With volatile markets and the need for big returns, active management mandates are on the increase. However, pension funds should not rush in blindly, finds Andrew Sheen

David Russell and Danyelle Guyatt take a look at the incorporation of ESG issues into investment in alternatives and suggest a number of action points for pension funds

CEE - Aegon plans to target small pension funds for acquisition in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) in its bid to win a 10% market share of the region's mandatory schemes by 2010.

CANADA - The C$120bn Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) has become the latest in a growing number of institutional investors allocating funds to clean technology, with a US$200m investment in US-based wind power firm Noble Environmental Power....

Currency risk is an inherent part of investment in foreign equities and especially significant with today's short term accounting horizons. Ben Kottler looks at how to assess currency risk

No one is disputing the replacement of DB with DC anymore, instead they are exploring ways to make DC as successful as it needs to be. Heather Dale reports

Norway's Government Pension Fund - Global is the largest fund in Europe, second largest in the world, and is growing by US$1bn a week. Heather Dale talks to Yngve Slyngstad to get an idea of how the fund is run

SWEDEN - The Swedish pensions' company for blue collar workers, AMF Pension, is to increase the amount of mutual funds it offers from nine to 15 over the next few years.

THE department for work and pensions has published new regulations on the calculation of cash equivalent transfer values.

US - US listed ETF providers have been the latest to feel the credit crunch pinch as assets under management (AuM) have taken a tumble in recent weeks.