Investment

Pension funds are being encouraged to support plans for a state-backed green investment bank to help stimulate investment in clean technology business and a low carbon economy.

UK - The John Lewis Partnership Pension Trust has sold its remaining holding in online grocer Ocado, it announced today.

Uniq's deficit for equity agreement is "quite clearly" the best option for the trustees, The Pensions Regulator says.

GLOBAL - Linking retirement age to a mortality index would remove some political risk around increasing the length of time employees work, said Mercer's chief retirement strategist Bruce Rigby.

US - The California State Teachers' Retirement System (CalSTRS) has approved proposals to add a risk overlay strategy across its $146.4bn portfolio.

Investors benefitted from a 15.2% return on UK commercial property last year driven by solid performance from central London office space, according to the IPD UK Quarterly Property Index.

BNP Paribas will seek to double its total revenue in the next five years by aggressively developing its derivatives clearing service for buy-side clients, its chief executive says.

HONG KONG - The Mandatory Provident Fund has failed in its task to encourage additional savings, but pending legislation to encourage members to move their assets into other savings vehicles will do just that, said RCM.

US - The number of new mandates placed by US institutional investors increased 16% in 2010 with a sharp increase seen in specialist mandates like real assets, commodities and other alternatives.

The extra returns for holding shares over risk-free assets will fall by nearly one third from present levels, making a reliance on equities by pension funds "a pretty dangerous strategy", London Business School research warns.