Global

GLOBAL - Changes to China's pension system are very major and very serious, according to consultants Hewitt, and the Chinese government is examining a number of ways to meet its future pensions obligations.

GLOBAL - Nearly half (44%) of the world's largest institutional treasurers reported using some type of treasury management system (TMS) by the start of 2002, up from 36% 12 months before, while 48% of all large corporations use TMSs, also up from 36%....

GLOBAL - Returns on hedge funds have slumped over the last year according to figures released by index provider MSCI.

GLOBAL - Barclays Global Investors has dispelled speculation that it is up for sale by insisting it will boost its funds under management in the coming months.

GLOBAL - Govett Investments is warning fund managers not to write-off Japanese investments just yet.

GLOBAL - Commerzbank believes pension funds should increase their exposure to the insurance sector which, it says, is on the verge of a recovery.

GLOBAL - Peter Eyre is to join Watson Wyatt as a senior consultant advising multinational clients on the management of their worldwide employee benefits programmes.

GLOBAL - Pension funds looking at investing in gold to hedge their portfolio against inflation would be better looking elsewhere, warns a report by Barclays Capital.

GLOBAL - Asian hedge funds held up well in the face of the July market turmoil with all of the Bank of Bermuda AsiaHedge indices still in positive territory for the year, unlike many of the US and European indices.

THE NETHERLANDS - Global outsourcing and consulting firm Hewitt Associates is to fully integrate its Dutch-based partner Heijnis en Koelman.