United Kingdom

UK - Consumers are taking a much more pessimistic view of their retirement prospects and are losing confidence in being able to provide for a comfortable retirement, Alliance Trust says.

UK - Hermes, the asset management arm of the BT Pension Scheme (BTPS), has announced the expansion of its fund of hedge fund capabilities with the appointment of Matteo Dante Perruccio.

UK - The fund management industry is at its most pessimistic for a decade, the Confederation of British Industry and Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PWC) has warned.

UK - The pensions' buyout market will have to grow by almost £250bn ($450bn) over the next three years if the current levels of demand from trustees are to be met, according to research.

UK - Pension fund manager Hermes has responded to calls from retailers to allow them to pay rent monthly rather than quarterly in advance, in a move expected to ease the burden of current market volatility.

UK - The £577m (US$1bn) London Borough of Haringey pension fund has decided against hiring an external organisation to advise on its newly adopted responsible investment strategy until the market is further developed, MandateWire reports.

UK - Local authorities are hiring independent firms to monitor and hire fund managers in a bid to improve governance procedures, Inalytics says.

UK - John Menzies has appointed Hymans Robertson to advise its pension scheme trustees on both actuarial and investment decisions.

UK - The Pension Protection Fund (PPF) has confirmed it will set a levy estimate of £700m ($1.3bn) for 2009/10.

UK - The trustees of the £1.3bn (US$) Thales pension scheme, have appointed Cardano as investment adviser.