Investment

Update 11.52am: The FTSE 100 has soared more than 250 points, or almost 5%, in morning trading as the markets took confidence from this weekend's €750bn rescue deal to defend the euro.

NORWAY - Radical changes to laws governing defined benefit plans in Norway will be needed to adapt the schemes to the new old-age state pension, a commission tasked with examining the future of pensions in the country's private sector has concluded.

Gilts and sterling are falling sharply this morning as investors react to the likelihood of a UK hung parliament.

UK - Scottish Widows Investment Partnership (SWIP) has combined its global developed and global emerging markets desks after six investment directors quit the firm for rival investment manager Martin Currie.

Standard Life has branded the Investment Governance Group's principles on improving defined contribution governance as "elitist".

GLOBAL - Nearly 18% of our respondents said they have tried recently to move their passive assets away from market-cap weighted indices.

GLOBAL - Only 11.8% of respondents to the Global Pensions 100 Panel said they have made or are considering making investments in microfinance vehicles. The results, come after the California State Teachers' Retirement System began last month a discussion...

Institutional investors should search existing and new market opportunities to build more diversified portfolios, Towers Watson says.

The last time I submitted a report for Professional Pensions it was on the issue of fixed income, and the fact a dyedin- the-wool bond man I knew said he would advocate that any pension fund in serious deficit should put everything into equities, as the...

EUROPE - Total assets managed in Europe grew by €2trn (US$2.6) to €12.8trn in 2009, estimates from European Fund and Asset Management Association (EFAMA) revealed.