Europe

UK - The Pensions Regulator has published its conflicts of interest guidance , designed to help trustees of occupational pension schemes and employers identify, monitor and manage the issue.

UK - Almost a third of institutional investors plan to increase their allocation to commodity-based Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) over the next five years, according to Lyxor.

UK - Defined benefit (DB) pension schemes are still in deficit but funding bounced back by £19bn ($34bn) last month, despite the market turmoil, according to Aon Consulting.

UK - The Pensions Management Institute is warning trustees they may still be liable for pension funds that have been wholly bought out, despite the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) claiming it would step in if an insurer went bust.

EUROPE - European banking group Dexia has been forced to secure €6.4bn (US$9.15bn) of extra capital from governments, institutional investors and pension funds.

UK - Claims that private equity firms are driving pension funds into the control of the Pension Protection Fund (PPF) have been challenged by new research.

UK - Clarity from the Pensions Regulator (TPR) on the calculation of transfer values for defined benefit schemes has been welcomed, but with a warning it may not go far enough.

UK - A decreasing number of defined contribution (DC) pension sponsors and trustees consider their provider to be offering a poor service, a survey by Watson Wyatt has found.

EUROPE - Commodities continue to be at the centre of the investment debate, while pension funds struggle to diversify their portfolio and include assets uncorrelated to the equities market.

EUROPE - UK pension funds have adapted their approaches to interest rates and inflation hedging, as a result of current market conditions.