Global

GLOBAL - Invesco Asset Management's duration in bonds remains moderately long versus the JP Morgan Government Benchmark, according to Invesco's head of global bonds Mark Dowding.

GLOBAL - Northern Trust continued the trend of downward quarterly figures by reporting a $21.3m dip in net income for Q4 2001, compared to the corresponding period in 2000.

GLOBAL - Rodamco North America (RNA) has admitted defeat in its bid to fend off a hostile takeover by the Australian property group Westfield.

GLOBAL - BITA Plus Consultants (BPC), a global provider of risk management and portfolio optimisation software, has released BITA Complete, a risk analysis and reporting service that enables fund managers to have access to detailed risk and performance...

THE NETHERLANDS - ING Real Estate - the property arm of Dutch financial giant ING - has finalised a EUR736m investment in residential fund Vesteda.

GLOBAL - Swedes hold more equities in their defined contribution pension funds than other nationality, according to research from Watson Wyatt.

GLOBAL - Global funds rating agency Fitch has introduced its ‘International Advisory Committee' to be presided over by Valery Giscard d'Estaing, the former President of France. The committee has been created as a forum for gaining a wider perspective...

GLOBAL - The pension market represents a golden opportunity for insurers to grow their businesses, according to Deloitte Consulting, especially as the industry comes under pressure from the results of terrorism, natural and man-made disasters.

GLOBAL - Schroder Investment Management believes that global economic recovery will be weaker than most expect, labelling expectations for growth and corporate earnings as "too optimistic".

BELGIUM/ NETHERLANDS - Dexia Group, the Brussels-based financial services firm, has merged subsidiaries Bank Labouchere and Kempen & Co to form Dexia Bank Nederland.