Investment

Schools joining the government's academy programme are being forced to pay their share of local government pension scheme deficits over drastically shortened time periods.

De-risking strategies have been called into question amid record low gilt yields and a continuing period of low interest rates.

The Pensions Regulator has softened its approach to companies that cut back on contributions.

Helen Morrissey analyses the points of view on one of the hottest topics in pensions.

The Pensions Regulator has defended its decision not to smooth the discount rate by publishing a detailed analysis of the current funding regime.

Hermes Fund Managers have launched its latest fund as part of its UK active inflation-linked strategy which will primarily invest in UK bonds.

A small spike in gilt yields brought liabilities down by 3.6% in September and helped deficits improve by £51bn, according to the Pension Protection Fund 7800 Index.

The Pensions Regulator has reiterated its stance that most firms currently agreeing funding valuations will not need to significantly increase deficit recovery contributions.

Research from Hymans Robertson shows that IAS19 deficits rose from £67bn to £115bn for FTSE350 companies in the year up to July 2012.

The £1.5bn Willis Pension Scheme has chosen Towers Watson to manage a large part of its hedge fund portfolio.