AUSTRALIA - Proposed reforms to the calculation of employer superannuation contributions for income test purposes are too complex and will leave both employers and employees worse off, Mercer says.

EUROPE - Governments need to do more to help the aging society, which will require large scale changes to existing social security systems, European politicians, academics and industry representatives have said.

Including: US - Institutional investors move to outsourcing; EUROPE - Study shows extent of equity derivatives use; UK - West Yorkshire seeks actuary

THE Pensions Management Institute has announced details of its reshaped 2009 Spring Conference.

GLOBAL - Two thirds of private equity investors (LPs) will have little or no capacity for new fund commitments by this time next year, Coller Capital's latest Global Private Equity Barometer has claimed.

JAPAN - Nissan MotorCo has established a global governance structure to manage its pension plan exposure around the world.

US - November saw the worst performance for pensions since the crash of 1987, according to data from BNY Mellon Asset Management.

UK - Almost 70% of employees believe they will take up auto-enrolment into an occupational pension from 2012, government research claims.

GLOBAL - An alliance of investors, collectively managing US$1.5trn, have urged 100 of the world's biggest companies to join an initiative that will improve their policies and practices around the use of water.

PENSION funds abandoning diversification strategies as a response to losses caused by market turmoil could miss investment opportunities, asset managers warn.