Regions

EUROPE - The newly established Committee of European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Supervisors (CEIOPS) has created a working group on occupational pensions issues.

EUROPE- Henderson Kapitalanlage-gesellschaft für Immobilien mbH is launching its first segregated property spezialfonds.

EUROPE - German politicians have reacted angrily to Commerzbank's announcement that it is to close its company pension scheme.

GLOBAL - Economists are predicting an interest rate "freeze" in the US, which will boost overseas equities and high yield corporate bonds.

GLOBAL - US tax payers will be forced to pick up the tab for collapsed defined benefit schemes, if legislative reforms are not enacted to improve the sickly financial position of the Pensions Benefit Guaranty Corporation.

GLOBAL - Fortis Investments has acquired the Japanese equity capability of the German-owned asset manager WestAM.

EUROPE - AXA Investment Managers (AXA IM) has obtained an exclusive licence to launch exchange traded funds on European Public Real Estate Association (EPRA) indices.

GLOBAL - In what could surely be the largest such scheme in the world, the pension scheme for unorganised workers in India is expected to cover 370m workers in a country of 1bn.

GLOBAL - Australia's largest fund managers raked in the greatest gains in 2003 with BGI topping the list, according to research from InTech Financial Services.

GLOBAL - South Africa's surging currency is creating all sorts of problems for fund managers, particularly those wedded to the holy writ of benchmark investing.