Regions

Benchmark Group and Schroder Property Investment Management are establishing a new specialist property unit trust, The West End of London Property Unit Trust (WELPUT), pending regulatory approval.

International fund manager Barclays Global Investors (BGI) has launched four new sector-based exchange traded funds (ETFs), offering sector exposure across 13 European countries.

The South African competition commission has cleared the merger of financial services groups Escher Group and mCubed Capital Holdings, with no conditions.

Zurich's civic pension fund - the CHF12bn Versicherungskasse der Stadt Zurich - has reappointed UK fund managers Phillips & Drew to a passive mandate and added an extra £120m.

Companies are considering terminating their defined benefit (DB) pension plans due to the low 30-year US Treasury bond interest rates, according to the American Academy of Actuaries.

Gartmore Investment Management has appointed Jim Campbell as senior portfolio manager of its UK equities team.

Gartmore Investment Management has launched a news centre via its website, Gartmore.com.

Christopher Sundman has been appointed portfolio manager at Handelsbanken Kapitalforvaltning - the asset management arm of Swedish bank Handelsbanken.

Nomura Asset Management UK (NAM) - local arm of the Japanese financial group - has received the go-ahead from the the Spanish Stock Exchange commission (Comisión Nacional del Mercado de Valores) for the distribution of its global fund range.

Three recently thwarted Standard Life board nominees, Dugald Eadie and actuaries Ronnie Sloan and Vince Whitefoord, have welcomed the statement by Standard's new chief executive elect, Iain Lumsden, that he intends to adopt a more approachable stance....