Regions

GLOBAL - Private equity firms are expected to increasingly seek funding directly from institutional investors such as pension funds in order to sidestep financial troubles within the banking industry.

AUSTRALASIA - Russell Investment Group's merger of its institutional and retail advisory units in Australia and New Zealand is motivated by a convergence in both spheres and signals a more "holistic" approach to servicing clients, according to Chris Corneil,...

INCLUDING: GLOBAL - Investor confidence rises; UK - Northern Trust hire; GLOBAL - Freshfields adds to team; AUSTRALIA - SSgA boosts product engineering

GLOBAL - Northern Trust has enhanced its investment compliance monitoring capabilities for institutional asset servicing and wealth management clients globally.

GLOBAL - The California State Teachers' Retirement System (CalSTRS) and the North Carolina Retirement System are among shareholders who have pressured companies to address business challenges posed by climate change.

MIDDLE EAST - BNP Paribas Investment Partners (BNPP IP) and the Saudi Investment Bank (SAIB) have formed an asset management firm in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

INCLUDING: HONG KONG - FourWinds opens in Hong Kong; AUSTRALIA - van Eyk appoints investment research head; UK - Variable annuities find favour

AUSTRALIA/ NETHERLANDS - Hermes Equity Ownership Services (EOS) has been awarded three mandates totalling £1.76bn (US$3.56bn).

EUROPE - European fund of hedge funds (FoHF) are increasingly being used by institutional investors, because confidence in FoHFs investments has risen, according to a report by Fitch Ratings.

GLOBAL - While the effects of the sub-prime crisis and credit crunch rumble on in the world's financial markets, some 65% of the pension funds surveyed in this month's Global Pensions 100 Panel have claimed they will "sit tight and ride out the storm"....