Mercer

GLOBAL - The next decade will see employers improving the spend-down phase of their DC schemes, research by Mercer predicts.

About two-thirds (65%) of buyout deals conducted in the first half of this year involved premiums of less than £10m, Mercer research finds.

EUROPE - Multinationals with defined contribution plans in Eastern Europe are starting to favour pan-European vehicles instead, John Hall, head of the international consulting practice for EMEA at Mercer said.

UK - ‘Beauty parades' used to hire traditional investment managers don't work with transition managers, said Andrew Williams, principal at Mercer Sentinel.

PricewaterhouseCoopers is to close its two defined benefit pension schemes to future accrual from next April.

Investors are betting on Japanese corporates. In a web debate sponsored by Nomura Asset Management, Global Pensions editor Raquel Pichardo-Allison speaks to Nomura investment specialist Peter Jenkins, Mercer principal Piers Bertlin and Hewitt Associates...

UK - Pension liabilities for UK private sector final salary pension schemes reached £1.2trn ($1.8trn) in August.

Have you missed the biggest stories in pensions this week? Find out below, as we list the top ten most popular stories on www.professionalpensions.com over the past seven days (27 August - 2 September).

US - Pension plans of S&P1500 companies are shouldering deficits of a combined $506bn, the largest recorded deficit in their history, according to data by Mercer.

The economic downturn in 2009 saw pension funds swing towards corporate bonds. But now the dust has settled, Laura Blows questions their current role