Europe

UK - Around 250 delegates overcame the London's Tube strike to attend this year's Pensions Management Institute Autumn Conference, chaired by Tony Ashmore, PMI vice president.

UK - Buck Consultants Edinburgh has appointed John Walbaum to office manager.

UK/NETHERLANDS/BELGIUM - The Royal Bank of Scotland Financial Markets is to market Fortis Investment Management's inaugural managed synthetic CDO.

UK - Historically cash has been a by-product of the investment process and most funds have generally been content to manage it passively usually through a money fund offered by their custodians.

EUROPE - The European Central Bank needs to cut interest rates to help European equity markets recover, Standard Life Investments says.

UK - Pensions administration systems provider Aquila has acquired competitor Lynx Heywood.

UK - Proposed changes in bankruptcy rules will increase the risk of pension funds being left underfunded with insolvent employers, lawyers claim.

UK - Staff on maternity leave will have to be paid pensions contributions for at least 26 weeks when new legislation comes into effect next year.

UK - The Department of Work and Pensions has released a new ‘Pensioners Guide'.

UK - The Ministry of Defence is considering pension provision for unmarried partners in a new scheme to be established early next year.