EUROPE - Kroll has completed a management buyout of its European corporate advisory and business recovery group and rebranded to Zolfo Cooper in Europe.

GLOBAL - Long-short funds, known as 130/30 funds, have grown in popularity over the past 12 months, despite wider market unease, a survey has shown.

BELGIUM - Pension funds lost an average of 15.5% over the year up to September, and shifted allocations from equities to bonds, research by Mercer reveals.

UK - The Pensions Regulator has started procurement for IT services providers for its personal accounts responsibilities.

Including: NORWAY - Oil fund loses 1.3%; US - Texas TRS loses $25bn; SWEDEN - AP4 invests in infrastructure

The Pensions Regulator has started procurement for IT services providers for its personal accounts responsibilities.

RUSSIA - Russian pensions will increase by over a third by the end of 2009, prime minister Vladimir Putin has pledged.

CZECH REPUBLIC - Czech pension funds' profits fell from CZK3.5bn (US$176.4m) to CZK2.2bn (US$110.8m) year-on-year in the January-September period, according to data released by the National Association of Pension Funds (APF).

CANADA - Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) may bid for private equity assets including those owned by UK's Wellcome Trust Ltd. to take advantage of depressed prices, chief executive officer David Denison says.

US - Top hedge fund managers, including George Soros, have defended themselves against claims their industry contributed to the credit crisis, but showed openness to stricter regulations being introduced.