pension scheme, has sold €305m in property assets to RREEF Real Estate, Pirelli and C Real Estate.

UK - State Street Global Markets has swiped three senior strategists from competitors to expand its research team.

SWEDEN- AP4 and Alecta have protested to the Stockholm Stock Exchange over the pricing of a financial group's shares.