Investment

NETHERLANDS - The National Federation of Christian Trade Unions in the Netherlands (CNV) continues to oppose the government's proposed pension age increase, refuting local media claims that it has stopped negotiations.

Regulatory authorities must consider the UK's unique reliance on annuity providers for retirement income when it comes to implementing Pillar I of Solvency II, Mercer says.

Pension funds could achieve greater investment diversification by incorporating insurance-linked instruments in their portfolios, Watson Wyatt says.

The Universities Superannuation Scheme has appointed UBS Global Asset Management - Fund Services to deliver hedge fund of funds administration services.

SWEDEN - Swedish pension fund AP2 returned 6.4% in the first half of the year as its heavy weighting in equities lifted returns, while AP4 reported returns of 7.9% in the same time period.

INCLUDING: EUROPE - Mercer voices concerns on EU Directive on alternatives; FRANCE - FRR up 10.5% in the second quarter; SWITZERLAND - Funds cover ratio slightly better

GLOBAL - Expansion will become the dominant driving force of mergers and acquisitions in the global asset management sector, according to Jefferies Putnam Lovell.

AUSTRALIA - The Australian Bureau of Statistics has unveiled the Pensioner and Beneficiary Living Cost Index (PBLCI), providing a measure of price changes in living cost as they affect pensioners.

Almost nine out of 10 people think the government is not doing enough to encourage people to save for their retirement, Hymans Robertson research shows.

Xafinity Consulting has launched a multi-employer master trust which it claims combines the governance of a trust-based scheme with the low-costs associated with contract-based arrangements.