North America

NETHERLANDS/CANADA - Stichting Pensioenfonds ABP (ABP) and Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System (OMERS) have launched an investment programme which will allocate €200m (US$246m) in Dutch and Canadian start-up companies.

US - California Public Employees' Retirement System (Calpers) has joined a group of Lehman Brothers creditors with more than US$14bn in claims against the failed investment bank.

US - The California Public Employees' Retirement System (Calpers) lost US$284.6m in value as the largest oil spill in U.S. history erased more than US$1.4bn from BP shares held by 42 state retirement accounts, data compiled by Bloomberg shows.

US - Institutional investors have written to the White House expressing their concern over an amendment to the Wall Street reform bill.

US - The California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS) has paid £106m (US$155m) to acquire a 12.7% stake in London Gatwick Airport from Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP).

US - California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's administration has reached a tentative agreement with state employee unions over pension reforms.

US - The Securities and Exchange Commission has proposed new rules around the marketing and advertising of target date funds meant to prevent investors from being ‘misled' when deciding to invest.

US/UK - Financial legislation pending in the US threatens to overwhelm, emasculate, and undermine independence of the Securities & Exchange Commission, according to the watchdog's former chairman.

CANADA - Canadian finance minister James Flaherty called for local finance ministers to support his plans to give tax incentives and modify pension standards to boost the defined contribution market, and to bring changes to the Canada Pension Plan.

CANADA - The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board is "very focused," on investments in emerging markets, Chief Executive Officer David Denison said.