BT shares fell 5p to £252.5p yesterday after fears were raised that its £38bn pension fund would need a further cash injection following equity market falls.

US - Investor confidence has risen by three points to 68.8, a rise that has been put down to improvement in risk appetite for selected sectors by North American investors.

STANDARD & POOR'S has launched three Shariah compliant equities benchmark indices.

Fed slashes rates to halt sell-off; BT retreat continues on pension fund fears; Big hedge funds agree voluntary code of practice; Commercial property fund investors face continued slide

EUROPE - Lehman Brothers issued its European Pensions Briefing with a warning schemes should be addressing their solvency levels over the coming year.

CANADA - A coalition of unions is urging Alberta Local Authorities Pension Plan (LAPP) members and pensioners to lobby their local politicians over changes to rules relating to governance of the scheme.

A SELF-INVESTED personal pension designed to meet the specific requirements of doctors, dentists and lawyers has been launched by Wesleyan Assurance Society.

US - The Alaska Permanent Fund said it lost ground in the second quarter of fiscal year 2008, with a total return of -0.5%, ahead of the benchmark return of -0.6%.

EUROPE - Many Europeans may be losing out in pension schemes with long minimum contribution periods because more than 40% of the European workforce stay less than five years in the same job, two new studies have found.

BALANCED pooled funds achieved a median return of just 1.0pc during the final quarter of 2007, latest statistics from BNY Mellon Asset Servicing reveal.