Regions

FRANCE - Investment returns are becoming dominated by the emerging markets, Mercer said.

EUROPE - The implementation of the Alternative Investment Fund Managers (AIFM) directive in its current format is set to cost the European Union 0.1% to 0.2% in annual GDP growth, a study by Europe Economics has revealed.

Proposed changes to IAS19 will dramatically increase reported pension costs, Hewitt Associates said.

GLOBAL - The World Bank has raised US$130m from institutional investors, including some of the world's largest pension funds, through its green bond issuance.

US/EUROPE - Towers Perrin and Watson Wyatt have been granted conditional clearance to proceed with their merger to form Towers Watson.

GLOBAL - The majority of institutional investors around the world will not renew commitments to existing private equity managers in 2010, a survey by Coller Capital revealed.

EUROPE - The investment fund market in Europe grew by 7.2% in the third quarter and had €6.8trn (US$10.3trn) under management at the end of September, the latest quarterly data by the European Fund and Asset Management Association (EFAMA) revealed.

EUROPE - The European Fund and Asset Management Association (EFAMA) has hired consultant McKinsey to formulate proposals aimed at the European Commission on fund distribution and long-term savings.

GLOBAL - Schemes need to prepare for the return of inflation in case central banks fail to control upward pressure on prices, Watson Wyatt said.

GLOBAL - Pension industry experts predict the fiduciary management model will spread deeper into Europe and other parts of the world, and expand its reach beyond DB plans to the likes of insurance companies and DC plans.