Global

EUROPE - MGS Investment Property (MIP) is banking on a "change in mindset" among UK pension funds in a bid to tempt them into direct global property investment through government schemes.

UK/MYANMAR - ISIS Asset Management, Europe's largest socially responsible investment specialist, has "welcomed" British American Tobacco's (BAT) decision to pull out its controversial asset operations from Myanmar (Burma).

GLOBAL - Fund groups have been warned to buck up transparency and equal rights for shareholders or face a damaging loss of investor confidence.

GLOBAL - Fund managers worldwide wishing to tap the US market for clients could be forced to register with the US regulatory body, if recommendations made in the staff report to the Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) on hedge funds are enforced.

GLOBAL - Corporate pension funds can reap solace from the fact that bondholders have higher quality assets now than a year ago.

GLOBAL - Leading asset managers are opting for equities rather than bonds following signs of "accelerating" world stock market growth.

GLOBAL - Around 87 institutional investors including some of the world's biggest pension funds are pushing 500 corporate heavyweight companies to disclose information concerning their greenhouse gas emissions.

GLOBAL - JPMorgan has unveiled a new multi-currency pooling service which allows the pooling of US dollar and euro balances.

GLOBAL - Strong international equity markets buoyed cross-border portfolios during the third quarter 2003.

GLOBAL - Hedge funds performed strongly in the third quarter of 2003 and all strategies posted positive returns in September, Hedge Fund Research says.