Europe

UK - Employers must exercise great caution in what they promise employees on pensions in their employment contracts.

UK - Trustees should be insured against negligence claims, Occupational Pensions Defence Union director Jonathan Bull told delegates at the recent Pension Show.

UK - Growth and value equity strategies are irrelevant as there is no performance difference between the two, Isis Asset Management claims.

UK - Morley Fund Management, part of the Aviva Group, has appointed Ross Courtier as head of UK activism.

UK - Healthcare and chemicals giant Bayer has appointed Watson Wyatt to advise the trustees of its largest UK pension fund - the £400m Bayer Group Pension Plan.

UK - Insurers are putting the government under renewed pressure to change regulations so that they can offer money-back annuities.

EUROPE - UK fund manager Hermes boasts another three leading pension funds to back its activist fund which targets European stock market laggards.

UK - The Pensions Management Institute is holding its first examinations for its Retirement Provision Certificate.

UK - The FTSE Group is launching a series of indices to cover global bonds.

UK - The BriTel Pension Fund is to invest an undisclosed sum in the Equity Partnerships' Osprey commercial property fund.