Regions

GLOBAL - An influx of sophisticated products has blown the choice wide open for pension funds investing in emerging markets.

MIDDLE EAST - Crédit Agricole Asset Management (CAAM) has formed a joint venture with Banque Saudi Fransi (BSF) called Caam Saudi Fransi, to provide asset management services in the Middle East.

GLOBAL - Investor confidence rose 3.5 points last month to a global average of 73.0, according to the State Street Global Investor Confidence Index.

GLOBAL - Pension funds have been taking positive shareholder action to address the issue of disclosure over climate change and socially responsible investing.

AUSTRALIA/NEW ZEALAND - Australia's superannuation system has helped raise workers' expectations for retirement above those of their Kiwi counterparts, a study from Mercer has found.

EUROPE - As pension funds move to better funding positions and look to hedge against duration, experts have seen an increase in demand and ensuing shortage of inflation linked bonds.

GLOBAL - Institutional investors launched a climate change action plan at a summit held at the UN yesterday to boost investments in energy efficiency and clean energy technologies.

GERMANY/UK - Law firm Wragge & Co has been appointed by two Celesio sponsored company pension funds to advise trustees.

GLOBAL - ABP and TIAA-CREF are among the investors to commit US$125m to Catalyst Microfinance Investors (CMI), in a deal claimed to be the largest ever collective equity capital commitment to microfinance.

EUROPE - Ambitious proposals from the European Commission (EC) to tackle climate change, including a 20% reduction in EU greenhouse gas emissions by 2020, will provide pension funds with the impetus to invest in renewable energy.