United Kingdom

EUROPE/UK - Standard & Poor's has appointed Geoff Hawksworth as head of its European investment services business, based in London

UK - Barclays Global Investors' Endowment Fund has posted a 4% loss for the six months to January 31 this year.

UK - Self-invested personal pensions provider @SIPP has appointed Graeme Finnie as managing director.

UK - Charities are being urged to review their pension schemes' investment strategies in the wake of stock market falls.

UK - A comprehensive series of guidance notes on pension scheme administration is being published by the Raising Standards of Pensions Administration Steering Group.

UK - Coller Capital has appointed Erwin Roex as investment director. Roex is responsible for transaction origination and structuring.

UK - Index-linked bonds are a safe alternative to equities but should not be used to maximise returns, Axa Investment Managers warns.

UK - A former Tory minister wants English regional government plans scrapped and the cash saved used to give further tax relief to occupational pension schemes.

UK - Financial data specialists GL Trade has appointed Patrick Tessier as chief executive.

UK - The retired chief executive of Rentokil Initial, Sir Clive Thompson, has a pension with a transfer value of £11.4m.