Europe

UK - Insight Investment - the investment manager for the Clerical Medical Managed Fund - has purchased a freehold office building in Nottingham for £5m.

UK - HSBC Alternative Investments Limited (HAIL) has appointed Vincent Bourgeois and Michael O'Mara to co-manage a new Continental European equity market neutral fund, to be launched by year-end.

EUROPE - The European Central Bank has come under fire for its handling of the recent economic slump in the eurozone.

UK - Hermes Pensions Management has set out a list of economic principles which every company in which it invests should follow.

UK - The Liberal Democrats have hit out at reports that the Inland Revenue wants to abolish the tax-free lump sum on pensions.

UK - The pros and cons of outsourcing administration were debated by industry experts in the final seminar session.

UK - The Ethical Investment Research Service is conducting new research into corporate, social, environmental and ethical risk of 2500 leading companies.

EUROPE - European corporate governance standards have been given a boost with the publication of a new Bill of Rights for shareholders.

UK - An Administration Court judgement against the pensions ombudsman could open the floodgates to a raft of appeals, law firm Norton Rose claims.

UK - Mercer Human Resource Consulting is transferring its small self-administered scheme business to Barnett Waddingham.