Regions

EUROPE - Fund managers are showing an appetite for a hybrid hedge fund product that could appeal more strongly to pension funds, new research has revealed.

THE NETHERLANDS - The Dutch social affairs minister, Aart Jan de Geus , has said that FTK, the new financial assessment framework, is finalised and that he does not anticipate a delay in implementation.

GLOBAL - Barclays Global Investors (BGI) topped the list of Global Pensions' Top 100 Global Fund Managers survey, with a total of US$961.8bn in institutional pension assets under management.

GLOBAL - Socially responsible investing (SRI) practices are increasing in popularity with the majority of investment managers world wide expecting SRI to become a common component of mainstream investment processes within 10 years.

GLOBAL - Watson Wyatt's new series of conferences, replacing the Global Asset Study (GAS) conference, will operate free of charge in the UK and theUS, while there will be a "cost covering charge" to attend these eventselsewhere globally.

EUROPE - A typical European corporate pension plan would need to achieve an investment return of between 5% and 10% depending on interest rates in order for its funded status not to deteriorate further, new research has revealed.

EUROPE - Northern Trust Global Investments (NTGI) has launched its first pooled enhanced equity index fund in Europe targeting UK and European institutional investors.

GLOBAL - Luxembourg has the highest "pension wealth" for a worker on average earnings of all Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries.

EUROPE - Simon Vanstone (pictured) is to take over as chief executive of AXA Rosenberg Investment Management's European operations.

EUROPE - European pension funds are becoming more receptive to international specialists, often not at the behest of their Anglo-Saxon consultants, according to a new report by Morgan Stanley.