Regions

GLOBAL - More than a third of fund of hedge fund investors now prefer to allocate funds directly into the asset class, research by Preqin has found.

GLOBAL - State Street Global Advisors (SSgA) has discontinued its securities lending programme across a range of funds "in the best interests" of its shareholders.

AUSTRALIA/CANADA - The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) has bid A$3.5bn (US$3.1bn) for Macquarie-backed Australian toll road operator Intoll Group.

GLOBAL - J.P.Morgan Asset Management has launched an alternatives portfolio in a bid to help small to medium sized schemes access asset classes including hedge funds, infrastructure and private equity.

GLOBAL - Pension fund assets are still below pre-crisis levels despite improvements, research by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has revealed.

GLOBAL - Aon Hewitt will deliver cost savings of $355m (£235m) a year through cuts in both back and front office operations, Aon Corporation has said.

GLOBAL - Three quarters of institutional investment managers believe global growth will remain stagnant over the next six months, according to research by Northern Trust Global Advisors (NTGA).

UK/EUROPE/US - Risk Management Solutions has launched a medical-based approach to quantifying longevity risk that takes account of changing mortality phases.

GLOBAL - Aon Consulting and Hewitt Associates are to merge to form a new consultancy in a $4.9bn deal.

GLOBAL - Scheme allocations to alternative assets have increased almost three-fold over the past 10 years, Towers Watson research has revealed.