Investment

The Chancellor has intervened in the financial transaction tax row, challenging the proposal in court. Hannah Brenton analyses

Despite growth, pension funds still face a number of challenges, John Redwood says

Eastman Kodak is to hand over part of its business to the trustees of its UK scheme in a deal that will release the company from a $2.8bn (£1.8bn) claim to support the underfunded scheme.

The impact of quantitative easing on pension scheme funding levels is diminishing with every new round of monetary stimulus, JP Morgan Asset Management says.

Hedge funds have become a popular investment tool among investors in their search for a greater yield coupled with increased diversification and downside protection.

Buzz respondents are far from optimistic that the long hoped for rally in gilt yields will happen this year. Just one in fifty contributors believes yields will rise significantly in 2013 while the majority think they will remain steady.

The majority of contributors said schemes they know of intended to cut their UK equity allocations. Just one in five respondents said this was not the case.

An investor engagement programme has improved anti-corruption transparency in 16 global companies, according to a coalition of shareholders.

Local government pension scheme (LGPS) deficits are estimated to have doubled since 2010 to over £80bn, according to KPMG analysis.

The Kelda Group Pension Plan has appointed Kames Capital for an £85m indirect property mandate.