United Kingdom

UK - Leading passive managers have seen a steady increase in their index tracking business since the beginning of this year.

UK - Merrill Lynch Investment Managers (MLIM) has announced that Merrill Lynch Property Fund, with its 20 year track record of investment in UK commercial property has moved offshore to Jersey.

UK - New York-based currency manager FX Concepts has been mandated by the £900m Kodak Pension Plan to run £380m in currency overlay from December 1, 2001.

UK - Mark Thompson has joined Friends, Ivory & Sime as a fund manager within its global equities team.

UK - Corporate governance experts believe new legislation may be needed to restore shareholder confidence in the wake of the Enron collapse.

UK - Local authorities are to have different criteria for funding liabilities under FRS17 than private companies.

UK - Two shareholder meetings are of significance in the next two weeks, according to corporate governance specialists Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS).

UK - The £620m Corus Engineering Steels Pension Scheme is looking to increase its exposure to fixed income, Keith Young, group pensions manager, said.

UK - Credit ratings agency Standard & Poor's is disputing many analysts' views that FRS17 poses a danger to quoted company values.

UK - Equitable Life has clamped down on pension schemes which are taking advantage of preferential exit terms.