Regions

GLOBAL - More than a third of pension funds prefer fundamental indices over free float market capitalisation indices, a clear indication that the concept is gaining sway.

GLOBAL - Institutional demand for hedge funds is set to triple to over US$1trn by 2010, led by pension funds seeking new asset classes to better match their growing liabilities, a report has claimed.

GLOBAL - The eighth ICMB/CERP Geneva Report on the world economy called for the development of hybrid pension schemes that would allow members to shift from DC to DB as they grew older.

EUROPE - Allianz Global Investors has launched a range of five funds specifically designed for pan-European investors, covering Europe, US, Japan and emerging markets.

UK/US - Pension schemes in the UK, many with high exposure to gambling stocks, were among those burnt by the legislation passed recently by US Congress banning internet gambling.

GLOBAL - Only 23% of pension schemes are satisfied with funds of hedge funds (FOHF) investments, a global survey by Mercer Investment Consulting has found.

EUROPE - With the exception of Japan, European institutional investors plough more into hedge funds and alternatives than any other global market.

EUROPE - The Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) market in Europe runs the risk of saturation as the big four players aggressively target the market with a proliferation of products, said Marie-Pierre Ravoteur, co-head of the EasyETF development platform jointly...

EUROPE - Bear Stearns has made two further senior appointments as the firm seeks to grow its European focus, with Antoine Dijkstra and Dominique Favillier joining as senior managing directors to assist clients throughout the continent.

EUROPE - Pension funds should not be included under Solvency II, and proponents of such a move must recognise that pension funds are different to insurance companies, said Tim Reay, international pensions consultant at Hewitt Associates.