United Kingdom

UK - Socially responsible investment experts are using a £200m air pollution lawsuit against oil giant BP to highlight the importance of pension funds following SRI guidelines.

UK - The UK's biggest pension schemes are shifting assets to hedge funds - and consultants believe smaller schemes are likely to follow suit.

UK - The UK's two largest actuaries - Mercer Investment Consulting and Watson Wyatt - clashed over the merits of pension funds investing in bonds at the latest NAPF Investment Conference.

UK/EUROPE - Fund managers have attacked ratings agencies over the downgrading of companies with pension fund deficits, which they claim has caused bond market volatility.

UK - Aberdeen Property Investors is warning schemes that property returns will drop sharply in 2003 due to falling rents in London and southern England.

UK - British Polythene Industries is imposing a pay freeze and boosting pension contributions in a bid to stem a spiralling £11m deficit in its scheme.

UK - UK pension deficits could be as high as £100bn for the FTSE100, according to a report published by investment bank Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein.

UK - The £1.9bn J. Sainsbury Pension & Death Benefits Scheme has come clean over the poor performance of its assets over the last year.

UK - Schemes looking to cut costs through electronic trading could end up increasing volatility and risk, Frank Russell Company warns.

UK - Government plans for pensions reform have been criticised by a leading economist for lacking an economic overview.