Regions

GLOBAL - Hedge funds experienced their first quarterly outflows for the first time in nearly three years during the final quarter of 2002, according to Tremont TASS.

GLOBAL - Standard Life Investments UK has outlined what could happen to oil prices in the event of a war in Iraq.

GLOBAL - A recovery in UK equities could be slowed by pension funds seizing the opportunity to cut their allocations, industry experts warn.

GLOBAL - An international consortium of pension funds has challenged investment managers to come up with a masterplan for a 20-year pension fund mandate.

EC - Fidelity Investments is urging the European Commission to clamp down on member states which have tax regimes that discriminate against mutual funds.

EUROPE - Countries such as Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic are set to sprout attractive investment opportunities from likely EU accession in 2004.

SWITZERLAND/LUXEMBOURG - UBS Global Asset Management has been named Europe's top fund manager at the European Fund Awards 2003

GLOBAL - The asset management group of Swiss banking arm Zurich Financial Services posted substantial gains in operating profits in 2002 compared to to the previous year.

UK/EUROPE - Platinum Capital Management, the international financial and investment group, has hired Paul Graham as director for UK & Europe.

EUROPE - Some 50% of European fund managers expect tensions between America and Europe to hit global stockmarkets over the next three months.