Europe

UK - UK pension schemes may be exposing themselves to greater risks by switching all of their equity holdings into corporate bonds, according to consulting actuaries Lane Clark & Peacock (LCP).

UK - State Street Global Advisors (SSgA), the investment management arm of State Street, has appointed two new portfolio managers to its London-based global fixed income team.

UK - Baillie Gifford has launched an aggressive international equity product aimed at UK pension funds.

UK - FTSE has launched a new index, the FTSE techMARK mediscience, designed to reflect the performance of growth companies listed on the London Stock Exchange's new market, techMARK mediscience.  FTSE techMARK mediscience will benchmark small and mid-caps...

UK - Restaurant and leisure group Noble House has hired Invesco as its stakeholder provider.

UK - Rothschild Asset Management (RAM) has appointed Scottish Widows' Marion Colverd as its newest institutional client service team manager.

UK - Final salary schemes continue to be effective and should not be axed in favour of more high risk solutions, according to consultants William M Mercer.

FINLAND - The Helsinki Exchange (HEX) has introduced an exchange traded fund (ETF) for the Finnish market.

UK - The Financial Services Authority (FSA) said it will bring in new rules under the forthcoming Financial Services and Markets Act if companies do not install internal whilstleblowing procedures to help prevent future "Maxwell-type" behaviour.

UK - Coates Brother Pension Scheme has outsourced its trustee secretarial duties to William M Mercer.