News

GLOBAL - Figures from State Street reveal investor confidence declined to 89.6 in August, down 12.9 from July after a volatile month led to the most substantial decline since October 2008.

EUROPE - RBS expects Greece will experience a hard default this December in a move it says will cause "violent contagion" in global markets.

US - The Fresno County Employees' Retirement Association (FCERA) will consider selling Treasury Inflation Protected Securities to take advantage of the high prices resulting from recent market volatility.

UK - Unions have walked away from a consultation by Unilever on plans to move all final salary members into career average, making strike action at the firm "very likely", an official says.

Pensions minister Steve Webb has vowed short service refunds will not be part of the future pensions landscape, and warned employers not to factor them in when selecting a scheme.

Unions have walked away from a consultation by Unilever on plans to move all final salary members into career average, making strike action at the firm "very likely", an official says.

NEST Corporation has revealed the members of its employer and scheme member panels.

Unilever warned against pension closure; Gay couple win equality over pension benefits;

The Swiss franc has fallen 9% against the euro after the Swiss National Bank (SNB) said it was setting a minimum exchange rate against the single currency.

Mercer has appointed Jamie Willis as a partner as part of the expansion of its retirement practice across London and the South East.