News

THE National Association of Pension Funds has backed the UK government's strategy to issue more long-dated, indexed-linked gilts and has called for a range of distribution methods to be available to help meet pension funds needs.

GLOBAL - BlackRock has launched a pooled alternatives fund for pension schemes, charities and other institutional investors.

The £3.7bn Merseyside pension fund has gone out to tender for two unconstrained bond mandates worth a total of £320m.

FTSE 100 pension liabilities expand; Standard Life urged to compensate all savers in 'toxic' cash fund; Property funds: Scottish Widows imposes six-month notice period

Restrictions currently imposed on people who receive part of their ex-partner's pension benefits will be scrapped, the government has confirmed.

JLT Benefit Solutions has expanded its investment team with a number of key new appointments.

GLOBAL - Natixis Global Associates has launched two hedged equity funds - the Gateway US Equities Fund and the Gateway Euro Equities Fund.

US - Auto-enrolment in 401(k) plans and other high-cost retirement benefits have been hit by the global downturn, research by Hewitt Associates reveals.

AUSTRALIA - Superannuation fund savers should not make "rash" decisions based on negative performance, the Superannuation Stakeholder Group has urged.

SEI recieved commitments for £4.8bn in new global institutional assets from 35 new clients in 2008.